08.11.2019
What is Brand Advocacy?
You know how important great marketing and strong branding is to your company. Innovations in technology give us more tools to design, launch, and track marketing than ever before. However, the oldest form of marketing is still the most effective: person-to-person word-of-mouth recommendations.
People are the most important assets for your business.
Reviews and recommendations play a major role in purchasing decisions. Therefore, companies must not neglect the power of word-of-mouth marketing. A successful marketing strategy encourages two-way communication with customers and creates campaigns aimed at getting user-generated content.
The most advanced marketing campaign in the world won't increase conversions if nobody talks about it. But where is best to focus your efforts in creating that conversation?
It's easy to confuse loyal customers, brand advocates, brand ambassadors, and social influencers. These groups of people have some overlap in terms of their relationship to your brand.
The most advanced marketing campaign in the world won't increase conversions if nobody talks about it. But where is best to focus your efforts in creating that conversation?
It's easy to confuse loyal customers, brand advocates, brand ambassadors, and social influencers. These groups of people have some overlap in terms of their relationship to your brand.
They may:
- Promote your brand on social media
- Recommend your brand to others
- Increase trust in your brand
- Influence the purchasing decisions of others
However, there are some important differences in how brand advocates interact with their audiences and a company.
Brand advocates talk favorably about the brand on social media, promoting it to their friends and network. A brand advocate can be a customer, employee, partner, or any other person who believes in what you do and likes your products, services, customer experience, mission, and values.
Loyal customers buy products and services repeatedly, but don't necessarily talk about it on social media. They choose your brand for practical reasons or convenience, whereas brand advocates are driven by the desire to share their positive experience with others.
Social influencers have significance in social media networks due to their own credibility and reputation in a certain area or industry. They have access to a wide audience that engages with their content and is affected by their opinions. Though they may not have an existing relationship with a company's products, the brand may choose to reach out to them about becoming a brand ambassador.
Brand ambassadors are much like social influencers but have long-term contracts with companies for more than one marketing campaign. They represent the brand and its image on the market by participating in company events, being the face of the brand, and sharing the company's initiatives. Brand advocates promote services or products organically rather than receiving money for leaving reviews, sharing content, or recommending the brand to others.
Loyal customers buy products and services repeatedly, but don't necessarily talk about it on social media. They choose your brand for practical reasons or convenience, whereas brand advocates are driven by the desire to share their positive experience with others.
Social influencers have significance in social media networks due to their own credibility and reputation in a certain area or industry. They have access to a wide audience that engages with their content and is affected by their opinions. Though they may not have an existing relationship with a company's products, the brand may choose to reach out to them about becoming a brand ambassador.
Brand ambassadors are much like social influencers but have long-term contracts with companies for more than one marketing campaign. They represent the brand and its image on the market by participating in company events, being the face of the brand, and sharing the company's initiatives. Brand advocates promote services or products organically rather than receiving money for leaving reviews, sharing content, or recommending the brand to others.
Building relationships with brand advocates is very important for brand awareness, online reputation, and lead referral.
They represent authentic opinions about your products and services developed through genuine personal experiences. Their strong connection with their networks translates to trust in your brand.
It can be more difficult to work with brand advocates than social influencers because they are mainly motivated by a personal relationship with the brand rather than sponsorship.
It can be more difficult to work with brand advocates than social influencers because they are mainly motivated by a personal relationship with the brand rather than sponsorship.
Brands must make an effort to promote communication and make brand advocates feel valued.
Since brand advocates are not being sponsored or paid to represent your products, it's best to look for them among your base of loyal customers rather than starting with influencers that merely have large audiences.
Companies should have a plan in place to identify potential brand advocates based on their social media behavior and attitude toward the brand. From there, a satisfied customer who is happy to make repeat purchases can grow into a trusted source of information who shares their positive experiences with your products and services.
Companies should have a plan in place to identify potential brand advocates based on their social media behavior and attitude toward the brand. From there, a satisfied customer who is happy to make repeat purchases can grow into a trusted source of information who shares their positive experiences with your products and services.
Want to know more about finding brand advocates and how to work with them effectively? Read our article "How to Create Brand Advocates".
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