Tips for Using Organic Content in Performance Marketing

As a Facebook ads specialist who has served 210+ campaigns for coaches and digital product owners, I often get asked - "What's the most powerful type of creative to use?" Hands down, it's real user-generated content (UGC). I've seen single authentic testimonial videos generate 7+ million views and hundreds of thousands in sales. But it only works if the content is genuine. Fake or forced reviews quickly backfire by making audiences skeptical. After managing campaigns for 100+ coaches and consultants, here's why every business should be collecting and leveraging real UGC: 1. Using in ads - Real content performs better because it feels organic, not promotional. It builds trust by inspiring customers with peers' experiences. 2. Inspiring users to post - When customers see real people enjoying your product, they're much more likely to post user reviews themselves. This creates a viral effect. 3. Adding social proof - Display real customer photos, videos, and reviews on your website to establish credibility and reduce skepticism for researching buyers. Of course, the key question is - how do you generate authentic user content to begin with? Here are proven ways: 1. Incentivize users - Follow up post-purchase to thank customers and offer perks for posting video reviews. 2. Engage reviewers - Be the first to like and comment on their posts. Repost them. This shows you care and inspires more UGC. 3. Partner with influencers - Ask them to post honest reviews. This builds trust and credibility with their followers. Once you've built a library of UGC, incorporate it into ads and your website to boost conversions. In summary, incentivize and engage reviewers, collaborate with influencers, then repurpose that content across marketing. This cycle will separate you from competitors. Let's connect to discuss leveraging UGC for 7-figure campaigns! #campaignsuccess #facebookadsexpert

I spoke to someone today trying to scale a CPG brand. And here’s how I told him to grow it: They’ve got an Olive Oil brand. Phenomenal product. Great story. In all Whole Foods. But he’s trying to scale and gain awareness around his product. His idea? Crank meta ads. Problem? His ad account is fresh. They don’t have winning creative. Hasn’t tested LPs or PDPs. Budget? Tight. So, here’s what I told him to do instead: • Seed Influencers/Creators • Invest in organic content •Turn on paid with winning pieces from creators and organic • Invite top creators and/or influencers to become ambassadors 1. Seeding Influencers/Creators And not just any influencers or creators. Go niche. Go deep. And find very specific creators who talk to very specific people aligned with your ICP. So instead of going for the foodie because they have a large audience. Go for the mom foodie, who lives a luxury lifestyle, and lives in a major city near Whole Foods that carries your product.. Next - hit 250 - 500 influencers a month. And two things will happen: 20-30% will opt-in to receive product 30-35% will post content about the product for free And you now have 30-90 pieces of content at the cost of goods. The goal is to build a lasting relationship with all of these creators. Hence, seeding them and letting the plant grow over time. 2. Now, Organic Content Key here is for influencers and creators to play into his content funnel. The influencer and creator content drives awareness and brings ppl into his ecosystem. But it’s his job to turn awareness into follows. Followers into fans. So, three options from cheapest to most expensive: • Hire an in-house creator • Build a lean content team around the founder • Build an entire content and marketing team for biz Regardless, approach the content like a funnel: TOF - How can I make people aware of me, brand, and product? MOF - How can I get people to follow me, brand, or product? BOF - How can I get people to become fans of me, brand, or product? He hasn’t built a content team so to start - I told him to have a testing strategy over a growth strategy. Have a lot of ideas. Test them. Set baseline KPIs. When a piece of content hits the KPI, take note and scale it. 3. Then Turn On Paid After months of influencer seeding and posting organic content, this will happen: You’ll now know what to run as paid ads. You’ll know which influencer posts drove sales. And you’ll know which organic pieces drove sales. Those will be the winners you use for paid as he tries to unlock it as an acquisition channel. And again - he’s lean right now. If the budget was bigger, then I’d advise throwing every piece of creative into the ad account. Launch dynamic creative testing. Cost caps. And refine, optimize and scale from there. Anyways, I hope that helps some of you who are in the same shoes and trying to scale a brand. Below is my favorite resource for finding the right influencers.

I’m a #restructuring / #distressed growth executive in the #consumergoods and services, (#cpg), #b2bsaas, and #retail. Frequently I’m called upon by #privateequity, #venturecapital, and family businesses to accelerate growth quickly across #marketing, #merchandising, and #technology. Identified one major theme across the 156 companies-plus have reviewed. Allocating more than 46.8% of your total marketing budget to #paidadvertising can lead to detrimental consequences for your business. Here’s why: Diminishing Returns and Lack of Diversification 1. Diminishing Returns: Overemphasis on paid advertising can result in diminishing returns as the market becomes saturated with ads, leading to reduced effectiveness and higher costs per acquisition. 2. Lack of Diversification: Relying heavily on paid ads neglects other valuable marketing channels like #contentmarketing, #SEO, #socialmedia, and #influencerpartnerships, limiting your reach and potential customer engagement. Risk of Resource Exhaustion without Growth 3. Resource Drain: Pouring a disproportionate amount of resources into paid advertising without commensurate growth in #customeracquisition can deplete your budget rapidly. 4. Stagnant Growth: This imbalance can hinder sustainable growth by failing to attract and retain #customers through diverse marketing strategies. Undermining Organic #CustomerRelationships and #BrandCredibility 5. Organic Relationships: Neglecting #organic marketing efforts can undermine the development of #genuine customer relationships built on trust and value. 6. Brand Credibility: Over-reliance on #paidads may erode brand credibility as customers seek authenticity and meaningful interactions beyond promotional content. To avoid the pitfalls associated with excessive reliance on paid advertising, consider these actionable steps to restructure your marketing budget: - #Diversify Your #MarketingMix: Allocate resources across a mix of channels to reach a broader audience and engage customers through various touchpoints. - Invest in Organic Strategies: Prioritize organic marketing efforts such as #content creation, #SEO optimization, #socialmedia engagement, and #communitybuilding to foster lasting customer relationships. - Measure Performance Metrics: Monitor #keyperformanceindicators across different marketing channels to assess effectiveness and optimize resource allocation for maximum #ROI. - Experiment and Iterate: Test new strategies, analyze results, and iterate based on data-driven insights to refine your marketing approach continuously. - Seek Professional Guidance: Consider consulting with marketing experts or agencies to develop a comprehensive strategy that aligns with your business #goals and #budget. By diversifying your marketing investments and rebalancing your budget towards a more holistic approach, you can mitigate the risks associated with excessive reliance on paid advertising and steer your business towards sustainable growth and success.