How to To Turn Clients Into Brand Evangelists with Advocacy Marketing
This is the second in a two-part primer on advocacy marketing. Catch up on the first article, “What Is Advocacy Marketing? And Why Use It?” here.
Last week we unpacked the “advocacy marketing” trend that is coming up so often in conversation with our clients. We defined what advocacy marketing is, why it is beneficial, and what most advocacy marketing programs are missing. Today we want to dive into the practical solution that is “advocacy marketing” and walk through a simple step by step process to turn clients into brand evangelists using advocacy marketing.
How to To Turn Clients Into Brand Evangelists with Advocacy Marketing
- Establish clear goals for the program. Before launching your advocacy marketing program, establish benchmarks. What do you want to accomplish? What will success look like? Remember, if you are not clear on your goal, you will not reach it.
- Identify your biggest brand fans (and keep identifying them!). Flesh out a process for identifying your most passionate supporters. Give all of your customers the opportunity to raise their hand and self-identify as raving fans. Once identified, you should not only check in on these folks on a regular basis, you should also continually go through this process to identify new potential brand evangelists. This is not a one-time step in the process. You should be returning to this on a regular basis to identify new potential advocates.
- Investigate what your fans want. Create a process for listening to your advocates. Provide a survey or set up one-on-one conversations. What would motivate them to participate in an advocacy program? What matters to them? What brand evangelists desire does not have to be a mystery. Ask them!
- Elevate those fans to VIP status. Brainstorm what you can do to make your advocates feel like they have unprecedented access to your company. Remember, they need to feel like they are the lucky ones. Is it personal relationships with leadership? Early access to news? Beta testing products? Special rewards for referrals?
Now it’s time to unleash your brand evangelists.
You started with clear goals. You identified your potential advocates. You listened to what would motivate them to participate. You gave them unprecedented access and perks. And now you can unleash those brand evangelists to share how your company personally delights and helps them. The people in their communities will now hear about the great work your organization is doing. One by one, trust will be built, leads will become clients, and then, eventually, clients will become your next brand evangelists.
