Marketers dream of having people promote their brand for free, and having your social media pages filled with glowing reviews and brand mentions from avid fans.
With the power of advocacy marketing, this dream can become a reality.
Advocacy marketing is the process of making customers (or employees, partners, investors, etc.) happy so you can capitalize on that happiness to help you achieve your business’s sales goals.
Today’s buying journey is a lot more customer-centric, which is why most organizations can benefit from using customer advocacy programs designed to boost brand authenticity through quality content, social validation, and referrals.
In this article we discuss what advocacy marketing is, how it benefits your business, and the different advocate marketing techniques you can use to get the results you want.
B2B Advocacy Marketing
- What Is Advocacy Marketing?
- Why Advocate Marketing so Effective
- Benefits of Advocacy Marketing
- Advocacy Marketing Techniques
- 1. Incentivize Your Ambassadors
- 2. Make Referrals Fun
- 3. Make it Easy to Share
- 4. Create Communities
- Examples of Great Advocacy Marketing
- 1. Apple
- 2. InsightSquared
- Guest Author: Ron Stefanski
What Is Advocacy Marketing?
Advocacy marketing (or advocate marketing) is a type of marketing that transforms your best customers into Brand Ambassadors.
In a nutshell, it encourages others to advocate for your brand through a carefully considered marketing strategy.
Similar to word-of-mouth marketing, advocacy marketing allows you to harness the voices and experiences of your most enthusiastic customers in order to power your marketing strategies.
The primary purpose of B2B advocacy is to create Brand Ambassadors who voluntarily share your brand with their networks, and positively discuss your products and services with their professional colleagues.
When used correctly, this type of marketing will increase awareness of your brand and generate higher levels of engagement, which ultimately leads to more sales.
Why Advocate Marketing so Effective
One of the reasons this type of marketing is seen as a “holy grail” is that it’s cost-effective and high-yielding.
With social media, these word-of-mouth recommendations now travel further than ever before.
The average social media user is connected to over 400 friends, so each advocate who shares their positive experience has the potential to reach over 400 others.
With 10 advocates, you could reach 4,000 users and with 10,000 advocates, your potential reach would be over 4 million!

The best part is that your advocates’ messages are more authentic than your messages because they are driven by real human connections. This makes them more effective than paid ads.
Recent studies show that 76% of survey participants say they place more trust in content shared by people compared to content shared by brands.
Benefits of Advocacy Marketing
The key benefits of creating B2B brand ambassadors are:
- Cost-Effective Marketing: Advocate marketing offers an average ROI of 650% for each dollar spent, making it an extremely lucrative marketing strategy.
- Asset Creation: Brand ambassadors are valuable, well-versed assets that will not only help promote your brand but also spend more on your products or services.
- Increase Customer Engagement: A robust advocacy program will help you regularly engage and connect with B2B customers to make them feel heard and appreciated, resulting in more customer satisfaction and decreased churn.
- Boosting Brand Recognition And Awareness: More people notice your brand by starting natural, organic conversations around your products or services.
- Increased Brand Trust: When others advocate for your brand, it sends a signal of trust and reliability to the rest of your audience and your brand feel less like a business and more like a trusted community
- Reach a Wider Audience: Each person that advocates for your brand helps to connect you with hundreds or even thousands of other people in their networks, expanding your brand’s reach and exposure.
- Accelerate Sales Pipeline: When you can show potential buyers advocate social proof (e.g. case studies, reviews, references, etc.), it helps to enhance their trust in your solution, decreasing the length of time to make a buying decision.
- Have a Positive Impact on SEO – The advocate’s interaction with your content and mentioning your products or services on their resources is also important to search engines and could bring some positive value to your website rankings.
- User Generated Content or UGC: Advocacy marketing facilitates the creation of user-generated content which can be cross-shared and used by the brand for a variety of marketing purposes as social proof, email marketing, brand reputation management, conversion rate optimization, and much more.
With so many people advocating for your brand, creating authentic content and reviews of your products and services, this content generates free brand marketing without having to spend a cent on influencer marketing campaigns.
