Bazaarvoice Stories deliver untapped customer passion

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Since the product’s launch nearly a year ago, dozens of Bazaarvoice clients have signed on with a Stories campaign. We recently discovered that Bazaarvoice Stories have the longest average length per contribution of all of our solutions, by far. The average character length for Stories is 900 characters, compared to 350 and 125 for Ratings & Reviews and Ask & Answer, respectively.

This statistic illustrates the amount of previously untapped passion that customers have in sharing their story. Stories tap customer feelings on a deeper level than A&A or R&R, and customers have experiences that may not fit into an A&A or R&R setting that they would still like to share with others. James Avery’s “Love to Share” Mother’s Day campaign generated over 1,000 user-submitted stories of a mother’s love – and helped drive a 28% increase in online sales over the Mother’s Day season the previous year.

Brands can use Stories to evoke responses that A&A and R&R might not inspire. Apart from emotional experiences like philosophy’s “Your Mom’s Philosophy” campaign, brands can solicit user-generated how-to guides or product use tips. Asking questions like “What makes this product your ‘secret weapon’?” or “What is your favorite recipe?” can both increase brand loyalty through customer engagement and increase product consumption by presenting new usage situations.

Like all UGC, Stories content delivers authentic customer sentiments that can be used to influence future marketing and drive in-store sales. And the longer length of Stories means they provide a greater volume of content.

Bazaarvoice Stories is part of our comprehensive approach to managing the customer voice. Each of our products serves a unique purpose, and together they help your brand drive new visitors, increase conversion, and retain customers. Check out our related blog posts to see how other clients have used Stories to build customer engagement in their brand.Bazaarvoice Stories

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  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/anntellsastory Ann Newman

    I totally agree that there's nothing that match's the "ring of truth" like a client win story. Having specialized in this "genre," for several years, I think the successful (and by that I mean compelling, memorable and reproducible) stories are just that — stories. They need to have conflict and resolution. What was the client's pain point? How did Bazaar Voice resolve the issue? What were the obstacles — the biggest challenges and what were the take-aways, the best practices? Beginning, middle, end, etc.

    I've applied for the Product Marketing Manager opening and think I would fit in perfectly with your culture, but I guess you'll have to interview me to decide. Hope you do — sincerely Ann Newman

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/anntellsastory Ann Newman

    I totally agree that there's nothing that match's the "ring of truth" like a client win story. Having specialized in this "genre," for several years, I think the successful (and by that I mean compelling, memorable and reproducible) stories are just that — stories. They need to have conflict and resolution. What was the client's pain point? How did Bazaar Voice resolve the issue? What were the obstacles — the biggest challenges and what were the take-aways, the best practices? Beginning, middle, end, etc.

    I've applied for the Product Marketing Manager opening and think I would fit in perfectly with your culture, but I guess you'll have to interview me to decide. Hope you do — sincerely Ann Newman

  • http://AustinMSW.com Jennifer De Guelle

    Thank you for the great post!

    This campaign is also relevant for non-profits/charitable organizations in that using UG stories is an effective means "to build customer engagement in their brand".

    A terrific example of a non-profit utilizing this strategy is the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and their Beat the Odds Campaign.

    "Founded in 1990, the Beat the Odds program has awarded hundreds of scholarships to high school students who have overcome tremendous adversity in their lives and gone on to achieve academic excellence and give back to their communities."

    In sharing the individual stories of students who have "Beat the Odds", CDF partners with the local business community, politicians and dignitaries, media and the community at large; engaging them in raising awareness, and thus promoting and participating in the central mission of CDF, which is lifting children out of poverty and creating a level playing field for all children.

  • http://AustinMSW.com Jennifer De Guelle

    Thank you for the great post!

    This campaign is also relevant for non-profits/charitable organizations in that using UG stories is an effective means "to build customer engagement in their brand".

    A terrific example of a non-profit utilizing this strategy is the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and their Beat the Odds Campaign.

    "Founded in 1990, the Beat the Odds program has awarded hundreds of scholarships to high school students who have overcome tremendous adversity in their lives and gone on to achieve academic excellence and give back to their communities."

    In sharing the individual stories of students who have "Beat the Odds", CDF partners with the local business community, politicians and dignitaries, media and the community at large; engaging them in raising awareness, and thus promoting and participating in the central mission of CDF, which is lifting children out of poverty and creating a level playing field for all children.