Brands know that building a trusting relationship with consumers is a key part of creating loyalty, advocacy and boosting customer retention. To achieve this goal, marketing strategies should focus on communicating an authentic message to their customers. This is often tied into brand values, audience pain points, and the company's USP.
But why is this authentic marketing so effective at generating customer loyalty?
In the overly saturated online marketing world, where users are swamped with a cacophony of adverts almost every waking hour, consumers have grown tired of overly branded marketing. This is especially true in the wake of such events such as Facebook's Cambridge Analytica and Volkswagen's emissions scandals. Trust is at an all-time low for organizations, with a high level of skepticism among consumers when it comes to the claims brands make about themselves.
And so user-generated content (UGC), where ordinary people submit their own content, is able to cut through the noise and create authenticity. Consumers are much more likely to trust content from other users, helping companies to garner long-term loyalty. Instagram is a particularly good resource for organizations to showcase UGC and use their loyal following to do the marketing for them.
Lonely Planet is just one of these brands that is making the most of their online community and encouraging loyalty by asking their followers to share their adventures and be a part of their organization.
GoPro is another company that is reaching out to people to share their own content, while also showcasing their product. This shows their online following what their camera is able to do without producing branded content.