I’m cross posting this today from snoo.ws, because I like the way this company thinks (and because I’ve had too little time during the holiday rush to write anything else).

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Online shoe retailer Zappos.com is really showing how to innovate with user-generated content with both a user-generated daily newsletter as well as encouraging video testimonials from its customers.

The Daily Shoe Digest is a moderated discussion list published three days a week (which doesn’t really make it daily, but we won’t quibble with details). Subscribers can post to the list and share tips and ideas about shoes just like an online bulletin board, only the posts are sent by email.

Marketing Sherpa singled out the Daily Shoe Digest as an example of how to employ user reviews into outbound direct marketing to improve response. With increasing evidence that people are using online reviews as a major influence in buying decisions, this tactic is a natural extension that should get many of us saying `why didn`t I think of that?’

The company, which features its speedy, friendly customer service as a top brand attribute, also gets its customers to submit testimonial videos on its YouTube page.

The results of Zappos.com’s efforts are in the numbers. Eight years ago, the company had sales of $1.6 million. That had risen to nearly $800 million last year and projections had it breaking the $1 billion barrier in 2008 (though no word if the company managed that feat in this market).

This entry was posted on Friday, December 19th, 2008 at 10:58 am and is filed under Social media and blogging, blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.