In other words, you get to build a stronger following among your clients and leads while keeping your overhead minimal.
Advocacy Marketing Techniques
There are many articles outlining advocacy marketing tips, tricks, strategies, best practices, etc.But, at it’s core, advocacy marketing comes down to being able to inspire others to continually advocate for your brand.
The formula for successful advocacy marketing is:
- Step #1: Offer them something they value or want.
- Step #2: Provide them with a variety of methods to advocate.
- Step #3: Offer recognition for those who advocate for you.
This image illustrates it perfectly:

Looks simple enough.
Except that you need to tailor your advocacy marketing strategy specifically to B2B brand ambassadors.
This is important for a number of reasons.
For example, if you sell products or services to a particular company and one of the employees leaves to work for a different company – that person can then become an advocate for your brand at their new organization.
However, attracting and recruiting B2B brand ambassadors is a little more challenging. Your best hope of accessing them is by implementing an aggressive client nurturing program.
This way, when they do leave their current place of employment they take with them a strong impression of your brand, products, or services.
But, before you can implement your advocate marketing strategy you must first find ambassadors.
Here is where you will find your B2B brand ambassadors:
- Social Media: This is the best place to find people who actually like your brand and those who are already actively promoting you.
- Review Websites: Search for people who are talking about you on review websites.
- Email Correspondence: If you have pleasant emails that come in, those people are likely to make ambassadors for your brand.
- NPS Scores: let you know know exactly who says they would happily recommend your brand to others.
- Recent Interactions: PPhone calls or face-to-face interactions where customers expressed excitement or gratitude for your brand.
- Online Training Courses: If you use online course platforms to educate others, you already have a group of people that are interested in the content you produce and who believe you have knowledge that is valuable to share.
Once you’ve found your brand’s superfans who are not only using your products or services but also actively praising them, you can use the following techniques to supercharge your advocacy marketing to create B2B brand ambassadors.
1. Incentivize Your Ambassadors
Regardless of where you find your brand ambassadors, the important thing is to keep them engaged, involved, and incentivized.
In other words, provide them with a reason to share.
While, advocate marketing is not based on people spreading the word simply because they are provoked by incentives (as in Influencer Marketing), it shouldn’t be a one-sided relationship, either.
Whether the rewards are physical or intangible, e.g. recognition on social media, they should recognize and appreciate Brand Ambassadors efforts at spreading the word about your brand.
2. Make Referrals Fun
You also need to make referrals fun. Remember, these people are already talking about your brand simply because they believe in it and you don’t have to do much convincing to get them to continue to do so.
But, you can make it fun for them. For instance, Blackbaud, a company that won the Best Referral Program Award did so by creating a series of engaging and fun challenges for customers to complete through the brand’s advocacy marketing program; Blackbaud Champions.
Each time a member completes an act of advocacy, they receive rewards and recognition. There is also a month-long contest with prizes for members who have the most referrals, which makes it a lot more likely that brand ambassadors will stick with the program for longer.
3. Make it Easy to Share
The more content you make accessible to your brand ambassadors, the easier it will be for them to share online.
This way, your advocates can take the lead and be the stars of your content while allowing you to have some measure of control over the type and quality of content they share.
For instance, HootSuite has a robust advocate marketing program where the brand creates content for its super users (known as HootSuite Ambassadors). Members of the program are encouraged to share new content from HootSuite as well as from the ambassadors.
4. Create Communities
Another effective advocacy marketing technique is to create online communities around your brand, products, or services.
This can range from a simple social media group to using website builders to create a central hub for brand ambassadors for sharing knowledge and experience to brand ambassadors within your digital community.
If you can connect your local or global user community with your brand’s super users, you make it more likely that you’ll be able to transform more satisfied customers into brand advocates and B2B ambassadors.
Creating a sense of community between your users and ambassadors will also result in more social impressions and content shares across all your social media channels. Share content regularly on such communities with the help of social media planning tools to get more engagement.
Examples of Great Advocacy Marketing
Here are three inspirational examples of brands that have seen massive success from their customer advocacy programs.
