Reaching More Shoppers With Visual Content
There’s no question that visual content is changing the way consumers browse for and purchase products. Today, 97% of consumers seek out visual content prior to purchase. And 88% specifically seek out photos and videos submitted by other consumers like them.
You’ve heard the message loud and clear and have started collecting visual content from your shoppers, both natively and through Instagram. Now, it’s time to start getting this visual content in front of your shoppers in more places to boost buying confidence and increase conversion. Read on to learn six easy steps for more effectively displaying the user-generated photos and videos you’ve collected from your shoppers.
1. Feature Visual Content in a Gallery on Product Pages
Consumers want to find user-generated photos and videos of the products they’re considering — but they don’t want to work hard to find it. PowerReviews research found that two-fifths of shoppers prefer to see images and videos from shoppers like them directly on a brand or retailer website.
Once you’ve started generating photos and videos from your consumers, be sure to showcase this powerful visual content in an engaging gallery directly on the product page. This will get more eyes on your visual content, leading to higher engagement on the page and greater conversion.
2. Make Sure Photos Are Oriented Correctly
Imagine you’re a health and beauty retailer and one of your shoppers purchases a lipstick she loves. She takes a couple selfies wearing the lipstick and attempts to upload one of them natively, as part of a review. But the photo appears sideways, and there isn’t a way for her to fix it.
The lesson here? Make sure your visual content provider makes it easy for your shoppers to properly orient photos when they’re being uploaded. That way, this content will appear correctly in your visual content gallery.
3. Syndicate Visual Content to Retail Partners
In some cases, a shopper will shop for a brand’s product directly from the brand’s ecommerce site. But in other cases, they’ll opt to shop via a retailer that sells the brand’s products. Be sure both types of shoppers can find the visual information they’re seeking out, regardless of where they shop. How? By syndicating the visual content you collect (both natively and through Instagram) to your retail partners (or, if you’re a retailer, by accepting this content from your brands).
If you’re a brand that syndicates visual content to your retail partners, you benefit from getting this conversion-boosting content in front of more shoppers, wherever they purchase your products. If you’re a retailer that accepts syndicated visual content, you benefit from displaying more photos and videos on more products, without having to generate this content yourself.
4. Add a UGC Snippet to Product Pages
Consumers are busy people with short attention spans, so it’s key to provide them with all the information they’re looking for in one place. That includes photos and videos — both brand-provided and submitted by consumers like them.
Ask your visual content provider if it’s possible to add a snippet to your product display page to allow your shoppers to easily access photos and videos submitted by other consumers, right alongside brand-provided product images.
5. Include Visual Content in Other Marketing Campaigns
Make the most of the great visual content you’re generating from your customers by including this content in other marketing initiatives. For example, once you’ve received permission, consider including user-submitted visual content in social media campaigns and marketing emails. Or, include content on in-store displays to engage shoppers in your brick-and-mortar locations.
6. Give Credit to Instagram Contributors
You’ll need to get permission from consumers before using their Instagram photos or videos on your website or in your other marketing materials. The good news is, your visual content partner should make this an easy process for you.
Once you get permission, be sure to give the shopper a shout out when you use their photo or video. For example, if you repost a user’s photo on your company’s Instagram page, tag them in it as another way to give them props. This will encourage other consumers to share content with you, in hopes of being featured on your page.
Start Collecting and Displaying More Visual Content
Collecting and displaying visual content is a win-win for consumers and businesses alike. Seeing photos and videos of a product “in real life” helps consumers make more confident purchase decisions. And it helps brands and retailers boost traffic, conversion, and sales — and reduce returns.
Are you already a PowerReviews client? Contact your Client Success Director to learn more about how you can start generating and displaying more visual content today. Not a PowerReviews customer yet? Contact us to schedule a demo.
