Why Brand Advocates Are Missing From Your Audience (and How to Fix It)

Sports teams have cheerleaders to encourage fans to participate, and support the team during their performance. Wouldn’t it be nice if your brand had a similar group of supporters?

This is the loose idea behind brand advocates; these are people, ranging from ordinary fans to industry influencers, who talk about your brand positively, are loyal to your brand, and are willing to actively recommend your brand to other people. Over 92 percent of people trust brand advocates, making them more trustworthy than even social influencers, and the effects they hold are powerful.

If you don’t have brand advocates regularly pushing your brand, you might feel left out—and you’re certainly missing out on the extra referrals and brand reputation benefits you’ll get from the collective. So let’s address the problem directly.

What Is a Brand Advocate, and Why Don’t I Have One?

Brand advocates can be anybody. They might be a social media follower, a professional critic, a long-time customer, or even a thought leader in the industry. When they step into the role of brand advocacy, they do so informally, recommending your brand and its products to other people, and regularly engaging with your brand. The main benefits are increased exposure, higher reputation value, more social proof, and potentially, more direct referrals to earn new customers and clients.

If you don’t have brand advocates, it’s not necessarily because your business is doing something wrong. Advocates don’t spontaneously appear; they have to be cultivated, so if you aren’t actively cultivating any, you’re probably not going to get any.

How to Find New Advocates

So how can you cultivate new brand advocates?

·        Deliver exceptional service. Customers don’t remember “decent” customer service experiences. If you call a company with a complaint and hear a scripted response, you may end up satisfied, but the encounter won’t stand out. However, if you go above and beyond the call of duty, at least occasionally delivering over-the-top service, your customers will remember you forever. Make someone’s day, and they’ll almost certainly recommend your brand to someone else.

·        Woo reviewers and influencers. Reviews are becoming more important for online marketing, in everything from app store SEO to basic customer purchasing decisions. One of the most important channels here is through professional reviewers, critics, and influencers, who your audience already trusts. Send them a free sample of your latest products, or give them complimentary service so they can review your establishment. If they like your products, you may be able to start a long-term brand advocating relationship.

·        Engage with your community. When you earn new social media followers, you can’t just leave them idle. You have to engage with your social community by responding to their questions and messages, conversing with them, and sometimes, sharing their content. This mutual interaction helps to build the relationship between your brand and its followers, and encourages more people to reach out to your brand (and mention it to others).

·        Collect user-submitted content. Brand advocacy begins when individuals feel connected to your brand and feel like they’re contributing something of value. You can evoke both these feelings by sponsoring more opportunities for user-submitted content. Start contests that encourage users to submit their best images, videos, or written content, and consider launching your own forum, where your users can take charge.

·        Reward loyal customers. You also need to reward your most loyal customers in some way to keep that loyalty momentum strong. For example, you could institute a customer loyalty or rewards program; three-quarters of businesses that launch a customer loyalty program see a return on their investment, and of companies that track their results, the average increased lifetime value of a customer is more than $1,800. Customer loyalty programs reward customers who make multiple purchases with discounts, freebies, or exclusive offers, and they keep those customers coming back. It’s an easy way to foster greater loyalty, which can eventually lead to brand advocacy.

·        Start new trends. It sounds easy, right? As you can imagine, starting a trend is somewhat challenging, but if you can do it, you’ll gain an instant outlet for people to talk freely about your brand. Some of the most popular trends begin with exceptionally clever advertising campaigns, contests that require a hashtag for entry, or a bold company decision that sparks consumers’ imaginations. Find a way to surprise and serve your customers simultaneously, with a memorable hook, and you’ll have a chance to create an opportunity for widespread brand advocacy.

·        Institute a referral program. According to a Nielsen survey, 92% of respondents would trust referrals from someone they know, and people are four times more likely to buy when referred by a friend. Starting a referral program can quickly net you some new leads, and may incentivize would-be brand advocates who need a final push to get talking about your brand. You might offer a discount, an exclusive service, or a free reward to customers who generate new business for you—just make sure you clearly advertise the opportunity.

There’s no such thing as “too many” brand advocates, so experiment with several of these strategies until you find a combination that earns you a small flock of new cheerleaders. Just remember, brand advocates are long-term investments.

A person willing to recommend your brand now will likely be willing to recommend it in the future—so long as you keep them engaged in happy. Reinvest in your existing brand advocates more than you seek new ones, and do whatever it takes to keep your brand community thriving.