1. Apple

Apple created an advocacy marketing program that helps to bring together a loyal group of customers and avid brand ambassadors who absolutely love to talk about Apple’s products to their friends and peers.
It goes without saying that these recommendations are pivotal in helping the company to drive more revenue and sales.
2. InsightSquared
This brand had an objective to increase its presence on TrustRadius, G2 Crowd, GetApp, and various other review websites.
So, they created an advocacy marketing strategy aimed at requesting reviews from customers with the help of current brand ambassadors.
The marketing team hoped to get 10 reviews across each review website in three months, but instead, they received over 100 customer reviews in a very short space of time, which also became a driving force for additional sales.

Guest Author: Ron Stefanski
Ron Stefanski is a website entrepreneur and marketing professor who has a passion for helping people create and market their own online business. You can learn more from him by visiting OneHourProfessor.com

FAQs
Why is customer advocacy customer marketing critically important for a B2B technology company? ›
Furthermore, it helps companies in increasing sales, word-of-mouth and loyalty. Customer advocacy is the highest form of loyalty that brands can get and hence, it is an irreplaceable asset to firms. Thus, companies with better customer advocacy can gain a significant competitive advantage over their competitors.
What is B2B customer advocacy? ›getty. Customer advocacy—getting customers to be your champions and explaining how your product or service solves their key business problems—is critical for any B2B demand-generation strategy.
What are the benefits of brand advocacy? ›- Build trust. ...
- Enhance reputation. ...
- Increase loyalty. ...
- Receive valuable insights. ...
- Increase sales.
- Define your Advocates. Employee advocacy can't be left to chance. ...
- Make Sharing Posts Easy. Everyone is super busy in today's digital world. ...
- Be Consistent. ...
- Create Promotions. ...
- Listen to your Employees and Customers. ...
- Be Real and Approachable. ...
- Set Goals.
B2B marketers, in particular, have to deal with customers who are Internet-savvy, strongly networked and therefore well informed. Companies that do not fit into the circumstances and ignore the changed information and decision-making behaviour of their customers in their marketing strategies are inevitably left behind.
What is the importance of social media marketing for B2B companies? ›Projecting brand identity
A strong social media presence with a considered, targeted and relevant content marketing strategy can help establish and maintain a business's reputation as a thought-leader in its field and can be an incredibly effective B2B marketing tool.
Customer advocacy increases brand awareness
Not only do they spread the word more often about the brands they love, but Nielsen has also found that the people who trust and respect their recommendations are four times more likely to buy based on a referral.
- Compassionate. Loyal customers are gained when they confidently place their trust in your company. ...
- Optimistic. ...
- Detail-oriented. ...
- Coachability. ...
- Communication. ...
- Driven. ...
- Passionate. ...
- Curious.
- Adopt a More Proactive Approach. ...
- Provide Omnichannel Experience. ...
- Increase Engagement Via Social Media. ...
- Make Customer Experience More Personalized. ...
- Introduce Loyalty/Referral Programs.
Advocacy seeks to ensure that all people in society are able to: Have their voice heard on issues that are important to them. Protect and promote their rights. Have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives.
How does advocacy play a role in brand love? ›
Brand advocacy is about promoting your brand by word-of-mouth marketing. Consumers who tend to share their positive reviews and experiences of your brand on social media can help promote your company to new customers, and positively influence your sales. Brand advocates influence around 50% of purchasing decisions.
What are the five elements of successful advocacy? ›- Know your facts. After you've identified an issue that you're passionate about, do your research. ...
- Listen to the people you want to help. ...
- Engage with the community. ...
- Build relationships. ...
- Don't give up.
- Sell High-Quality Products and Services: ...
- Give your Customers an Unforgettable Experience: ...
- Deliver Excellent Customer Service: ...
- Customer Feedback is Key: ...
- Ask Great Customers to Speak Out:
- Step 1: Make customers happy by going above and beyond the call of duty. ...
- Step 2: Identify and motivate brand advocates. ...
- Step 3: Make it easy and rewarding for customers to share experiences. ...
- Step 4: Invest in analytics to continuously improve.
