Influence vs. Advocacy

We hear so much about influencers in social media – the bloggers with the most subscribers; the Tweeters with the most Twitter followers; the personalities with the most Instagram fans. However, there’s a difference between an influencer and a brand advocate; influencers do not necessarily prompt action, as much as they create awareness. And it’s at this point that we start to see the difference between the two.

Advocacy, on the other hand, runs deep and comes from a place of conviction and dedication. Animal advocates, rights advocates, environmental advocates – these people change the course of our world every day. Believe it or not, this same deeply rooted commitment also lives in our brands and in our loyal consumers. Brand advocates are incredibly powerful people and are very different from influencers in many ways.

Jay Baer of Convince & Covert Digital Marketing Advisors explores this more in his article “Social Media Influencers versus Brand Advocates Infographic” in which he outlines some key differentiation points, summarized here:

• Influencers are people like celebrities and bloggers, people that most often have the megaphone in hand in today’s world. On the other side, brand advocates are truly satisfied customers.
• Influencers are defined by the size of their audience (followers and subscribers) where bigger is always better. Brand advocates are defined by how likely they are to recommend the brand.
• While influence is a short-term effect, brand advocacy is long lasting.
• While audience growth motivates influencers, brand advocates are dedicated to helping their friends.
• Influencers may be passionate (not a given), but they often need incentives to tell the story. Brand advocates don’t need anything in return, and their passion runs deep and true.

To really put it in context, take a look at this: 18% of consumers trust influencers while 92% trust brand advocates. (Forrester Research and Nielsen statistics, respectively).

How to do create brand advocates

Now that you are hungry for a brand advocate troop of your own, it’s time to make it happen. Susan Gunelius of Entrepreneur offers a simple guide in “How to Create Vocal Brand Advocates” highlighted (and summarized) in basic steps:

If you want consumers to know about you, introduce yourself in a public way. Put your brand, benefits, skills, and distinctive factors out to the consumer world through smart advertising.

With established awareness in the marketplace, you need to become memorable through consistency. Hammer home your original key messages to your target audience in a way that’s impossible to forget you.

Ensure that your advertisements capture your audience effectively. Teach them about your company and products, highlight specific benefits, and bridge the emotional connection between their needs and your offerings.

Even if your consumers are convinced to take action through a purchase, you still need to get them to the finish line. Strong promotions are critical in achieving this pivotal step in the brand advocate creation process.

Once you achieve customer satisfaction with the initial purchase, you need to convince them to buy again through your messaging. Special promotions for repeat customers need to be part of your business plan.

After you build a reciprocal and loyal relationship with your customer, make sure this connection is communicated and reinforced in your marketing outreach. After all, you understand their needs and solve their problems better than anyone else. Make sure you spell that out.

Your brand advocates can likely sell your products and services better than you can simply because they have less to gain than you do. Word-of-mouth marketing, now on a social media platform, has never been so influential. Above all, thank these people and recognize them for the role they are playing in your success. A failure to publicly appreciate them may be the moment that you lose them. Instead, consider your brand advocate to be your best company asset.

Action is money in the bank

Since they often have their own agenda, influencers may not be believable enough. You may even find that they praise you and your biggest competitor in the same day. This is why it’s best to tackle the challenge of creating brand advocates for your business. Brand advocates are the people that will willingly sing your praises from the rooftops – because they want to and they believe in you. Best of all, it’s your brand advocates that will bring new people to your door.

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References:
http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/social-media-influencers-versus-brand-advocates-infographic
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/203018