It may not be the marketing discipline you’ve heard most about, but it could be the one that delivers for your organisation. Kate Hickson explains why customer advocacy is a vital addition to any marketing strategy.
It’s been around for decades, but customer advocacy is still very much seen as a niche form of marketing. It’s also one that few people outside the world of advocacy fully understand – or have even heard of!
Customer advocacy is about identifying your happiest customers, then giving them the right platforms to promote your brand through positive word-of-mouth, social media mentions and other marketing content.
What sets customer advocacy apart from other forms of marketing is its authenticity. It’s not about the latest messaging or what brand marketers want to say: it’s the truth about your products or services, as told by real people with real experiences.
What can customer advocacy do for you?
Increased trust and credibility:
Customers trust recommendations from peers more than traditional advertising.
Increased revenue:
Providing sales teams with customer advocates can help them to close more deals, more quickly.
Customer retention:
Engaging customers as advocates can increase brand loyalty and reduce churn.
Community building:
Advocacy programs can help to build a community of loyal customers who support and engage with each other.
How do you get started?
A customer advocacy program is built on loyal customers, but finding them isn’t always as easy as you’d think. Some tactics to recruit customers to your advocacy program could include:
- Reaching out to sales teams
- Creating branded advocacy programs and inviting customers to join
- Implementing loyalty programs
- Developing sales incentive programs
- Working with partners
- Creating customer award programs
- Hosting customer advocacy sign-up desks at events
Once you have a database of happy customers ready to share their experiences, its time to present their stories in the most innovative and engaging ways. These typically include:
- Written stories, customer quotes, press releases, thought leadership articles, and blogs
- Videos and animations to share stories online or at events
- In-person activities such as speaking opportunities, webinars, reference calls and site visits
- PR activities and analyst interviews
- Campaigns to promote the customer across multiple platforms through advertising and social media
Customer advocacy doesn’t stop at sharing the customer’s story. You can also extend their loyalty to your brand with:
- VIP experiences at events or invitations to exclusive experiences
- Invitations to join customer advisory boards
- Involvement in customer communities
- Time with your c-level execs, input into the product roadmap, or beta testing new products
Your customers are your greatest marketing tool and with customer advocacy, you can turn them into your biggest brand ambassadors.
