Enthralled by the power of social media, one can harness the fervor of loyal devotees and transform them into messengers of the brand. A resolute social media advocacy strategy is all it takes to unleash this potential.
In the realm of social media, nothing wields as much sway as the heartfelt recommendation of a cherished acquaintance. Thus, the implementation of a social media advocacy program emerges as the most compelling method to showcase the virtues of your offerings rather than simply informing customers of their worth.
Brand advocates serve as a bridge connecting you with potential clientele amidst the cacophony of online platforms. Their mere presence can elevate your visibility through acts such as flaunting your products on social media, nurturing positive reviews on your website, and kindling more traffic towards your wares.
In essence, a vibrant community nurtures successful sales outcomes. Delve deeper into our compendium for guidance on crafting a robust social media advocacy program.
What defines social media advocacy?
The essence of social media advocacy lies in exploiting the social circles of those who hold affection for you and stake a claim in your prosperity: your patrons, staff, business affiliates, influencers, and beyond.
As per Nielsen’s Trust in Advertising study of 2024, a staggering 89% of respondents invest belief in recommendations from familiar faces. Furthermore, these endorsements boast a likelihood of triggering action that surpasses the norm by almost double.
A meticulously crafted social media advocacy strategy metamorphoses your most ardent supporters into brand evangelists. These brand advocates are devotees who exude adoration towards your brand, willingly advocating for your products or services on their personal social media platforms.
While influencers profit from generating sponsored content for your brand, brand advocates are motivated solely by their ardor for your offerings. They enlist in your advocacy program of their own accord. Astute consumers possess an uncanny ability to discern paid influencer content, rendering organic endorsements supremely impactful.
Through the leverage of your firm’s most ardent champions, a gateway opens towards their social networks. The relationships built on a foundation of trust with customers carry a weight that rivals precious metals.
What magic can brand advocates conjure for you?
Social media now reigns supreme as a primary channel for online brand reconnaissance, second only to search engines. Customers lean on social platforms at every phase of their purchasing expedition. A positive post by a brand advocate can elevate you above the throng.
Brand advocates play a pivotal role in fortifying your enterprise in the following ways:
They paint a rosy picture through positive reviews.
Reviews penned by actual users furnish invaluable insights for potential buyers. In fact, reviews rank as the third most crucial consideration for online shoppers when musing over a purchase:
(Chart showing online purchase drivers)
Encourage your brand advocates to regale your website with glowing reviews—facilitate the process for them. Generate a review link for Google and embed it in the post-purchase emails dispatched to all patrons. A blend of positive and negative reviews garners more trust. Responding to these reviews demonstrates your receptivity to feedback. Engage with every review, positive or otherwise.
They craft user-generated content.
User-generated content (UGC) constitutes original, brand-specific content fashioned by customers and disseminated on social media or alternative channels. UGC radiates an aura of trust, elevating brand authenticity to loftier heights. It wields immense influence during the concluding stages of the buyer’s odyssey.
Majestic brands like Starbucks harness the potent potential of UGC to break the monotony of conventional marketing posts in their social media streams:
(Picture of Starbucks Instagram user-generated content)
(Source: instagram.com/Starbucks)
Of the latest 12 posts on the Starbucks Instagram feed, merely four are brand marketing posts. The remaining eight shine with user-generated content. These examples personify an evocation of FOMO that compels customers to saunter in for the latest seasonal indulgence.
They draw in new users or customers.
Witnessing the triumph of another soul can galvanize fresh customers to envision their own victory. Success stories prove priceless while wooing prospective customers or users.
Airbnb, an eminent figure in the realm of transient homestays, nurtures brand advocacy through the Superhost Ambassador program.
Superhosts are seasoned users who have notched at least 10 stays in the prior year, uphold a rating of 4.8+, and boast a 90% response rate within 24 hours. Their status as Superhosts unlocks privileges and special accolades.
Superhost Ambassadors impart tales of success to assist budding users in comprehending the perks of hosting. They extend mentorship and tools to steer fledgling hosts towards triumph, all while pocketing rewards for enlisting new hosts within the Airbnb fold.
(Picture of Airbnb Superhost Ambassadors)
(Source: airbnb.ca/askasuperhost)
The "Ask a Superhost" function renders Ambassadors as de facto customer service agents. They field queries from novices and guide them in crafting successful Airbnb listings. In exchange for their support, Ambassadors garner monetary rewards and relish exclusive features and tools.
