Prospects are shopping for your products and services, comparing them to those of competitors, and trying to decide which one best solves their problem. It’s not always an easy choice. Want to know what often becomes the tipping point? Brand advocacy.
We see it all the time in B2C. You’re shopping for a new product, read a bunch of glowing five-star reviews, and decide to take the leap. As marketers know, the same thing happens in the B2B world too.
After dealing with frustrating email deliverability issues, a marketer might attend a webinar on how to improve performance. They hear a real customer story about solving the exact problem they’re facing—and suddenly they see themselves in that story. That moment becomes the tipping point.
So how do you create more of those moments and improve brand advocacy? It might seem tricky, but with a smart brand advocacy program, you can start planting the seeds that turn more customers into loyal, enthusiastic supporters.
What is Brand Advocacy?
Brand advocacy is when customers, employees, or partners voluntarily promote a brand because they genuinely value its products, services, or mission. This support often takes the form of word-of-mouth, social media posts, or reviews, and is seen as more trustworthy than traditional advertising.
Advocates can significantly influence others’ buying decisions, helping to boost brand credibility, loyalty, and organic growth while reducing marketing costs.
Build Brand Advocacy with Customer Shout-Outs
Have you checked in with your sales or customer success teams lately? Ask if they’ve gotten any recent customer high-fives. Better yet, set up a centralized place to collect this feedback as it comes in. At Act-On, we use a dedicated “voice of the customer” Slack channel where team members regularly share wins, shout-outs, and other helpful insights. You might hear things such as:
“Your onboarding process was hands-down the easiest I’ve ever gone through.”
“Your team fixed our issue in under an hour. Huge thank you for your support!”
“We finally hit our Q1 goals, and your product played a big role in that.”
With the customer’s permission, turn that feedback into quotes you can use across your marketing, including social media graphics that highlight wins, email campaigns that build trust, or sales materials that help your team close deals. It’s an easy way to turn those everyday conversations into powerful social proof that builds trust and moves prospects closer to a yes.
Bonus tip: Ask if some of those customers would be willing to record a quick video testimonial about their experience. You can check out some of our examples here.
Co-create Content That Places the Spotlight on Your Customer
Your customers are experts in their fields, making them the perfect partners for co-creating thought leadership. Invite them to coauthor a blog post, join you on a webinar, or be featured in a customer spotlight on your website.
For example, Act-On recently hosted a webinar in its Debunk’d series where Chelsea from Station Casinos joined the panel to share tips about email marketing myths that hold teams back. The session gave Station Casinos a platform as an industry leader, while naturally showing how Act-On supports that success behind the scenes. You can check out the entire session on demand.
However, it’s important to remember to focus on your customer’s ideas and expertise. They’re the hero of the story, and you’re the friendly supporting character. When done well, this approach creates authentic customer advocacy and shared thought leadership that naturally lead to brand advocacy.
Turn Customers Into Brand Advocates with Quick Customer Q&As
We love case studies—and chances are that you do too. But let’s be honest, they can come with a bit of red tape, layers of approval, and at least one pass through legal. A fun and simple alternative to mix into your content is a quick Q&A. It’s brand advocacy and social proof minus the long review cycles.
Ask if your customer is open to answering a few short questions by email. With their approval, you can turn their responses into mini-testimonials for your website, marketing emails, and social content. It’s an easy way to capture great results and repurpose them across channels.
Ask Your Customers to Serve as References
When your prospects are weighing multiple options, they need something compelling to help them make a decision. One of the best ways to win them is through customer references.
Start by checking in with your sales team to identify your “superfan” customers. Ask if they’d be open to serving as a reference for potential buyers. Then, when a prospect is ready, make the connection.
These conversations can be incredibly helpful. Prospects get to ask questions they might not feel comfortable asking a salesperson, hear honest feedback, and learn more about your solution from someone who’s actually using it.
Nurture Your Existing Customers to Improve Retention
Last—but definitely one of our favorites—is nurturing your existing customers to improve retention through customer marketing. After all, when your customers are successful, they’re more likely to be satisfied and spread the word, right? These automated programs also give you the chance to strengthen relationships and create powerful cross-sell and upsell opportunities.
Add existing customers to automated nurture campaigns that share helpful, relevant resources. And when it makes sense, include content that supports their success or introduces products and services that can help them continue reaching their goals.
For example, Georgia United Credit Union created a “next best product” cross-sell program. Using each member’s profile, the team segmented messaging based on current products and sent personalized offers through email. After launching the program, they saw thousands of new products sold and a 96 percent spike in application volume.
You can track engagement, identify customers who are a good fit for upselling or cross-selling, and move them into campaigns that help them explore new options and build loyalty.
Expanding Forward
Marketers today are working in an exciting time. With all the technology and automation tools available, we can build strategies that drive brand advocacy and scale them pretty quickly.
Remember those quotes you collected from your sales team? You can reuse them again and again on social media. And those automated sequences you set up? Keep adding fresh customer quotes and Q&A responses to keep the momentum going while the technology does the heavy lifting.
The key is to experiment with these strategies, find out what delivers the best results, and use automation to reach, grow, and strengthen your customer relationships at scale.
Want to better understand how to turn customers into brand advocates throughout their journey? Download the complete guide to learn how to start building stronger relationships with your customers.