Getting a complete view of advocacy helps companies as they target specific brands, product and service categories, countries, and groups of customers and non-customers to reveal areas that could be improved. It may also inform brand repositioning efforts, in which focused attention can generate significant value.
How do you attract a B2B customer? ›- Account-Based Marketing. ...
- Social Media. ...
- Content Marketing. ...
- Gamification. ...
- Retargeting. ...
- Micro-Moment Marketing. ...
- Direct Mail.
Elements of a great B2B content marketing strategy
What makes content marketing truly advanced is the ability to target potential customers directly, generate leads in a cost-effective way, and maximize the reach and revenue-generating capabilities of each piece of content.
- Focus on problem solving. ...
- Prioritize value over price. ...
- Take your time. ...
- Communicate your company's story. ...
- Bring humanity to marketing.
- Using Facebook and LinkedIn lead forms.
- Setting up sequential, retargeting video ads.
- Retargeting non-converting visitors with offers.
- Retargeting your email subscriber list with tripwire offers.
- Driving traffic to webinars and video tripwire offers.
- Be Active on Social Media. ...
- Show Some Personality. ...
- Create Original Content. ...
- Develop an Outreach Strategy. ...
- Innovate in Your Content Marketing. ...
- Leverage Programmatic for B2B.
What are the three main functions of advocacy? ›
- promoting the interests of children generally to ensure government and agency accountability.
- monitoring compliance with international obligations.
- scrutiny of legislation, programs and initiatives.
- Framing the issue.
- Gathering and disseminating data.
- Working in collaboration and developing alliances.
- Using the legal and regulatory system.
Skills such as communication, collaboration, presentation, and maintaining a professional relationship are important skills needed by anyone who is an advocate.
What are 4 efficient lead generation strategies for B2B marketers? ›- 1) Target the B2B Mobile Audience. ...
- 2) Optimize for Long-Tail Keywords. ...
- 3) Find Keywords your Competitor is Trying to Go For. ...
- 4) Create Effective Landing Pages. ...
- 5) Implement a Lead Scoring System. ...
- 6) Set up Inbound Strategy with Content Marketing. ...
- 7) Create Lead Magnets.
- 1.) Identify and Connect with Champions.
- 2.) Leverage Your Warm Intros.
- 3.) Frame Your Pitch.
- 4.) Build Relationships Through Appreciation.
- 5.) Make Sure to Persevere!
Effective B2B brand strategy is about making a distinctive promise to the marketplace and then delivering on that promise in as many ways as possible, as consistently as possible. At the center of this promise are your employees. They make the promise real.
What are the three golden rules for advocacy? ›To increase your chances of success when advocating, remember these 3 golden rules: be Polite, be Prepared, and be Persistent.
What are the 6 principles of advocacy? ›- Clarity of purpose. We have clearly stated aims and objectives and are able to demonstrate how we meet the principles in this Charter. ...
- Independence. ...
- Confidentiality. ...
- Person Centred Approach. ...
- Empowerment. ...
- Equal opportunity. ...
- Accountability. ...
- Accessibility.
Lobbying, particularly through personal meetings with decision-makers, can be a powerful and cost-effective advocacy tool. Campaigning: involves speaking publicly on an issue with a view to generating a response from the wider public and using a variety of techniques such as: chain e-mail or letter.
What are the 3 types of advocacy? ›Advocacy is also about helping people find their voice. There are three types of advocacy - self-advocacy, individual advocacy and systems advocacy.
What are the key concepts of advocacy? ›
Advocacy is defined as any action that speaks in favor of, recommends, argues for a cause, supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others.
What is the value of advocacy? ›Advocacy – The act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy. In essence, advocacy is actively supporting something important to you.
Are brand advocates and brand ambassadors the same thing? ›First of all, the biggest difference between the two is that while an ambassador is hired by the company and generally paid, an advocate is a consumer, operating on a purely voluntary basis.
What are the four 4 relationship building tactics that are part of a brand advocacy and community strategy? ›Relationship-Building Tactics
It can include an Employee Advocacy Program, a Brand Advocate Program, an Influencer Program, and finally, a Community Engagement Strategy, which may include online or in person events.