How to lay the groundwork for a social media advocacy program
The crux of erecting a robust social media advocacy program hinges on harnessing your existing communities. Before engaging prospective advocates, ensure a meticulously chalked out plan is firmly in place.
Embark on the journey of sculpting your social media advocacy program utilizing the following steps.
1. Set your sights on the goals
Reflect upon the aspirations steering your social media advocacy program. What brand advocates do you intend to corral in your community? Which form of return on investment are you aiming to accrue?
Enlist the S.M.A.R.T goal-setting framework to forge a set of potent objectives. This entails framing specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely outcomes.
Consider this rendition of a S.M.A.R.T goal:
(Create a brand advocacy program to enhance my Instagram following by 15% in the ensuing 90 days.)
With a concrete objective in mind, chart a course outlining the stratagems necessitated to realize it.
2. Scout for prospective brand advocates
Once your goals find roots, commence the hunt for brand advocates, ensnare them in your cause, and invoke a surge of enthusiasm among them for your enterprise, crusade, or initiative.
Craft your program embodying enticing prospects and rewards for participants. Illuminate the manifold benefits awaiting them through active involvement in the program. The triad of facets crucial to propel the program, including seeking ideal participants, encompasses:
- Effective communication
- Clear program architecture
- Professional integration
To zero in on the cream of the crop for your social media advocacy program, acclimatize yourself with the target demographic. Ponder over vital queries:
- What burdens gnaw at them?
- What form of incentives resonates with them?
- What whets their appetite?
- Whom do they engage with on social media?
Opting to construct a brand advocacy program does not mandate commencing from a blank canvas. If your brand maintains an active presence on social media, odds are high that your patrons and enthusiasts tread the same virtual pathways. This cohort likely engrosses in discussions about your brand (and with your brand).
Survey your social media adherents and subscribers unto newsletters. Who bestows adoration upon your posts and interacts with your newsletter offerings? These fervent enthusiasts are ripe for inclusion in your advocacy program.
3. The indispensable role of employee advocates
Employees also constitute a wellspring of advocacy for your brand and business. An employee advocacy program magnifies company communication and broadens your digital outreach.
When enlisting employee brand advocates, ensure the optional nature of the program is explicit. Internal advocates are typically amenable to incentives, yet they abhor the notion of being bribed or arm-twisted into participation!
Here are a handful of tips to galvanize your employee brand advocates:
- Follow employees from your corporate accounts to bolster their network
- Employ the corporate accounts to disseminate inventive messaging forged by employees
- Arranged contests where each participant sharing a piece of marketing content earns entry into a prize draw
- Monitor employees consistently sharing content and relay this data to their supervisors
- Extend accolades to frequent sharers during corporate meetings or newsletters
When executed judiciously, employee advocacy metamorphoses into one of the most efficacious conduits for burnishing your public image and heightening employee engagement.
4. Honor your advocates
Once your brand advocates enlist, endeavor to retain them! Ensure your social media advocacy program enshrines boundless opportunities and rewards for the participants. Illuminate how their involvement in the program shall prove advantageous.
Embark on the following tips to set the wheels of engagement in motion:
- Follow users reciprocating your actions and engage with the content they share
- Spotlight community members lending a positive voice to your online conversations
- Recognize individuals who stand out within your community
- Dispatch swag or discount codes to deserving participants
Best practices to fortify a robust social media advocacy program
Maintain the engagement of brand advocates
For your advocacy program to yield fruit, cultivating a robust connection with your advocates proves indispensable. In a best-case scenario, you shall be fortified with hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of engaged brand advocates pledging allegiance to your brand. These advocates must feel cherished!
The schema underpinning your social media advocacy strategy should be scalable. Designate an individual tasked with fielding advocate inquiries and ensuring their trajectory remains on course. As the program burgeons, contemplate appointing a program head to oversee the engagement facet.
Infuse value into the experience
Sustain member engagement by imparting value into their encounter:
- Chart out programs or educational initiatives for your brand advocates
- Extend discounts on educational opportunities
- Populate the landscape with exclusive encounters, such as real-world meetups
- Infuse an element of intrigue or gamification into your program by orchestrating contests or exciting challenges
A symbiotic liaison with a commendable brand advocate yields mutual dividends; thus, ensure you uphold your end of the covenant.
Regularly evaluate your advocacy program
Assess your brand advocacy program at intervals spanning a few months to gauge the degree of alignment with the goals outlined at the journey’s commencement. Should any aspect falter, initiate alterations to reorient you towards the path of rectitude. Social media remains in a perpetual state of flux, and likewise, your advocacy program warrants perpetual evolution.
