Real Customer Advocates Vs. Paid Influencers: Who Wins the Battle?

Posted by Ankush Trivedi on July 7th, 2018

When it comes to internet and relevant marketing, words like advocates and influencers are much in use at present. This hints towards the importance of these jargons towards small to medium businesses. While business owners traditionally prefer communicating directly towards the client pool, most companies are emphasizing on Customer advocacy programs for better acceptance and credibility among the customers.

Such kind of marketing involves trusted, low cost, freelance advocates who deliver messages to the clients.

Why is advocacy important?

It is evident from the market surveys that consumers tend to trust other fellow customers more than the company employees or sales teams. It is more likely for consumers to research on the internet and get reviews from those who had purchased products, they seek to give their advice.

Internal readiness

It is vital for the company to appoint one of their employees to look after the program carefully. It is always better to choose someone with prior experiences on influencers and social media relationships. Developing a plan, and educating the company employees on the same is of utmost importance.

Stress on long term relationships

Building trust, being attentive to their opinion is vital. It is essential to listen to the requirements of the advocates and acknowledge their inputs on the venture. This gives insight on who is more suitable for the company and its advocacy.

Providing a platform

The very crux of this program is to provide a platform for the potential clients and fans. The influencers and advocates will have assistance with their blogs or any such community they have.

[Note: Integrating the freelancers with the company’s events, meetings, launches etc. produces a sense of team.]

Factors to look for in advocates

The companies before committing to any brand advocate or influencer should look for the following attributes in them to gauge their compatibility with the needs of their customer advocacy programs.

• Record of contributions and past experiences with other companies
• They must have moderate popularity amidst the internet communities
• Reliability and trustworthiness are vital
• Excellent communication skills are sought after
• Their existing platform for communications must have a strong audience base
• They must relate and commit themselves to the needs of the company programs

How are influencers and real-time customer advocates different?

Brand influencers and advocates are as intertwined as they are different. They have stark differences in their market strategies. However, these both roles hinge on being the bridge between business and potential client masses, their method of working differs.

1. Firstly, unlike influencers, brand advocates are generally customers or employees who are satisfied with their buys and have no urge to gain fame from it.
2. Secondly, another significant difference is that they do not have any audience to talk to like the influencers. They must encourage and engage themselves in genuine conversations and interactions with other fellow social media users.

They never endorse or partner up with brands. They are entirely loyalty driven with no money involved.

Whether to invest in influencers or develop advocates, is entirely on the prerogative of the companies.