Stackla might not be a name you recognise instantly, but their work certainly is.

If you’ve ever seen a travel website showcasing Instagram snaps from tourists, or read restaurant tips via Tweets instead of city guides, then you’ve witnessed the brains behind Stackla’s business.

The idea driving the tech-savvy team is to fine tune the hordes of social media content flying around, and mould it into a brand-specific display, doing exactly what their tagline says – letting customers tell the story.

And with a number of heavyweight companies under their belt, including a bunch from the travel industry, everything is coming up Stackla.

“Travel is a major vertical,” co-founder Pete Cassidy told Travel Weekly. “Content marketing is a big trend, particularly in the travel space.”

The company kicked things off back in 2012, focusing primarily on sports, but soon realised that everyone – from media networks and travel companies, to fashion labels and charities – needed help with engaging their audience socially.

“We like to think about it as a pull mechanism, not a push,” Cassidy said of social media and their marketing tactics.

“We cherry pick the best of the user generated content, which acts almost like testimonial marketing, done like social media.

“Research shows user generated content is more authentic, and people prefer to connect with other travellers in this way.”

And Stackla does this in a number of ways, from integrating the content into website campaigns, powering display screens in retail spaces and travel stores, or turning it into a funky carousel display at the airport, which is exactly what they did for Hamilton Island.

Restaurant Australia

Another client, Tourism Victoria, ran a campaign with the tech company using the hashtag #spottedbylocals, which saw Victorians take photos of their favourite spots and post them on social media, with Stackla powering a website that gave travellers a whole new collection of places to visit.

“Travel companies want quality over quantity,” Cassidy told TW. “You want your first impression to be your absolute best.”

“The clients can narrow down choices and generate pictures by filters, keywords and geography. For example, you could add in ‘Sydney Opera House’, and Stackla could generate pictures within 100 metres of the Opera House.”

Other clients include Tourism Queensland, Destination NSW, Contiki and the recently confirmed Tourism Western Australia.

On top of that fancy-pants list, they also worked with City of Melbourne on creating a centralised location to showcase the best of their city.

This particular gem pulled content from inside local bars, cafes and nightspots in order to highlight the buzzing hub of Melbourne, and allowed local businesses to tell their story through a platform with a bigger reach than just one account.

You can suss out this Stack here.

“It’s all about creating trust and strong brand sentiments,” Cassidy told TW. “It raises awareness, with people able to see other contributors, and in turn become contributors themselves.”

Almost like TripAdvisor but with social media, Stackla encourages this kind of “social validation” within the travel industry, because nothing boosts the image of a destination better than real-life feedback from the people who’ve already been there.

Companies can also feed a broader range of user generated content into their filters, from Facebook and Instagram, to Twitter, YouTube, and even blog feeds from their favourite foodies or travel writers.

As the client base grows, Stackla’s team is also growing, with over 40 people working on the ground in Sydney, and even a co-founder or two taking the business overseas to hot cities London and San Fran.

It’s no surprise the user generated content business is booming, and with more shoppers turning to each other rather than brands for info, there’s no better place to channel your marketing energies.

You can check out more of Stackla’s case studies, or request a demo from their website here.

City of Melbourne