Social Media Link Partners with Bazaarvoice to Take Retail Reviews to the Next Level for Brands

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Social Media Link (SML), the leader in online advocacy activation for brands, announced today a new partnership with Bazaarvoice, Inc. BV, the consumer-generated content solution provider creating the world's smartest shopper network. Through this partnership, Social Media Link offers seamless integration to help marketers drive authentic product reviews that foster sales directly into Bazaarvoice's powerful syndication engine, which shares consumer-generated content between 3,000 global brand and retail websites in the company's network.

Today, 61 percent of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase. However, many marketers struggle with generating and fueling ongoing, high-quality product reviews. The integration of Bazaarvoice's syndication platform and Social Media Link's proprietary technologies bridges the gap between marketers and their need for continuous and current consumer recommendations. Through this partnership, marketers can generate and syndicate authentic, high-quality product reviews from customers more easily and effectively.

Bazaarvoice's syndication platform is now available in both of Social Media Link's advocacy marketing solutions, Smiley360 and Vesta. Through Smiley360, marketers can easily activate SML's existing community of over 800,000 socially connected consumer influencers who create and share impactful content. With Vesta, SML's white-label advocacy solution, marketers will identify and invite highly engaged brand advocates to their VIP brand-owned communities building a direct relationship with consumers.

This partnership opens the door for brands to drive impactful reviews with the consumers using their products the most. Social Media Link and Bazaarvoice are empowering consumers to not just create word-of-mouth for brands on social media, but to write reviews across e-commerce channels, become brand advocates and impact future consumers' purchases.

"Brands rely on authentic reviews and experiences from consumers to help drive new sales," says Susan Frech, CEO of Social Media Link. "What we have created at Social Media Link is an ecosystem for brands to easily identify and activate the right people to ignite action - and we are thrilled to partner with Bazaarvoice to facilitate marketers' need for product reviews across brand properties and key retail websites." Frech added, "This partnership will only strengthen the ties Bazaarvoice brand clients have with their consumers – and will enable them to reach and form relationships with new ones faster."

"We are excited that Social Media Link is joining the Bazaarvoice Content Acquisition Partner Program," said Aaron Bollinger, Vice President of Partnerships and Global Sales Management at Bazaarvoice. "With this partnership, we are connecting SML's expertise in generating quality product reviews from brand advocates with our vast network of retail websites, which will give consumers greater access to authentic review content wherever they shop online."

Social Media Link was recently listed to the "50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies" by the Women President's Organization (WPO) in partnership with American Express, and for the last three years has been listed to Inc.'s 5000 Growing Private Companies.

About SML: 
Social Media Link (SML) is the leader in online advocacy activation for brands. Through SML's two proprietary advocacy ecosystems, Smiley360™ and Vesta, companies can activate enthusiastic consumers to spark authentic, influential content that ignites action and drives high-quality business outcomes.  Founded in 2009 in New York City, Social Media Link has worked with brands including Unilever, P&G, Pfizer and NBC. For more information, please visit our website or connect with us on Twitter. 

About Bazaarvoice:
Bazaarvoice is creating the world's smartest shopper network connecting more than one-half billion consumers monthly to thousands of retailers and brands. Our network enables Bazaarvoice's clients to engage consumers online, in-store and via mobile devices with industry leading solutions that include targeted shopper advertising and authentic consumer generated content, such as ratings and reviews, curated photos, social posts and videos. For more information, visit http://www.bazaarvoice.com. 

For more information, please contact:
Jordan Ben at Jordan.ben@socialmedialink.com, 212-302-0777 
Dylan Hoeffler at CAPP@bazaarvoice.com

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SOURCE Social Media Link