What is Advocacy Marketing?

What is Advocacy Marketing?

An efficient marketing strategy that enables people to promote a company's goods and services to their social and professional networks is the peer−to−peer referral. Compared to things they see in commercials; people may be more inclined to buy products they learn about from reliable acquaintances.

Advocacy marketing, very simply, is the process of encouraging current consumers to tell others about their good interactions with your business. It encourages your most ardent supporters to raise the profile of your company and hence increase sales.

Example 1

Advocacy Marketing by Tesla

Tesla successfully mobilised its devoted following to draw in new buyers. And not just any customers, but those who have a favourable impression of their brand because a close friend or family member who recommends them is satisfied with Tesla.

Advocacy marketing and referral marketing work hand in hand; you encourage devoted consumers to promote your brand and, in turn, get new customers since individuals are often more inclined to buy when a friend recommends it.

Example 2

Advocacy Marketing of Starbucks

Tweet−A−Coffee was the name of Starbucks' advocacy marketing initiative. Simple enough, the concept would let users purchase $5 gift cards for pals via Twitter. Customers only needed to tweet the @tweetacoffee handle along with the recipient's personal Twitter account. Each of the first 100,000 participants in the programme received a $5 gift card.

In addition to being a successful strategy for Starbucks, it also allowed the company to identify devoted supporters and potential consumers, with whom they might connect in the future to increase sales even more.

Example 3

Apple's Promotional Advertising

It is no surprise that Apple established their own advocate marketing approach on the fact that they highly value user−generated content. Numerous photos from Apple consumers across the globe were used in Apple's "Shot on iPhone" promotion. The concept was simple: Apple requested that consumers post images they shot on their iPhones to social media using a specific hashtag. The business then went on to choose the images it liked the most and utilise them for billboard and public transportation advertisements.

How to Create Advocacy in Marketing?

It takes effort and dedication to develop a marketing plan for advocacy.

Here are some pointers to aid you with the procedure −

• Exceptional quality of Good and Services

  To begin with, verify your offerings are valuable to customers. Customers often recommend top−notch goods and services, so by offering a superior product to rivals, you may promote favourable feedback. To find out where you can make improvements and what makes your items unique, analyse the quality of your products and hold focus groups.

  You may enhance their experience and make it more desirable for them to recommend your items to others by studying market demand and what product characteristics encourage dialogue among consumers.

• Concentration on creating a memorable brand experience

  Create devoted fans by offering a distinctive, pleasurable buying experience. Based on their encounters with the brand and purchase experiences, customers build views about businesses. Produce eye−catching product displays, and make sure staff members greet all visitors with a smile. Consider how you may add value to their experience by giving out samples, chatting with them, or offering knowledgeable counsel. If consumers feel inspired to share their experiences with their friends, it may depend on these outstanding events.

• Put the needs of the consumer first

  Putting your customers first can help you build a devoted clientele that appreciates and respect your opinions. Responding to their feedback on the company's social media posts in public is one method of doing this. To address frequent client concerns, you can periodically write blogs. Instead of just promoting things, these articles or social media messages must be educational. The audience may thus have the impression that you are making the effort to assist them without any ulterior motives.

  Being truthful with your consumers is another method to adopt a customer−first mindset. Consistently explain information about firm policies, deliver your items by the scheduled delivery date, and fulfil any coupons or discounts. Customers may be more inclined to recommend your business to friends if they believe that you are always honest with them.

• Make it simple for clients to advertise your company

  Give customers easy−to−use channels to voice their opinions and promote the brands they love. Share chances for consumers to share their experiences frequently and express how much you value their input.

  Consider these excellent suggestions −

  • Create a hashtag for the product you're attempting to advertise and ask your customers to include it in the descriptions of any posts they make about your business.

  • Create a readymade caption that your clients may copy and put on their personal pages.

  • Include social sharing buttons on each page of your website.

  • Promote consumer reviews of your goods by asking them to do so and by rewarding the best or most popular reviews with prizes.

  • Publish testimonials from your most ardent brand supporters and express your gratitude to them.

  • When consumers mention and positively discuss the brand on social media, leave comments.

• Recognize your ardent customers' supporters

  By developing a deep relationship with your most ardent customers, you may inspire other customers to interact with your firm more and show that you value your customers' support. You may even think about enlisting the help of influential supporters to assist with a campaign or provide input on fresh product features.

  The techniques listed below can be used to determine who your active supporters are −

• Launch initiatives to find your best customers' ardent supporters, such as sponsoring a user−generated content competition and gauging whose entries receive the most shares.

• Establish a rewards system to recognise and honour loyal customers.

• Use engagement tracking tools to determine where most of your outside traffic originates.

• Benefit from what's popular

  Determine the topics that are currently being discussed and relate them to the items you wish to market. By doing this, you make your company approachable and relevant.

  Customers may be more inclined to recommend a company if it has anything to do with their experiences, hobbies, or everyday lives. A firm that sells gloves, for instance, can invite clients to discuss how useful their gloves have been throughout the cold weather.

Advantages of Advocacy in Marketing

Using advocacy marketing to promote your goods or services has several rewards.

The following are some benefits of advocacy marketing −

• Loyal Customers − Customers that are enthusiastic about the product might be attracted to a company through advocacy marketing, which encourages customers to spread the word about it. They might draw in additional repeat clients who establish a trustworthy bond with the company.

• Widened Reach − Wider audiences may be reached thanks to advocacy marketing's significant potential for doing so through the social networks of all its users. Customers who recommend friends and relatives to a business may help it reach a wider audience.

• Lower marketing costs − By persuading consumers to promote a brand, you might be able to save money on conventional advertising and marketing initiatives.

• Greater brand value − A brand becomes more credible and valuable when more consumers speak favourably about it. You could catch the eye of investors and business partners if you have a devoted customer base that appreciates talking about your items.

• Better reputation − You may enhance a company's reputation and public image by employing advocacy marketing to produce a lot of organic favourable evaluations for it. An ongoing reputation may be built by first investing in advocacy marketing techniques.

Conclusion

Advocacy marketing isn’t as much a marketing strategy as a way of doing business. When you offer a top−notch product, unforgettable customer experience, and customer−first culture, it’s easy for customers to fall in love and tell others why they feel the way they do − and customer advocacy is the best marketing.