HOW TO ENCOURAGE COLLABORATIVE CONTENT CREATION

It is said that brands (especially product ones) do not belong to businesses, but they belong, first of all, to consumers. And rightly so, because it’s in the minds of consumers that associations with the brand, and perceptions related to it, are created.

According to statista.com, we spend a quarter of our free time on the social network. We are talking about FOMO (Fear of missing out), Insta Pics, the concept of posting stories that last one day. Today’s consumers have moved online, telling their story and sharing their experiences mainly in the digital environment.

Thus, we ask ourselves how can brands capitalize on the active involvement of consumers in the online environment? Encouraging collaborative content.

This means involving consumers in creating brand content. Their involvement in creating the brand story. The consumer transforms from a receiver of brand messages into a message creator, into a narrator of experience with the brand.

Creating collaborative content has two major advantages: on the one hand it strengthens the brand-consumer emotional relationship, and on the other hand the brand gains in terms of authenticity in the perception of consumers who are not yet loyal to that brand.

Some of the simple ways to create collaborative content are:

1. Encouraging the sharing of experiences with the brand

Make your Social Media accounts accessible and encourage the promotion of consumer posts that have experience with your brand.

2. Use social media tools

For example, to bring people together and discuss the same topic, you can use hashtags or create communities around an idea (e.g. the Sweet Jam Lovers Community).

3. Use brand ambassadors

They have a say, and in the digital environment they are image bearers for your brand — can you think of a better brand ambassador to capture the Italian elegance of Nespresso than George Clooney?

Examples:

Nike has always been a visionary brand when it comes to creating a lifestyle associated with the brand and a sense of community among fans. They consider the community hashtag as the most important of their hashtags, almost always using the hashtag or over the brand or product hashtags..

There are also brands in the local landscape that manage to engage consumers in conversations and stimulate content creation, starting from the interests and passions they have in common and that the brand nurtures. For example, the F64 brand is the initiator of the Group of photography enthusiasts which has now reached over 60,000 members. With an average of about 100 posts / day and a large number of interactions, community members discuss products, write reviews and recommendations, engage with the brand, help it with insights and support it by buying their products.

Originally published at https://www.brandfusion.ro.