The power of UGC meets the efficiency of SMS: say hello to Okendo’s new Postscript integration.

When it comes to increasing the perception of your brand’s authenticity, nothing comes close to the compelling impact of reviews and user-generated content (UGC).

With 90% of consumers claiming that authenticity is important when deciding which brands they choose to buy from, it’s no surprise that businesses are scrambling to find the most efficient and effective ways of generating those all-important customer reviews and ratings.

Enter Okendo’s brand new integration with Shopify SMS marketing specialists, Postscript. This fresh partnership combines the powerful persuasion of UGC with the direct immediacy enabled by mobile devices.

Read on to learn more about the opportunities UGC and reviews bring to your own conversion rate — and how this is amplified when leveraged alongside SMS marketing.

Why UGC increases conversion rate 

From boosted brand awareness, through to better-qualified traffic, improved SEO, and increased consumer trust, the benefits that UGC brings are extensive. 

When it comes to getting sales over the line, the success of the UGC rests in the deeply rooted appeal of social proof. As humans, we’ve evolved to respect, learn, and benefit from the opinions of our peers. We like to follow where others have paved the way, capitalizing on their experience.

In this way, UGC helps bolster confidence in products, and the stats back this up. 79% of consumers say that UGC impacts their purchasing decisions, and the sites that leverage it observe a 29% increase in conversion.

You only need to look at the hours people spend browsing and uploading social media content to see the huge sway held by UGC. It’s clear why bringing consumer ratings, reviews, images, and testimonials into the promotional sphere of our brand is such an effective tactic.

When it comes to leveraging UGC to boost your own conversion rate, there are a few ways to ensure optimum impact:

• Use targeted campaigns to encourage users to help show “the other” side of your brand and place your products in relatable or inspirational context. 
• Aim for the “sweet spot” in terms of number of reviews per product.
• Focus on driving sales from social media to capture the attention of consumers while they’re already interacting with UGC.

How UGC can fuel sophisticated segmentation

UGC is much more than a helpful “front line” marketing tactic. It’s also immensely beneficial in terms of deeper customer insight. Think of what this additional stream of data could do for your own marketing campaign segmentation…

UGC and reviews give an unrivaled opportunity to learn so much about your customers and how they interact with your products. Use this to supercharge your channel campaigns, both in terms of PPC / SEO adwords and direct email marketing.

Personalized marketing is powerful. Segmented personalized automated email messages command open rates 43% higher than their generic counterparts, and deliver 6x higher transactional rates. By making intelligent use of the knowledge of personal preferences, requirements, and interests, UGC data can help to drive incredibly specific (and devastatingly effective) segmentation.

Okendo customer WAG used UGC data to inform their segmentation of a targeted marketing campaign and saw a 300% increase in Placed Order Rate, with Revenue Per Recipient jumping 423%. CTR was boosted by 64%, and their open rate leaped by 43%.

Power couple: UGC & SMS 

Now that UGC has been shown to be such a powerful driver of conversion, how can you ensure you generate enough to get the best results?

The answer could be SMS. It’s convenient, personal, quick and perfectly positioned to encourage a snappy, impulsive response when a request is sent.

SMS messages have consistently been shown to receive a higher open rate (up to 98%) than their email counterparts (20%). Whereas an email typically takes 90 minutes to respond to, it takes the average user just 90 seconds to react to an SMS. 

What’s more, when an SMS is received, the phone is already in the customer’s hand, ready to snap a picture (or link to a previously Instagrammed image…). Responding to the request for a review, rating or imagery can be instantaneous.

What’s the best way to ensure optimized opt-in to your SMS requests? Here are a few tips for best practice:

• Keep it personal — you have the data so use it wisely to ensure a polite, friendly, and human approach that addresses the customer by name.
• Careful copy — make sure your brand voice comes across clearly and your SMS conveys the correct personality and attitude. Your SMS should feel like a relevant and recognizable step in the customer journey.
• Be clear what you’re asking for — you want a rapid, impulse response, so make it quick and easy to act upon your request. Get straight to the point, ask for what you want.

Ready for your brand to benefit?

UGC and reviews are amazing for your conversion rate and so much more – make sure you’re getting enough by leveraging the power of SMS for convenient, concise, and creative brand engagement.

Okendo’s new integration with Postscript is the perfect pairing to help elevate your strategy and performance in this area. Benefit from improved segmentation, deeper authenticity, and an ultra-efficient method of delivery — all in one automated, intuitive workflow.

Start your free Okendo trial to begin exploring the powerful potential of UGC and SMS for your own brand.