90% of consumers say authenticity is important when choosing brands

Social media has completely changed the way we communicate, shop and experience the world. It's where consumers turn to discover products, make purchasing decisions and interact with brands. But what content do they trust the most in that process? 

According to a survey of consumers and B2C marketers by Stackla, consumers aren't looking for content that brands are creating and sharing, it's the everyday user-generated content (UGC) they're after.

A huge 90% of consumers think that authenticity is important when deciding which brands to support (an increase of 4% from 2017). Meanwhile, 83% of marketers say that authenticity is very important to their brands.

But while consumers and marketers agree on the importance of authenticity, there is a discrepancy between the effectiveness of content. According to the survey, 92% of marketers and 51% of consumers say that content resonates as authentic.

As well as being considered the most authentic by consumers (58%), UGC also has the most influence in purchasing decisions. Most consumers say they've made purchasing decisions based on consumer-created content – 57% visited a particular restaurant and 52% made holiday plans, for example.

Marketers need to make sure content is always fresh, and 63% feel pressure to produce more content, more often. Rather than focusing on creating brand-created content in 2019, marketers need to shift attention to UGC instead.

What content will you be tapping into in 2019? Speak to us at Stopgap to find out where your marketing focus needs to be over the coming 12 months.