How to Build an Effective Brand Advocacy Program
The brand advocacy program should be included in marketing strategies. It should apply to both employees and external groups. This is the opportunity to encourage a passion for your brand and create something special. But how do you create brand advocacy programs?
1. Define your Advocates
Employee advocacy can’t be left to chance. From your customer and employee base, determine who your advocates are, as these people are loyal to your brand. You can do this by reviewing who engages with your posts. These people are going to help you improve your brand image. Look after your advocates and offer them rewards and incentives to keep them interested.
2. Make Sharing Posts Easy
Everyone is super busy in today’s digital world. How many times have you read an article or seen a product you want to buy and intended to go back to it later? But you didn’t get the time, forgot about it, moved on and something else caught your eye in the meantime. Make it easy to like, share, or repost your message when someone reads it. To do this, choose the best brand advocacy software that is easy to use, cost-effective, and reliable both for your intranet and website.
3. Be Consistent
Having a strong presence turns an organization into one that consumers trust. If you show up every day with a blog post or special offer people know you’re for real and care about what they think. They’re more likely to follow you and anticipate your posts each day. When customers spend money they like to feel safe, and a reliable organization nurtures this feeling.
4. Create Promotions
Everyone loves a great deal. Make special offers and discounts part of your brand advocacy program. Add to this referral programs, rewards, competitions, introductory offers and you’ve got a winning formula for getting people to support you.
5. Listen to your Employees and Customers
Your program should include asking employees and customers what they think. It’s easy to set up a website or intranet survey that only takes a couple of minutes to complete. Why not ask for testimonials and reviews? This kind of feedback can tell you if you’re doing things right. It’s also important to show you’ve listened by publishing results and opinions. This makes customers and employees advocates as they feel their opinion counts. You can also do this with a comments area – and make sure to always reply to comments promptly.
6. Be Real and Approachable
How often have you clicked away from a website that’s cold and boring? No one wants to buy from a website that feels unfriendly. People like to see the actual employees they’re dealing with. This means posting biographies on your managers and team leaders. On an intranet, this can be a detailed profile that employees complete themselves so colleagues can learn more about them. Being real creates trust, which leads to advocacy.
7. Set Goals
Set measurable and time-specific goals. For example, to increase post shares on the intranet by 50% in the next three months, or to achieve a set amount of mentions on Twitter for a new product launch.

LumApps Share Button for Social Employee Advocacy