The goal of these activities may be to raise awareness about an issue, raise funds for a group in need, change behaviors and attitudes about certain subjects or influence legislation. In sum, advocacy campaigns are designed to target specific issues, whether they be local or affect an entire region, state or nation.
How do you turn advocacy into action? ›- Leverage Various Talents to Build Up Social Awareness. ...
- Fight for Rights by Engaging in Policy Making. ...
- Learn the Processes Needed for Social Change. ...
- Join a Non-Profit Organization for Your Advocacy. ...
- Use Online Channels for Advocacy Projects.
- Identify an advocacy challenge or opportunity.
- Determine the key audiences.
- Find out what those audiences currently know or perceive.
- Determine how each audience receives its information.
- Establish measurable objectives for each audience.
- Define message points for each audience.
- Helps you to get people to understand your point of view.
- Makes it easier for you to get information in a way that you can understand.
- Helps you to see what other services are available.
- Helps you choose what you want to do.
- Helps with expressing your views effectively.
- Friends, Family & Relatives. ...
- Join the Bar Association of your Court. ...
- Public Speaking, Events, Conferences and Meet-ups. ...
- Social Media: A Powerful tool. ...
- Online Marketplaces and Platforms. ...
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Deliver proactive service. ...
- Use a consistent omnichannel approach. ...
- Offer loyalty programs. ...
- Offer referral programs. ...
- Engage customers on social media. ...
- Personalize customer experiences. ...
- Make appealing and targeted marketing offers. ...
- Ask for customer feedback.
Why is customer advocacy customer marketing critically important for a b2b technology company? ›
Furthermore, it helps companies in increasing sales, word-of-mouth and loyalty. Customer advocacy is the highest form of loyalty that brands can get and hence, it is an irreplaceable asset to firms. Thus, companies with better customer advocacy can gain a significant competitive advantage over their competitors.
Why are customer relations important in B2B decision making? ›Customer satisfaction is imperative for the success of any B2B company. Without happy customers, a business will struggle to achieve the rest of its goals. Your customer support team can help maintain positive relationships and improve customer retention rates.
Why is customer value important in B2B? ›Finding your customer value is incredibly important because you can get the prices you want for your product or service, and not get negotiated down or discounted on your product or service.
Why is B2B customer experience important? ›Businesses will compare their customer experience to their consumer experience. If they are used to receiving high-quality service as individual consumers, they will expect the same from B2B providers like you.
How can a B2B marketer enhance customer relationships? ›- Consider customer relationship management (CRM) technologies. ...
- Collect feedback regularly. ...
- Improve customer experiences. ...
- Implement target marketing campaigns. ...
- Monitor and stay connected with customers. ...
- Recognize that customers are also companies.
In B2B sales, the most important types of decision-making are financial and purchasing decisions about what to buy, at what price, and from whom. Often such decision-makers are the business's head buyers.
What do B2B buyers want? ›...
White Paper
- Adopting self-serve purchasing.
- Technology-driven offer personalization.
- Data science driven pricing.
- How much B2B buyers need and value speed.
- Working with sales people.
'An agreed-upon course of action and direction that helps manage the relationship between an organization and its environment. The goal is to achieve alignment or synergy so that an optimal flow of resources to the institution is achieved.
How do you increase B2B customer engagement? ›- Gather customer feedback to predict customer behaviour. ...
- Personalise your support. ...
- Include CTA's on landing pages. ...
- Use testimonials as a method of brand promotion. ...
- Humanize your brand. ...
- Engaging resources. ...
- Fast response. ...
- Build a community.
- Businesses will likely stick to a product or service they trust. ...
- Businesses want it to be simple and easy. ...
- Create results they can see. ...
- Relationships are important in B2B marketing.
What are the main characteristics of B2B marketing? ›
B2B marketing is promoting products and services to other businesses, typically: (1) at large volumes, (2) with lengthy sales cycles, (3) to multiple decision-makers, and (4) with more complexity than consumer products.