How can you measure the success of a brand advocacy program?

There are some great ways to create unique and personalized experiences for brand advocates and their audiences based on what action you are hoping to cultivate them on. And by using tools like UTM code on URLs, you can get key insights into how those audiences engage with your content in GA4. The more data you collect, the more it can help inform your decision-making for other digital content optimization as you strategize and test for cultivating similar audiences.

The best way could be a fona before and after sentiment analysis about your brand, see what we're the sentiments about your brand before and after this exercise, and if there has been any specific improvement in your brand mentions which is organic. Another way could be to track the earned media after the campaign

I was recently analyzing the Google Analytics data of a client of mine in the travel industry. Interestingly, they're a recognized brand among public television viewers, but not so much with other segments. The Search Console keywords data backed this up, in that the majority of their website traffic was the result of searches for their brand name.

Data plays a significant role in analyzing brand advocacy and its strengths. Many new audiences are discovered through measuring organic KPIs.

Social listening can be a great tool if you have the resources to put behind it! This includes time and budget specifically in the front end to set up key words and sentiment phrases specific to your company and that the budget will be something easily approved for more than one year to make sure you have enough information. Another great way is to offer opportunities for feedback through emails, SMS, paid and organic social media posts to target lists. Again this will take time to set up on the front end, but could be a cheaper way to get real-time feedback from engaged audiences.

Goals do not always have to equate to sales depending on your organization. Brand advocates may drive action-takers and email sign-ups, which can prove to be valuable for organizations just as number of sales might be. Remember that the customer journey is just as important no matter what type of organization you are, so make sure your welcome series is well-planned and ready to fully execute.

Always track your primary KPI and discern which secondary metrics can support and oppose it. For example, optimizing for Sales can diminish Reach, given that ready-to-buy users represent a smaller market slice.

A brand advocacy program might seem like a great option, but as mentioned there is a lot of planning and resources needed to make sure it is a successful one. If the company isn’t sure about putting budget behind an untested theory maybe the team doesn’t have bandwidth to do the amount of work up front, there are ways to build organic brand advocates with tools like Canva and on your social media channels. For example, if there are opportunities to elevate key actions or campaigns - build small toolkits and embed them on your website and share them out on social media. While the lift is minimal on the front end, it does give insight into if audiences are engaging with these types of tactics.

One important consideration is aligning your advocacy program with your overall marketing strategy to ensure it resonates with your brand's values and messaging. This alignment enhances authenticity and reinforces the impact of recommendations. Additionally, monitoring the quality of interactions and content from your advocates is crucial. Are they delivering consistent, on-brand messages and addressing inquiries effectively? Maintaining high standards in representation builds trust. Lastly, ongoing engagement with your advocates is vital. Regular communication, updates, and feedback sessions keep them motivated and informed about your evolving brand goals. This relationship fosters long-term program success.

Here are some additional ways to make a brand advocacy program successful: 1. Advocate Incentives: Offer a variety of incentives beyond money, like exclusive access or challenges. 2. Cross-Promotion: Collaborate with aligned brands for mutual advocacy. 3. Advocate Events: Host exclusive events to strengthen advocate relationships. 4. Social Responsibility: Involve advocates in CSR initiatives for a positive image. 5. Gamification: Add game elements to make advocacy engaging. 6. Data Analysis: Invest in data analysis tools for better insights. 7. Advocate Communities: Create online forums for advocates to connect.