Brand advocates—the people who enthusiastically post about a brand or a product online, passing on ultimately positive word of mouth messages to people who otherwise would take a glance at such a product. In other words, they sustain the hype. They help build a brand or product’s character. And, most importantly, they’re the ones that help brands become popular in the public eye.
Everyone who advertises on the web wants an army of brand advocates. After all, who wouldn’t want the positive attention. Not only that, they help bolster a business’ return on revenue, which helps determine whether a company may be profitable or not. The infographic above provides some tips about building your own army of brand advocates. Let’s review some of the most important points presented in the graphic:
1) Build long lasting relationships with customers and keep them engaged.
Customers love brands that provide a high quality product, exceptional customer service and an overall enjoyable experience—every time, at that. You’ll gain more devoted followers if you, well, deliver every time they engage.
But, your followers won’t stay engaged if you only make a quick, one-time announcement, such as a single tweet or Facebook post. Give them attention and put more attention into your marketing—find creative ways to market to your audience that will ultimately keep them coming back.
2) Give them more—and mean it, too.
Customers love when businesses give back to them. Addressing your audience seriously goes a long way nowadays, especially when you give back.
Discounts, promo codes, sales, giveaways and even little things like retweets and thank yous go a long way. Giving back to your audience means that you care—it’s pretty much the simplest way to let people know that you’re listening to them.
And, that’s what really matters.
3) What they want is what you need to do.
Asking your consumers about what they really want is a matter of sending out a simple tweet, a Facebook post, ultimately a request to let them take action. And, once they voice their opinion, it’s time for you to take action.
If you need to improve your product, start finding ways to improve it. If they want more incentives like discounts, start finding ways to implement that into marketing.
Besides addressing customer concerns and wishlists, let them be heard by others, too. Share their posts, retweet them and let them know that you’re listening and want others to hear, too.
4) Don’t sell—serve your customers in new ways.
Social media isn’t as much of a marketing platform as it is a new ways to serve followers. So, the question isn’t really ‘what would you like to buy,’ but ‘how can I serve you.’
That, of course, involves addressing your consumer’s needs as soon as possible. Complaints, consumer improvements, incentives—whatever helps your consumers get what they want. You’re serving them, after all.
Social media is also excellent for serving your consumers in new ways, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
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