If you’ve worked with any marketer, you’ve probably heard him/her say the phrase “Content is King.” In today’s world, where every individual is inundated with content from every which way, it can be hard to get your messaging through the noise. Today, we want to provide you with some eye-opening statistics from a recent Stackla survey about what kind of content consumers really want, and how you can provide it to them.

This Stackla survey focused on the theme of authenticity in content and what that means exactly to both the consumer and the marketer. The company surveyed 1,590 consumers and about 150 B2C marketers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to uncover any potential gaps in what kind of content resonates best for a brand. With more and more people utilizing the internet to inform their purchasing decisions, it’s critical marketers invest the time and resources into creating the right type of content.

With all the brand buzz already out there, we loved that Social Media Today described that “ad-exhausted audiences are increasingly looking for authenticity.” This hit right on par with the survey results. When polled, 90% of consumers said authenticity was important when deciding which brands to support, which was up from 86% in 2017. Meanwhile 83% of marketers say authenticity is very important to their brands, with 61% saying it’s the most important component of impactful content.

The Disconnect

But here’s where there’s some disconnect. The content that’s proving to be the most valued and authentic among consumers is that of user-generated content or UGC. This is content shared by other customers or “influencers” within the industry that have used the product. Basically, it’s the digital age’s form of word of mouth. So while 92% of marketers that were surveyed believe most or all of the content they create resonates as authentic with their consumers, 51% of consumers disagree saying less than half of brands create content that resonates as authentic.

Within the same survey 58% of consumers agree UGC content is the most authentic form of content, therefore they’re 2.4x more likely to say UGC is most authentic. Meanwhile, marketers are 2.1x more likely to say brand-created content is most authentic in comparison. But let’s look at some more numbers.

57% of consumers have made plans to dine at a particular restaurant, 54% have purchased a consumer packaged goods and 52% have made plans to travel to a specific destination based on a consumer-created image or video. On a global scale, 79% of people say user-generated content highly impacts their purchasing decisions, which is up from 60% in 2017. Stepping away from UGC, only 13% of consumers say content from a brand is impactful. However, based on the survey, only half of marketers (49%) are planning to increase their investment in influencer marketing in 2019. So this means that marketers feel they need to produce more content, but aren’t investing in the right type of content.

Problem vs. Solution

Since consumers are now being inundated with product advertisements, quite literally everywhere they go physically and digitally, marketers recognize the challenges this creates for promoting their brand. Because of the cluttered landscape, content needs to be more engaging, typically more visual, and consistently fresh. With 56% of consumers saying the types of content they most want to see from brands are UGC photos and videos, it’s vital marketers use this within their strategy.

So how can marketers do this? The biggest takeaway is to utilize the audience customer base. With access to the internet and large groups of potential customers, the everyday person has become the “world’s greatest content creators” according to Social Media Today. An easy way to do this is through a social media campaign where a brand asks their followers and customers to submit their photos using the product in some kind of photo challenge. Then the winner could be potentially featured on the brand’s website or newsletter too. Throw in some company swag and it’s a recipe for success! Especially since within the survey responses  51% of people say they’d be more likely to continue engaging with and/or purchasing from a brand if it shared their photo, video or post in its marketing. Plus, check out how likely people are to share positive experiences within the infographic below!

Dealership Opportunities

You might be thinking, this is all great information, but how does it apply to my dealership? Just remember that good content doesn’t have to be created with fancy photography or video equipment. The majority of us have a cutting-edge camera already right at our fingertips within our cell phones.

Regardless of whether you decide to snap some photos at the dealership, or in the field, be sure you’re also encouraging your customers to send in videos or photos for your dealership to feature. For example, you can encourage them to submit a photo for the chance to win a free tune up, or be featured as a new member of the dealership’s “family.” This photo could then be sent out to your existing and potential customers via email so that the customer gets some spotlight for their business as well.

To wrap things up, we want you to remember that being authentic in the way you present your dealership will go a long way and will touch every facet of your business. It’ll be evident in your marketing, your customer service, sales and help you continue the relationship with your customer in hopes of building loyalty for a lifetime!