A report from Bazaarvoice found that more than half of Millennials consider online content created by other users before recommendations from family, friends or colleagues. Fifty-one percent said the presence of reviews or other user-generated content on a website helps them get a better understanding of a product or service's true value. Aside from reviews, Millennials' shopping ... [more]

A report from Fleishman-Hillard and Hearst found that Millennial women are ideal brand advocates, as they are likely to broadcast positive shopping experiences they have across the web. Moreover, internet marketers must remember the growth of forums for user-generated content places an especially high premium on good service, since Millennial women are likely to discuss negative ... [more]

At the first session of today's SMX Social Media Marketing conference, experts talked about free tactics to drive Facebook traffic and conversions. Kevin Scholl, social media manager for Red Roof Inn, offered seven tips for better social engagement, reminding marketers that content marketing is at the core of every form of engagement businesses can hope for. "Content is what drives ... [more]

Consumer Reports found that ecommerce is becoming increasingly common for electronics purchases. According to the study, 34 percent of electronics purchases took place online in 2010 - double the amount the company found five years ago. Marketers in related industries should remember that content marketing will support customers in their shopping decisions. According to Consumer ... [more]

Ecommerce consulting company Postcode Anywhere suggests that women are more likely to read user-generated content, such as product or service reviews, on a company website. Thirty-six percent more female than male respondents reported that they read and respond to reviews from other customers. Meanwhile, 22 percent more men than women said they do not consider other users' content ... [more]

Eighty percent of consumers have made a decision regarding a product or service based on a negative company feedback they read on the web, a recent report from Cone said. Online marketers should take this as their cue to foster positive engagement and user-generated content on the web by providing consumers valuable information and support for company services. When Cone conducted ... [more]

Marketers shouldn’t underestimate the value of a Like. More specifically, they shouldn't underestimate the reach provided for businesses when fans Like branded content. On Tuesday, comScore’s vice president of search and media, Graham Mud, shared insight with SES San Francisco attendees about the four types of brand impressions offered by Facebook marketing, and why friends ... [more]

More than one-third of consumers say they are more likely to make purchases with a company after they become its fan, follower or a subscriber. Jeff Revoy, CMO of iContact, shared this insight with SES San Francisco attendees during his presentation in a session on content marketing and social buzz. Revoy and fellow panelists offered insight on the value of garnering convertible ... [more]

Facebook has announced a change to its news feeds that will help group content according topic. Marketers who appropriately optimize their Facebook content might find their branded posts are categorized into valuable news feed clusters... assuming, of course, that users welcome the feature. In its blog, Facebook captures a screen shot of how the updated news feed works. One user ... [more]

The New York Times has launched beta620 - a public site that invites online news enthusiasts to try experimental content offerings from the newspaper. The Times is making clear that online news readers are key audiences, and it demonstrates to marketers that the demand for news content is strong - as is the need to adapt to user-generated content. Beta620 is a space that invites ... [more]