Firms urged to understand 'citizen marketing'

Category: Online marketing

May 28th 08, 10:49

User-generated content can be an effective way to market a company without ploughing millions of pounds into advertising, according to one expert.

However, to use such a medium in the right way it is imperative that businesses first take the time to understand the power of so-called citizen marketing, Caroline Waters of BT remarked.

She explained that social networking sites can also be fatal to a firm's product if they generate a negative buzz rather than a positive image for the company.

"Someone who doesn't have an investment but just loves the product is ten times more valuable than all of the millions of pounds of marketing that a company can buy," Ms Waters commented.

"That's the power of technology."

User-generated content can include reviews and videos that are capable of turning into a form of viral marketing. According to Frank Bell of Entrepreneur.com, some of the most significant factors that have helped to popularise citizen content include better content publishing tools and improved bandwidth.

This news story was brought to you by Bluhalo, a leading UK digital agency.

Related News

  1. Customer retention, satisfaction named top marketing priorities
  2. Search engine launches new video marketing offering
  3. Survey: Video marketing to increase in 2009
  4. Execs 'looking for online marketing capabilities in new agencies'