The importance of brand advocacy

Despite some major tech advancements that have fundamentally changed the way we shop, some things have remained the same. In particular, word-of-mouth is still the most powerful form of marketing. 

The only thing that’s changed? The way consumers share their experiences.

But in order to tap into this potent marketing magic, make sure you have enough customer advocates.

Word-of-mouth marketing is nothing without customer advocacy. It relies on happy consumers.  In order to ensure you’ve got an army of delighted customer advocates spreading the word, you have to make sure your relationship with every single consumer is one that will turn them into someone who advocates for your business.

So, what is a brand advocate?

A brand advocate is someone who really believes in your brand and product,  who helps spread the word about how great you are. 

The result? Increased brand awareness, and ultimately, sales. What’s not to love? But how does a regular consumer become a brand advocate in the first place?

All successful businesses are built on great customer relationships

Think about the businesses that you’d personally vouch for. They’re the ones who provide you with extraordinary service, going out of their way to make sure you’re wowed every single time you buy something from them. 

When it comes to small businesses in particular, brand advocacy is even more important. In fact, “57% of small business owners say that having a relationship with their consumers is the primary driver of repeat business,” reports Factory360. 

Not all businesses have the luxury of spending thousands on marketing, you need to be able to rely on word-of-mouth in order to keep up with the competition. According to Customer Think, “(customer) advocates can help a company grow at an average rate of 2.5 times their competitors”. And the good news is that tapping into the power of customer advocacy is something you can begin to do right now!

Cultivate personal relationships with your customers

“50% to 80% of word-of-mouth comes directly as a result of personal experience with a product or service,” says Customer Think. And you determine whether the resulting word-of-mouth is positive or negative. By focusing on cultivating personal, mutually beneficial relationships with your consumers, you create customer advocates, one happy shopper at a time.

Brand advocacy is the direct result of exceeding your customer’s expectations

It’s common sense: when you provide an experience which exceeds expectations, you’ll be rewarded with a consumer who sings your praises. But in order to do this, you need to know what your customers expect in the first place. And if you’re using online reviews, you’ve already got all of this information knocking at your door.

Online reviews contain invaluable nuggets of information about your customers’ expectations

If you pay attention to what your consumers are saying, you’re halfway to creating – and benefitting from – their advocacy. The brands who thrive thanks to their brand advocates, are successful due to one thing: listening to their customers. 

Understand your online reviews for what they are: a goldmine of information. Then, take this feedback on board. For example, if consumers consistently tell you that your products are great, but their experience on your website is frustrating, do something about it. Or, if a common theme in your online reviews is long delivery times, focus on speeding them up. 

Your customers aren’t just telling you their pain points for the fun of it – they’re alerting you in the hopes that you take action.

Exceed your customers’ expectations

That’s right – it’s no longer enough to merely meet your customer expectations – you need to exceed them. Remember, even if you’re a brick and mortar store or service provider, today’s shoppers are used to getting what they want, when they want. 

Thanks to e-commerce, as well as the ease with which consumers can find a vendor online, shoppers are expecting more from businesses than ever before. 

Customer Think reports that “60% of consumers have higher expectations for customer service now than they did just one year ago”. As consumer reliance on tech further influences their buying behaviour, this number is set to grow.

Adopting a customer-centric attitude is key to your business’s success.

By customer-centric, we mean that everything you do needs to revolve around making and keeping your consumers happy. When you put their experience first, you’re rewarded with their loyalty, as well as the resulting word-of-mouth. And usually, one happy consumer leads to two happy consumers which leads to an army of brand advocates who’ll market your brand for you!

How to use Hellopeter to foster – and benefit from – brand advocacy

As we mentioned above, brand advocacy revolves around offering exceptional customer service that goes above and beyond your consumers’ expectations. Once you’ve accomplished this, it’s time to convert your customer satisfaction into glowing reviews using Hellopeter’s custom-built tools. 

Follow these steps to gather reviews, and use them to create (and benefit from) brand advocacy:

Ask for reviews: You can either send out a request for a review using our email tool, or you can insert our review link on a thank you email, or SMS (on the Enterprise Package only).

Listen to your consumers: Collecting reviews just for the sake of it is a waste of time. Comb your reviews for nuggets of wisdom, and then apply this feedback to your day-to-day operations.

Use your most enthusiastic reviews to market your business: You can display these as proof of customer advocacy at various key touchpoints, such as your email signature, quotes, in your store on your website.

Fostering relationships with your consumers through online reviews can take time and effort, but we believe creating brand advocates is worth it.

Reviews on Hellopeter have helped over one million consumers make better choices. Had an experience you’d like to tell us about? Leave us a review here.