Creating trustworthy brand advocates can help you to launch your business to the next level. The Neilson Global Trust in Advertising Report in 2015 stated that more than 80 percent of consumers in several dozen countries around the world trust their friends’ and family’s recommendations more than they trust traditional advertising messages.
As you can see, having loyal enthusiasts who actively promote your products or services can ignite growth by building up your leads and sales generated from referrals. In fact, brand advocates and promoters may be able to use their credibility to achieve substantial marketing results that you may otherwise struggle to achieve.
You can more easily create brand advocates for your company when you follow a few important steps.
If you want your current customers to refer their friends and family members to your business, you must focus on improving the level of customer service you offer. Customers need to love your products and services, but they also need to feel happy about the level of service they receive.
Negative interactions with your customers can have a detrimental impact in this area, so you should always focus on making customer service a priority. Pay attention to public forums and consumer review websites to learn more the areas that your company needs to improve on to ensure that everyone is treated well.
You can also work on improving product packaging, shipping times and other factors that may affect the overall customer experience that your business provides.
Loyal customers who will advocate on your behalf often have a strong emotional connection to your company. To achieve this advanced connection, you typically have to interact with your valued customers in a personal way.
For example, you may handwrite a thank you note or extend birthday greetings to them. You may also reward their loyalty with special coupons, rewards or discounts.
The best customers who have referred you to many people or who have written numerous positive reviews should also be rewarded in some way for their public advocacy supporting your business. Review the steps that you currently take to build emotional connections, and determine how you can improve in each of these areas.
Customers want to know that they are receiving true value from doing business with you, and one of the great ways to accomplish this goal is to educate them or to provide otherwise valuable content to them on a regular basis.
This is most commonly done through a regular newsletter or frequent blog posts. Focus on providing consistent, high-quality and helpful information through these platforms. Consider writing a valuable, extensive guide covering a topic that would most likely interest your readers. Attempt to convey your expertise in your field while also giving your clients and customers information that benefits them in some way.
Try to be unique when creating content, and avoid regurgitating the same dull concepts that they may have already heard numerous times before. Your customers may be more likely to discuss your content with others or even to share it online when you keep these tips in mind.
If you want to maximize the benefits that brand advocates can provide to your business, harness the power of social media platforms. Through social media platforms, your advocates may tout the praises of your products or services to hundreds of individuals, and these individuals may in turn share the comments with their own social media contacts.
You can also ask direct questions on your own platform to steer a conversation in a desirable direction.
Offering quality products and services at a great price is important if you want your customers to be brand advocates, but you can see that there are other steps that you can take to earn their praise as well.
Give your clients or customer a positive reason to share their experiences with others. By doing so, you could magnify the benefits of brand advocates.
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