Google’s Perspectives filter, which began rolling out in June this year, aims to point searchers to content from “real people” when it deems it helpful to their query. Searchers can click on the Perspectives tab in the search results to see relevant “long- and short-form videos, images, and written posts that people have shared on discussion boards, Q&A sites, and social media platforms.”
Google Sees the Value in User-Generated Content
This is Google recognizing the value of user-generated content (UGC). In effect, the search giant is increasing the role that UGC and creator content can play in search and discovery, which is often the start of many e-commerce shopping journeys. Perspectives gives searchers an alternative approach to gathering information to help them make informed purchase decisions.
Many retailers are already starting to incorporate visual UGC — i.e., the images and videos people share about their products — into their marketing. Especially in e-commerce verticals such as fashion and home furnishings, consumers like to see authentic visuals of products being used by real people — not just the branded images that feature models or studio show homes. For merchants, it’s also a way of saving money. They can supplement expensive photo shoots with a continuous stream of visual content from their customers.
The introduction of Google Perspectives increases the chance that visual UGC will appear in search results. This means that merchants can no longer think it’s optional to have a strategy to generate this type of content. So how can they go about doing this?
Start With Curation, Then Get Proactive
The starting point for many is curating visual testimonials their customers are already posting on social platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. By identifying and sharing this content on their own social channels and crediting customers, brands can boost the content’s visibility and reach.
The next stage is to be more proactive by finding ways to encourage customers to post more images or videos of products, while also using specific branded hashtags. Some retailers have successfully done this by running competitions on social sites. The winning visuals are chosen by votes or likes from other followers. Not only is this a way of encouraging a high volume of visual UGC, but it also increases awareness and helps to create a buzz around the brand and its products.
Nurturing Creator Communities
To take things to the next level, companies are starting to nurture their own creator communities. For example, they can set creative briefs for customers to develop content for specific product launches and campaigns. They’re rewarded with free merchandise and discounts and given online recognition to help them feel valued and more connected to the brand.
This is a clever way of generating a closer bond with loyal and active customers while at the same time generating meaningful content for other shoppers who can see people just like them using or wearing the products they might be considering. Often visual recommendations such as these can outperform brand posts featuring professional images.
Tap Into Customer Creativity
While merchants hesitate to get customers too heavily involved in their marketing, leaning on a customer or creator community can crowdsource fresh ideas and visual themes that might not occur to brands themselves. The truth is, consumers often interpret what a product or brand means to them in ways that resonate with other consumers better than in-house creatives or agencies.
Many companies are already embracing visual UGC as part of their marketing. It lets them take advantage of the wide selection of engaging, real visual content from customers, which is often free. The launch of Google Perspectives highlights the significance of UGC even more and underlines why retailers must make UGC a bigger priority.
So, when considering your overall search engine optimization strategy, Google Perspectives and UGC need to be near the top of the list.
Damien Mahoney is the chief strategy officer at Nosto, a leading commerce experience platform that acquired visual user-generated content solution Stackla in 2021 — which Damien founded.
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