The Ascendancy of Advocacy

Tom McMillian - President of Techtao, LLC

Enabling advocacy is a killer marketing application. The fate of businesses and their brands depend on cadres of advocates. Smart companies need to be nurturing and empowering advocates.

There has never been a time in history when so many social marketing platforms have been available to so many people. People are listening to – other people, people in the know, and people they trust (just by the virtue of being part of the same community). If companies do not participate in the conversation then they will wither. Small companies with their speed and passion are uniquely suited to harness the power of influencers and encourage them to become their advocates.

In years past, companies with large media budgets dominated and created barriers of entry for smaller brands and businesses. Large companies with robust media budgets controlled print, radio and television with their marketing messages. Companies spoke and consumers listened. Now, even though companies are speaking to consumers using traditional media, consumers are not tuning in or they are listening to marketing messages with skepticism.

Entrepreneurs, small businesses, and companies who want to prosper, need to learn how to sincerely join the conversation. They need to be able to recruit, nurture and empower every satisfied customer. Moreover, special attention needs to be given to recognizing Influencers and providing these special folks with the tools to become your advocates.

Remember, the first rule of success with empowering advocates is to first provide a quality product and service. Then share the passion you have for your business, Brand and service. Recognize it in others and nurture it.

Make connections with your customers where ever you can – on the phone, in person and online. Listen to customer concerns. Spend time going to places online where folks are talking about your category and listen.

At every opportunity build your database. Collect phone numbers, email address and home address. This is the lifeline you will use to educate your customers about what is new and exciting with your business and how your customers can benefit from this information

To engender advocacy you need to education delighted customers and ask them to share this new information with others. Remember to say ‘please’ & ‘thank you’. Enable your customers to be in-the-know with breaking new information. Moreover, customers have opinions and they like to share them. Sincerely ask for input into how you can improve their experience with your product. You will learn a great deal.

Seven Steps to enabling advocacy

1. Quality — First produce a quality product and service. Encouraging advocacy is not the way to sell an inferior or a ‘me too’ product or service. Be committed to ongoing excellence. Provide a combination of product and service that is better than the competition.
2. Attitude — Have passion about your business. Share it with others. And when you see this passion in others fuel it!
3. Connections – Make sincere connections and build upon them. There is no more powerful driver for your business than a delighted consumer talking to their friends about your business and product or a disappointed customer whose problem has been quickly addressed.
4. Knowledge — Scout out the digital landscape. Learn where folks are talking, the ‘customs’, and the communication norms.
5. Listen – Listen and respond to consumers’ questions, concerns and ideas. Revel in the opportunity to learn. This is not the place to spout out your canned marketing message. It is the place to listen and learn and if appropriate contribute to the conversation.
6. Database — Whenever possible, create a database of consumers and get their contact information – street addresses, phone number, opt-in email address. There will be a time when you will want to send these interested folks new breaking information about your product and service. These communications will educate your customers on your business and in turn will enable them to be your advocate with others.
7. Engender Advocacy – The ultimate goal of all of your marketing and communications to customers and potential customers should be geared towards turning the relationship into one where the customer is your advocate. Giving delighted customers the news, information, inside “scoop” which enables them to be your advocate.

Published in the June 2009 New Jersey Entrepreneur

Tom McMillian
President
Techtao, LLC
techtao@mac.com
http://www.techtao.com