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Most of us have some sort of social media listening/monitoring program set up. From Google or Talkwalker alerts to Brand24, Zignal Labs, or Crisp, the tools range from simple to sophisticated. Some include artificial intelligence only and others have AI plus human intelligence.

What you use definitely depends on your needs, your goals, and how many mentions there are online of your organization or brand. But what happens when you reach a point that conversations need to be moderated because a human can’t do it alone?

User-generated content is the pinnacle of a brand’s social media efforts. When consumers buy and share how they use a product or service on their own social platforms, the brand enjoys significant boosts, both in awareness and trust.

The numbers of user-generated content are mind-boggling. More than 27 million people use Instagram, nearly two billion on Facebook, more than 400 million on Pinterest, 800 million on TikTok, and nearly 500 million on TripAdvisor. All of these users provide massive opportunities for brands if harnessed—and moderated—correctly.

As many as 90% of shoppers report that user-generated content influences their purchase decisions, according to a survey from TurnTo and Ipsos. It outranks all other forms of marketing, including: search engines (87%), promotional emails (79%), display ads (76%), and social (63%).

There also are, of course, potential risks. And that’s what we talk about on today’s Spin Sucks podcast episode.

Resources Included

• Google Alerts
• Talkwalker Alerts
• Brand24
• Zignal Labs
• Crisp
• TurnTo and Ipsos Survey
• Harmful content
• Spin Sucks Community

About Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communications firm. She is the lead blogger at Spin Sucks and is the founder of Spin Sucks Pro. She is the co-author of Marketing in the Round and co-host of Inside PR. Full bio