Internet World published a fantastic article this morning on User Generated Content and online communications. The article was geared for the retail/consumer market, however, it is very relevant to our nonprofit world.
User Generated Content tends to produce a thin line of sweat on the brow of Executive Directors as their boards reach for Pepto-Bismol. It can be incredibly scary to let go of the reins and allow your supporters to play a more integral role in the direction and brand of your nonprofit organization. It is ok to be scared. Yet, also look at is as an opportunity…
Read the article below and replace ‘consumers’ with ‘donors’ or ’supporters’ and see the opportunity to reach hundreds if not thousands of new contributors to your cause and be an online forum for advocacy.
“…The growth of UGC offers a great opportunity to engage in existing conversations and offer real solutions, advice and responses to the questions that are top of mind for those audiences. Earlier this year we surveyed 100 internet-industry professionals to find out how they interact with their customers online. There is no question over the value we place on user generated content (UGC); 71% said that input from customers on online forums is of benefit to their business, with 73% agreeing that peer recommendations are very important to their customer/end user. 69% were clear on the sales benefits that can be generated via user generated content (UGC) such as personal reviews, video footage and consumer commentary. 87% said that they consider the rising popularity of consumer review sites to be a positive development for brands and retailers.
But what happens when the content and reviews become challenging – or even actively negative? The research suggested that some organisations are still burying their heads in the sand if they don’t like what they see. 14% said that they would moderate or delete online criticism rather than responding to it directly, with a further 18% saying that they would ignore it entirely. Yet at the same time, 52% named peer recommendation as the most important influence on their customer or end user, suggesting that there’s still a disconnect in the way we treat social media channels.
Negative commentary doesn’t have to be a disaster. In fact, for companies who tackle online criticism directly and honestly, there can be a real benefit to be had. By offering a solution to a customer’s problem and by speaking to them in the same forum that they’ve chosen to voice their criticism, you demonstrate that you care about the quality of their experience. A brand that proves it is prepared to engage with its end user can enhance their experience and create a stronger, more lasting loyalty. And the viral effects can also add value: solve someone’s problem and they are likely to recommend you to friends and colleagues both on and offline.
Innovative companies, especially retailers, need to have the courage to address their end user’s comments directly instead of adopting an instinctively defensive demeanour. This kind of online community offers a unique opportunity to interact and engage directly with audiences; for example, the Ciao community has over five million independent product evaluations and reports of people’s experiences in over 20 top categories, such as cars, computers, digital cameras, finances, mobile phones, travel, electronics or foodstuffs.
Companies that learn not simply to scan these opinions but to take on board their content and respond accordingly have the potential to create a mutually beneficial network that improves their service – demonstrating, crucially, that the opinion of the end user is as important as that of the company itself.”
Cause Syndication is an important communication step in leveraging our new world of social media and social networking. If used effectively, you can gain the support of new donors and create an online constituency of town criers for your cause. Grassroots philanthropy and fundraising is just that…grassroots, created by real people in communities for causes that effect them or their loved ones. Reiterating the quote from above…“learn not simply to scan these opinions but to take on board their content and respond accordingly have the potential to create a mutually beneficial network that improves their service – demonstrating, crucially, that the opinion of the end user is as important as that of the company itself.”
Listen and learn from your donors and your supporters and the end result will be a more effective organization with a far more powerful outreach into our communities.
