{"id":4498,"date":"2021-11-15T05:40:56","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T05:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.britopian.com\/?p=4498"},"modified":"2023-11-19T08:22:19","modified_gmt":"2023-11-19T08:22:19","slug":"brand-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.britopian.com\/content\/brand-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlocking the Power of Genuine Brand Advocacy: An Insider’s Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"
A great example of brand advocacy is when a customer is so satisfied with a product or experience that they become an unofficial spokesperson for the company. They share their experience with friends, family, and colleagues and actively recommend the product to others. This type of marketing is incredibly powerful because it comes from a trusted source\u2013an existing customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About five years ago, my wife received a departing gift from a colleague starting a new job at Roku. It was a Roku Ultra. I didn’t know much about the company or product other than I could stream Netflix using their device. As a lifelong subscriber to Comcast\/Xfinity, I didn’t see a need to use it at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I put it in the garage, where it collected dust for months. And then I put it in storage along with some other stuff. We moved, unpacked, and somehow the Roku ended up back in the garage. Fast forward a few years, and after watching a Marie Kondo episode, I decided to organize the garage and clear up some room. The Roku ended up in the Goodwill pile, but my wife suggested (well, told me) to try it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m so glad that I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every TV in the house is connected to a Roku streaming player. I have two Streambar Pros, two wireless speakers, and two subwoofers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I cut the cord about six months ago and access all my media through Roku. I love it. The UI is easy to use and navigates to what I want. There’s little to no lag when going through different screens. The remote works and it’s fast. And even the Roku Originals are fire\u2013Most Dangerous Game, Don’t Look Deeper, The Stranger, and my favorite, Zoey\u2019s Extraordinary Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In every conversation at work or with friends about movies, we’re watching or what episodes we’re waiting for, I always bring up Roku. Always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PR team at Roku doesn’t pay me to say good things. They didn’t ask me to write this blog post. They have stellar products that add value to my life. I love their products and am still trying to convince my wife to get the Roku TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is my story. As long as Roku continues to innovate and release good products, I will always be a repeat customer and tell all my friends and colleagues about my experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is brand advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My only issue, and it’s not a big deal, is the free games in the app store. Terrible. And I wish I could connect my PS5 to the streaming player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When social media first arrived on the scene, brand advocacy was a big topic of conversation among the online community. The bright and shiny object was social listening and listening to customers and engaging with them directly. Every community manager<\/a> was on the front lines of that interaction. Mistakes were made, but we all learned from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The media was all over it, too. Articles and blog posts were written about the daily interactions between brand channels and customers. They highlighted and celebrated all the positive engagement when a community manager would respond to a comment or attempt to solve a customer service<\/a> issue. They would also highlight those brands that had not yet fully grasped the idea of community<\/a> management and blasted them for not responding to problems on their channels. This was when brands would be criticized for hiring interns to run their social media<\/a> channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a fun time. But something changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That passion for brand advocacy has withered over the years and replaced with alternative ways to reach customers online. Influencer marketing<\/a> is hot, and marketers are allocating massive budgets to these programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A report from Business Insider<\/a> shows that 67.9% of US marketers will use influencer marketing in 2021, up from 62.3% last year. In 2022, that figure will rise to 72.5%. I am curious how much of their digital marketing budget<\/a> these marketers have carved out for a brand advocacy program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brand advocacy happens when your customers talk favorably about your company, brand, product, or service without you having to ask them to do so. They have a natural affinity towards your brand and love your products. They aren’t shy about telling the world, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The truth about brand advocacy is that it happens whether you know about it or not. The caveat is that you have a valuable product or service that meets your customer’s needs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to note here that brand advocates are just people. They aren’t TikTok influencers with thousands of followers or podcasters with a million subscribers. They are everyday, regular people who buy your products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The foundation of brand advocacy stems from reciprocal altruism. This is a biology term, but in this context, it means \u201cto give without expecting anything in return.\u201d Suppose marketers can change their mindset and prioritize how to turn customers into brand advocates. In that case, they will yield positive business outcomes and a higher ROI than most digital marketing plans<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A brand advocacy program is a strategic marketing initiative designed to generate positive word-of-mouth for a company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step is to make sure there is a budget to support the initiative. Brand advocacy programs are not free and will require an investment. The good news is that once the program is up and running, it has the potential to be a self-sustaining marketing channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second step is to understand what motivates your customers. This will require you to invest in research or a customer needs analysis to identify your customer’s core values, wants, needs, and expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third step is to tap into your existing CRM system and identify your most active and vocal customers. These are the people who are already talking about your brand online. You want to invite them personally to your brand advocacy program. They are the ones that will help you recruit other brand advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Passion for Brand Advocacy Has Withered<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is Brand Advocacy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Launch a Brand Advocacy Program<\/h3>\n\n\n\n