Tuesday’s #techchat topic was “Leveraging Social Media for Influencers and Customer Advocacy in the Enterprise,” run by Ann Handley of MarketingProfs with special guest, Michael Brito (VP of Social Media at Edelman Digital.) Part of the discussion addressed the difference between Brand Advocates and influencers, which Micheal does an excellent job explaining in his latest blog post.
He says that influencers “may have a crush on you or find your product useful; but they are too busy being influencers – tweeting, blogging, and recording webinars to really care. Of course they love getting free trials and new products before they hit the market; and very rarely will they say no when you offer to send them that new shiny object.”
Influencers have their own agenda. When your company is the hot new brand on the block, they want to be associated with you; that is, until the next hot new brand moves in and shortly after, you’re left scratching your head wondering what happened to the influencer’s new born enthusiasm for your brand.
Michael goes on to say, “the reality is that with many influencer programs, brands are just renting the conversation; and unfortunately the conversation isn’t always authentic. If it was, you wouldn’t have to keep sending them products to fuel their conversation.”
This is why brands need to shift their focus onto their authentic evangelists, their Brand Advocates. Unlike influencers, Advocates love your brand unconditionally. OK, don’t take that completely literally. But what I am trying to say is that, for the most part, Advocates will stick by your side even when you’re not the hot brand at the moment or come out with a product that maybe you shouldn’t have.
I always like to think about Advocacy in relation to music, because most of the “brands” I advocate are music artists. I am a huge Advocate of B.O.B. (He’s a Hip Hop artist, and if you don’t know of him, check him out.) There are definitely a few tracks of his that I’m not really into, but that doesn’t make me any less of an Advocate; and I am sure the same goes for all of you Pearl Jam, Tim McGraw, and Madonna Advocates out there.
While we’re on the topic of differentiating Advocates from other segments, it’s important to point out that loyal customers are not always Advocates. Think about the airline that you normally fly. Are you an advocate of them? Probably not. I have been an AT&T customer since the Nokia snake-playing days, but I am far from an Advocate.
Similarly, Advocates are not equal to Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Again, these people may have a “crush” on you, or are interested enough to simply click a “Like” or “Follow” button. But that doesn’t mean they would recommend, write a review, share offers, or do anything on behalf of your brand voluntarily.
*Note: There can be (and surely are) Advocates within each of these segments (influencers, loyal customers, fans, and followers.) In fact, it is very likely that Advocates will be a fan of you on Facebook, follow you on Twitter, and continuously purchase your products. It is the Advocates within these segments that need to be recognized and treated like VIPs, because that’s what they are.
Make sure to tune in to #techchat everyday Tuesday at 5pm PST.
Don’t forget to register for our upcoming webinar with WOMMA, “Turning Facebook Fans into Brand Advocates” on Sept 22 at 11 AM PST.
A recent study by ExactTarget examined reasons why people “Like” brands on Facebook. They found that the top three reasons were to receive discounts and promotions, show support for the company to their Facebook friends, and to get a “freebie.”
“Consumers use Facebook to interact with friends, be entertained and express themselves through their public affiliation with brands – factors that combine to create a potent viral marketing platform,” said Jeff Rohrs, principal, ExactTarget’s research and education group. “By engaging consumers on Facebook in a way that keeps them entertained, brands have an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize Fans and get introduced to their friends.”
Some key findings:
- 64 percent of all U.S. consumers—and three quarters of Millennials—have created a profile on Facebook making it the “default” social community.
- 40 percent of Facebook users who become fans do so to receive discounts and promotions, 39 percent become fans to show their support for a brand to others.
- Consumers’ capacity for exposure to brand messages via Facebook is limited—half of all fans “like” only one to four brands and only 17 percent of consumers say they’re more likely to buy after becoming a “fan” on Facebook.
This study indicates that not all brand fans on Facebook are Brand Advocates. Marketers need to distinguish which fans are the true champions for the brand and energize these Advocates to spread positive Word of Mouth and help drive sales.
Learn how to harness the power of Brand Advocates and Word of Mouth by registering for our upcoming webinar with WOMMA, “Turning Facebook Fans into Brand Advocates” on September 22 at 11 AM PST/ 1PM EST.
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We are excited to be teaming up with WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) for our next webinar coming up on September 22, 2010 at 11 AM PST/ 1 PM EST! 
Millions of Facebook members are “liking” brands or products via Facebook’s ubiquitous “I Like” widget. But as Forrester pointed out recently, Facebook fans have no intrinsic business value unless companies do something with them.
In this informative webinar, you’ll learn how to turn Facebook fans and other engaged consumers on Twitter and elsewhere into raging Brand Advocates who will spread positive Word of Mouth and drive qualified leads and sales.
Key Takeaways:
- What’s a Brand Advocate, and how do Brand Advocates differ from Facebook fans and followers?
- What’s a Brand Advocate worth?
- How can you identify your Brand Advocates and energize them to become a Virtual Salesforce for your brand?
- How can you measure the results and ROI of advocacy?
The webinar will feature real-world case studies of companies that are getting 10% conversion rates and more by turning Facebook Fans into Brand Advocates.
Free Whitepaper:
All webinar attendees will get a copy of a free whitepaper: “Five Ways to Turn Your Facebook Fans into Brand Advocates.”
Presenter:
Rob Fuggetta, Founder/CEO, Zuberance
Rob Fuggetta is the world’s foremost authority on brand advocacy. Rob has over 20 years of experience in Word of Mouth marketing and brand advocacy. Rob is the founder and CEO of Zuberance, the leading social media marketing platform company focused on Brand Advocates (and a proud WOMMA member!) As CEO/founder, Rob is the company’s visionary and advocacy thought leader. Prior to founding Zuberance, Rob was a senior marketing consultant for Apple Computer and also served as CMO for Genuity, where he created the award-winning Black Rocket brand.
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