User-generated content has been around for a few years now however this term is becoming more and more popular with marketers who are beginning to harness the many benefits user-generated content can bring.

Sites like YouTube, FaceBook, MySpace and Trip Advisor have paved the way for a greater understanding of the benefits of this activity and the great success that these sites have experienced has proven the advantages UGC can bring, resulting in user- generated content now being present on the majority of quality leisure and tourism websites in one form or another.

User-generated content has developed over the last few years. Whereas before online visitors could only read what others had to say, now they can upload and share their stories, pictures and ever-more favoured videos for the world to see. The internet has truly become a global media stage, where the online audience has been able to display their experiences in text, photo and video as well as rating and reviewing everyone else’s.

Several factors have contributed to the proliferation of user-generated content on the internet:

1. Increased bandwidth – With a broadband connection anybody can easily and efficiently upload larger files

2. Better online tools – Content can be accessed, organised and uploaded onto user-generated content platforms within minutes

3. Easier media transfer – Digital cameras and video recorders have advanced and have made it much easier to capture and distribute content in an electronic format with many memory cards able to plug directly into computers.

4. Cheaper bandwidth – Globally, it is much easier and far cheaper to connect to the internet than it was 10 years ago. Coupled with cost-effective mobile broadband this is allowing more people to be online more often and for much longer.

5. Social networking – The face of the internet has changed remarkably and now social networking has become a daily online activity

6. Advertising – companies have realised that revenue can be generated from UGC by developing audiences, maintaining high levels of traffic and creating a loyal online community

The benefits of user-generated content are clearly evident for the user. For one, user-generated content is extremely engaging and can provide an authentic and trustworthy source of information.

For businesses, the results are inarguably just as apparent. The main reason? Because user-reviews and content-sharing have had a huge impact on other consumers purchasing decisions as well as drastically increasing the content on a website.

In order to allow leisure and tourism providers and businesses to capture user-generated content on their own terms, Digital Visitor have developed ‘Visitor Review’. Visitor Review is a white-labelled user-generated content platform that allows online visitors to upload their comments, pictures and videos to leisure and tourism provider’s own branded media site.

Visitor Review is an extremely cost-effective and simple way for businesses to harness the power of user-generated content and can be seamlessly integrated into an existing website with no fuss or disruption.

By inviting visitors to actively contribute to their website, leisure and tourism providers can potentially raise the volume of time spent browsing on their sites and ultimately, increase the enquiries, bookings and online transactions. With Visitor Review the leisure and tourism business can monitor and maintain the content that is uploaded by the online visitors so any inappropriate or malicious material is prohibited, making for a much safer, enjoyable and family-friendly online environment.

Leisure and tourism is renowned for being at the edge of online innovation and this time is no different with many websites now boasting user-generated content. The leisure and tourism industry is built on visitor experience and therefore user-generated content is without a doubt the most integral tool for online marketing and internet advertising strategies.

Statistics reveal that user-generated sites draw more frequent visits than non-user-generated sites in the UK top 50. Websites containing user-generated content also tend to engage visitors for longer and what’s more, visitors tend to view more pages per visit. The travel industry in particular has taken advantage of the opportunity; with many of the most visited websites in the world being user generated content travel websites.

There’s no question that rich media and user-generated content drive results. As a leisure and tourism business, perhaps it’s time to start your own user-generated content initiative on your own terms and watch your online presence grow as your visitors create the content for you. With step-by-step instructions and ongoing support from the Digital Visitor team, let Visitor Review come to life on your webpage.

Find out more about Visitor Review and what user-generated content can do for your business.