Post on 11-Aug-2014
description
transcript
BRAND ADVOCATES: BUILDING YOUR
ORGANIZATION WITH RELATIONSHIPS
Christina Inge
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LEARN TO TAP INTO YOUR GREATEST SOURCE OF SALES
AGENDA
‣ Learn what brand advocates are‣ Discover ways to work with them
Identifying ActivatingDeveloping
• Explore formal advocacy programs• Discuss the ethics of formal advocacy 2
WHAT IS AN ADVOCATE?BRAND ADVOCATES
Customers who sincerely, without your help, begin talking in a positive way about your brand to others.
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WHAT THEY AREN’T BRAND ADVOCATES
They are not paid spokespeopleThey aren’t “seeded” They are not friends and familyCompanies that only have those are in big trouble
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HOW BRAND ADVOCATES GET STARTED
BRAND ADVOCATES
Develops Authority
Experience with Brand
Discusses Experience
Feedback
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Let’s Break it DownBrand advocates
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DEVELOPS AUTHORITYBRAND ADVOCATES
BloggingFace-to-faceSocial mediaNot a professional reviewer or author (Influencer)Views self as helpful, viewed as helpful
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EXPERIENCE WITH BRANDBRAND ADVOCATES
So positive in some way, they must speak about it:• Product solves a problem for them• Customer service
But it has to be more:• Emotional alignment with brand• Perceives brand as “like me”
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DISCUSSES EXPERIENCEBRAND ADVOCATES
• In depth:• Blog post• Online forum• Series of tweets
• The size of the audience is less important than their advocacy at this point
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FEEDBACKBRAND ADVOCATES
Others find
helpful
Encourages
further advocacy
Connects w/other
advocates (not
necessarily for your brand)
Creates a name for themselv
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PERSONALITY TRAITS OF AN ADVOCATE
BRAND ADVOCATES
Vocal & outspoken
Strong integrityPro-social and (usually)
extroverted
Sense of authority
Expert knowledgeConsiders self amateur 11
Working with Advocates to grow your brand
Brand Advocates: Building a Program
CREATING THE FOUNDATION:BE A SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
WORKING WITH ADVOCATES
Already collaborate
with customers
Open
Have feedback
mechanismStructured
Communicate internally & externally
Transparent
BUILDING AN ADVOCACY PROGRAM
Identify
Integrate
Empower
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WORKING WITH ADVOCATES
IDENTIFYWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• Social listening• Immediate response• Friendly tone
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INTEGRATEWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• This is the most complex step• The wrong approach can alienate or
violate ethics
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EFFECTIVE ADVOCACYWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• Have an internal advocate manager• Ideally be part of advocate
community:• Dev if they’re devs, marketer if
they’re marketers• Community relationship should pre-
date, be independent of company relationship
• Don’t have one? Hire one of your advocates 17
THE ADVOCACY MANAGERWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
Authentic relationship
Advocates feel respected
Becomes voice for community within
company
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BUILD THE RELATIONSHIPWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• Two-way street• Seeks out feedback
before you ask a favor• Get feedback on wide
range of company factors:• Product• Messaging• Strategic direction
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NOW, YOU CAN HAVE ADVOCATES SPEAK FOR YOU
WORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• Offer previews• Build buzz• Verify product
• Exclusives• Video, text—show what you’re doing• Honest word of mouth worth dozens of ads
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BRINGING ADVOCATES INWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• Outstanding source of content• Blogging, video, Vsnaps,
webinars, chats, case studies for B2B
• Make it clear they are a customer
• Offer support in content development 21
USER VOICEWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• Give them the platform
• Again, back to social organization: user voice is equal to company voice
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WHAT YOU CANNOT DOWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• Control• Be defensive• Pay• Be secretive• Be manipulative
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EXPANDING ADVOCACYWORKING WITH ADVOCATES
• Online communities• Social contests—can turn
customers into advocates• User groups• Crowdsourced products• Open sourcing
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KEY OBJECTIVES
Develop concepts to use for your own advocacy program
EXERCISE
AGENDA
15 min 1. Looking at your own organization, what types of advocates have emerged?
2. What two steps can you take next week to reach out to them?
DELIVERABLE
Identify your current top types of advocates
Create two strategies to leverage them with little cost in an Agile way
RESOURCES
Class slidesYour own:Google AnalyticsHubspot, Salesforce, and other data sources2
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