If your QSR brand isn’t making use of user-generated content, then what content are you using? These days, QSR customer are so savvy that they see right through anything that even smells like a marketing ploy, so it’s no wonder that smart restaurant brands are scooping up and making use of some of the best material that their fans are posting.
User-generated content has been around for quite some time. Brands and other people would look for it, share it and use it mainly as a social media tool. But when used on its own, this content can be leveraged as a very authentic and powerful marketing tool.
Trusting Who You Trust Most – Your Friends
By selecting user generated content from social media, brands are choosing very authentic content that other users and socially-connected friends will trust. It’s a very solid way to build a community around users without making it feel too contrived by the brand’s marketing team or agency.
When content that another QSR-brand fan has generated is used, it creates a direct line to the feelings and experience of that user. And by using those positive experiences in various places, such as online or in the physical location, other users can get a sense of what feelings they can expect after engaging with the brand.
For Brands and User-generated Content – Start Simple
Many brands start their user-generated content campaigns very simply. They choose a unique and appropriate hashtag and then they engage users to spread the word.
Of course, this take monitoring, as leaving this kind of openness to users can backfire as it has for some brands in the past. So there needs to be at least a dedicated person or team who monitors the chosen hashtag(s) and selects the most-appropriate content to make use of in terms of share or using in other marketing areas.
Start Small and Grow Your User-generated Content
From setting up and marketing a specific hashtag, user-generated content can be expanded in its marketing role. This kind of content can be used on menu-screens, the website, etc.
Imagine a new customer walking into a QSR location and seeing a positive date- and time-stamped Instagram post about your most-profitable menu item. It’s this kind of content that drives buying choices and smart brands are grabbing onto this trend and making the most of it.
It can even be brought offline for use in signage, traditional menus, packaging and more.
Of course, user-generated content isn’t limited to still images. Think of all the YouTube videos that are posted by fans who rave about an experience they’ve had. Those kinds of videos can be re-packaged and used in-location or on a website as well.
Bottom-line: Find the User-generated Content and Use it
User-generated content is out there. To get your hands on it, you have to engage loyal fans to help you in your efforts. but It’s not hard to do – in fact, they likely want to help you. The point is to actually start the process.
