Episode #9: The best advocates aren't always the loudest

Episode #9: The best advocates aren't always the loudest


Hello, advocacy aficionados! Let's talk about customer champions.

You know those advocates who practically shout your praises from the rooftops? Their enthusiasm is contagious and their social media presence is so bright you need your Ray-Ban's? Yeah, they're pretty awesome. But, plot twist: what if your most powerful force is hiding in plain sight? Even more powerful than your loudest advocate?

Sometimes, the real advocacy MVPs are the quiet ones. Think about it:

  • They're feedback ninjas, providing thoughtful, detailed, and sometimes game-changing product insights when you least expect it
  • Their quiet recommendations carry weight within their professional networks...like pure gold
  • Even when the chips are down, they're your ride-or-die supporters, showing up consistently and offering reliable support when it's needed most without all the fanfare

In our latest blog post, The Power of Advocate Relationships: How to Build Lasting Connections, we discuss the real power of advocate relationships, emphasizing that true advocacy goes beyond simply being vocal – it's about creating lasting impact and driving success. With those quiet advocates, it's like having a superhero on your team who's mastered the art of invisibility.

In our social media-obsessed world, it's tempting to play the numbers game, equating strong advocates with follower counts and engagement metrics. But one well-placed recommendation from a respected industry veteran can often outweigh a boatload of enthusiastic tweets (are they even called that anymore?). It's not about how loud you can shout; it's about who's actually listening.

In honor of October fun and folly, here's a scary thought for you: if your focus weighs too heavily on your loudest cheerleaders, you are at risk of missing out on the wells of expertise, insight, and influence that quieter advocates possess. Each true advocate brings something valuable to your organization - whether they're a reference-taking butterfly or an enterprise employee stifled by red tape - so it's vital we uncover, nurture and activate each advocate's unique powers.

So go forth and champion your most outspoken and most judicious advocates.

And if you want more insights on building powerful advocate relationships, dive into our latest blog post we mentioned above and learn five ways you can strengthen? the relationships with your own advocates.



The CAP Awards Spotlight Series

It's the gift that just keeps on giving! The CAP Awards may be over but the celebration continues and it's looking brighter than ever.?

Fresh off the heels of this year's CAP Awards, we're thrilled to present the CAP Awards Spotlight Series, exclusively hosted by CMA Weekly! This is your chance to look into the minds of advocacy masters at work.

What's in store for these spotlight events? An intimate conversation with the crème de la crème – our 2024 finalists across all categories. If you're looking to level up your advocacy game, join us for this extraordinary series and let the inspiration flow. Get ready to:

  • Hear from customer engagement and advocacy trendsetters and innovators
  • Uncover the secrets behind CAP Award finalists' award-worthy submissions
  • Participate in best practice discussions centered on each featured CAP Award category

?? Mark your calendars – you don't want to miss these talks!

October 18: Lifecycle Advocacy

November 1: Advocate Engagement Campaign

November 15: Advocacy Program Brand

December 6: CS Advocacy Accelerator

January 10: Advocacy Mindset

January 24: Exceptional Advocacy Portfolio

February 7: Advocate of the Year

Register using the links above for all 2024 Spotlights and stay tuned to register for our 2025 discussions.?



Lifecycle Advocacy Workshop

October 21, 2024 | 1-4:30pm ET | Boston, MA

Discover the cutting-edge of B2B advocacy at our Lifecycle Advocacy workshop, co-hosted with SlapFive: Customer Marketing . This 3-hour session is designed for CMA practitioners and CMA software or advocacy-minded leaders eager to revolutionize their approach to customer advocacy.

?? Insights into the evolution of B2B advocacy

?? Lifecycle advocacy design

?? Hands-on exercises to facilitate your learning

Don't miss this opportunity to network with peers and sharpen your skills ahead of CustomerX Con. Reserve your spot now and save 30%! Or, if you'll be at CustomerX Con, grab a combo ticket on their?registration page.


CAP Certification: Program Execution

December 3-5, 2024 | 9am - 11am CT each day | Virtual

Our Program Execution module focuses on three key components of operationalizing your advocacy program - Technology, Resourcing and Budget - and best practices for the right mix to hit your program goals. Register before October 31st to get 20% off your registration using promo code EARLYBIRD!

Reserve Your Spot

About our CAP Certification Series

Looking for an interactive, fast paced, virtual learning experience? Built on our Customer Advocacy Maturity Model framework, our CAP Certification series is an interactive, fast-paced educational series that provides practitioners of varying experience levels with actionable ideas, real-world examples, and expert insights to take your portfolio to the next level.


Q: How do customer advocacy and community work together?

A: Gainsight and Champion teamed up to explore the hot topic of customer advocacy and community in their new ebook.?

Gainsight and Champion have teamed up to offer a guide that provides the methods and tactics to build a Customer Advocacy program that drives impact - whether you aim to boost retention, drive new revenue, or scale your post-sales strategy.

Ebook | Champion & Gainsight


Q: I'm building a brand community. Where should I start?

A: Feverbee has rewritten the playbook.

Our digital world has evolved faster than you can say "Google it," and those third-party platforms are giving us a run for our money. It's time to toss out that dusty, old playbook and check out the new playbook from Richard Millington and Feverbee. It's time to embrace a fresh approach–a member-centric approach.

Blog Post | FeverBee - Community Consulting


Q: What are some new & fresh metrics for tracking advocacy ROI?

A: Looks like Zealot's got you covered...

If you're tired of the same few metrics that you've been using to measure ROI and want some new ideas, this list is for you. Zealot just released a whole list of data points you can be measuring–we're talking 355 KPIs ?? Check them out.

Resource | Zealot


Q: Is there a place to find content across various departments?

A: Talkbase just launched a cross-collaboration content hub!

Their new content hub is dedicated space for resources that help community leaders collaborate across their organizations–from online events with experts to actionable guides and templates. ?? Hear directly from top community leaders about how they collaborate with marketing, product, sales, and more to drive success within their organizations.?

Content Hub | Talkbase


Q: How can we address the rise of mistrust in B2B?

A: Luis González wrote a blog all about trust and the power of internal advocates.

Luis shares why mistrust is on the rise and how he and his team leaned into what they call Advocate Account-Based Marketing (AABM), where internal advocates within a company become powerful references for their colleagues.?

Blog | Luis González


Headline Hustle

Take your shot at answering five multiple choice questions based on recent headlines. And no, they have nothing to do with customer marketing and advocacy. Get those gears grinding and let's see how little you know.

Play Now!


Know some CMA badasses who would love the newsletter? Share it with them. Subscribe on LinkedIn or get the email newsletter delivered to your inbox a couple days early.


DeMario Bell

I build communities that matter.

4 个月

Oooh I love this one!

回复

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Captivate Collective的更多文章

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了