The growth of your business is in the hands of your customers in many ways. Not only do they purchase your products or patronise your services again and again if they are satisfied, but they can also become brand ambassadors for you. Any good word that spreads about your business allows it to grow organically with minimal effort!

Taking advantage of this connection with your customers through social media crowdsourcing can enhance business growth without putting a dent in your finances. They can also be employed cross-channel—making it an affordable and lucrative effort. 

Here are two ways that you can boost your business through social media crowdsourcing with the help of a local marketing agency:

User-Generated Content

Any content provided by your customers or followers is considered user-generated content (UGC). It typically involves a business asking their following to post something related to the brand. When executed well, this can be a great way to engage your customers and come up with a marketing campaign that is truly unique and requires less work on your end. 

UGC is valuable to your marketing efforts because it’s one way to promote your business with feedback from other customers. It makes your brand look more legitimate and enticing too!

Big brands like Apple have run these kinds of campaigns very successfully by asking their phone users to post photos using their newest flagship product. Smaller brands can follow suit—but it doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to a product all the time. Sometimes it is more impactful for your followers when they are asked to post something related to your brand’s mission and vision. For instance, a sustainable packaging brand can encourage its followers to post ways in which they practise sustainability every day, such as bringing their own containers to reduce single-use plastics or segregating trash. 

This is one of the easiest ways to get your customers involved with your brand. By featuring user content on your social media feed, it will excite and encourage them to share it on their profiles—which in turn increases your reach. People trust other people more than they do brands, so involving customers in your marketing strategy will create a more genuine connection between you and them!

Testimonials

While this may prompt a few eye rolls, testimonials remain a valuable and powerful marketing tool. When done right, testimonials won’t feel forced or fake. Instead, they can add plenty of credibility and trust for your business. 

Getting testimonials requires a strategy. It must have the right timing, preferably when your customer is currently engaging with your brand or immediately after. Feedback can take different forms depending on how and when you ask it. When transacting with customers face-to-face, you may prompt them to leave a feedback form soon after they purchase a product. Others might give feedback at a more convenient time through your event page or the Google Form link you sent them. It depends, but what matters is you get the timing just right! 

Formatting your testimonial to your liking and to a format that suits your business is highly acceptable. As a business owner, every bit of feedback that you receive is important—no matter what form it comes in. If you were expecting a written testimonial from your customer, but they preferred to give verbal feedback, then working with what you have is your best option. Just ensure that your customer has given their consent to be quoted, and you should be all set. 

The content that you generate from gathering testimonials must also be placed and presented strategically. Develop a content plan with the help of a social media management agency and map out where your testimonials would fit on your website and social media pages. Plan this well, and they can surely work in your favour. 

Conclusion

When marketing your business to drive organic growth, you don’t always have to do the heavy lifting. Sometimes, your customers themselves can give you a hand. Their feedback is as valuable to your business as your marketing efforts, so take advantage of what they can provide you with. By doing so, you’ll be creating a better relationship with your customers while increasing your business’ credibility and reach at the same time!

When figuring out your social media strategy, enlisting the services of a qualified marketing agency in Sussex is your best option. Here at Minotaur Digital, we help businesses grow by making beautiful websites and providing marketing solutions that work. Our services include web design, SEO, and social media management. Contact us today to see how we can help you and your business!