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Customer advocate: the marketing strategy that helps build brand loyalty

The most transcendental challenge of a brand is not to attract customers or get a sale, it goes much further. We are talking about getting the user to become a loyal follower of what we do, to come back to buy again and again and, if possible, to reference it in their online communities.

In this article we contextualize the process to follow to increase the chances of converting a buyer into a prescriber.  

Is it the same prescriber as influencer?

One of the most common mistakes when it comes to brand influencers is to confuse them with influencers. Although they share similarities, they are more different than they may seem.

An influencer is a figure who is in charge of promoting a product or service to his or her community. The success of this operation lies in the number of followers that these users have on their social networks.

On the contrary, a prescriber or brand advocate is a user who uses social networks as a method of entertainment and opinion. This is where it takes on special importance. Anyone can have a voice on the Internet and, as we know, the word-of-mouth effect is vital for a brand.

What's the difference? Basically, the influencer monetizes his work. The influencer, on the other hand, does it unconditionally. They love the brand and everything that surrounds it.

In most cases, the opinion of the prescriber carries more weight than that of the influencer, since he/she uses the brand because he/she believes in it.

Let's take a practical example. You book a room in a hotel. The room is as promised, the staff is attentive, the food in the restaurant is delicious, and so forth.

You decide to book your next trip at a hotel of the same chain but in a different location. The experience exceeds your expectations. What does a prescriber do? Positive reviews. Communicate the experience. Give your opinion. Try to be heard.

The purchase of products and services in the digital era focuses its core on the opinions of other users who have already purchased previously. That's why taking care of prescribers will help incentivize conversions, attract more customers and so on.

Retention care, the beginning of success

Most brands focus on the acquisition phase. Yes, we know that it is vitally important to attract potential customers to a particular brand or product. However, not all of our efforts should stop there.

Taking care of the retention phase is just as important (or more). If you think that once a user buys you have everything done, you are wrong. The best thing to do is to get them to do it again. Capturing a customer is up to five times more expensive than retaining them.

Improving the relationship with customers who have already purchased contributes greatly to the likelihood that they will buy again.

One strategy that often works well in this regard is referral marketing. This is where brand advocates can help you by attracting other users with similar interests. How? By taking care of their buying and post-sale experience. Also by trying to nurture their alignment with brand values.

Incentives are a good way to motivate brand trust. Let's look at an example. A user opens a bank account. The customer is happy with the service and the company promises him €40 for him and a friend if he opens another account. This strategy is known as member get member.

How do prescribers influence the valuation of a brand?

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The most advisable option is for the prescribers themselves to take the initiative to value the brand and create long-term links. However, a company can also design a strategy based on prescribers.

We have already seen the difference with influencers. Basically, their reach and audience, but the audience of a brand advocate, although more limited, offers great advantages. How do they contribute to generate that relationship with other users? Let's look at some examples:

  • Writing reviews about the brand.
  • Providing information and responding on behalf of the brand.
  • Sharing the company's own content on its social channels.
  • Generating trust, closeness and credibility about a product or service to a community.

Benefits of brand advocates for brands

Brand advocates are loyal and committed customers of a particular brand and that makes them the best ambassadors, especially in the online community.

Social networks and location and review tools such as Google My Business, form the perfect showcase to make your opinions about the product or service visible.

We are talking about a showcase open to a very wide audience. Let's remember: what is not on the Internet, does not exist. A brand can go from being totally unknown to going viral in just a few hours.

For this reason, establishing a close relationship with prescribers must be part of our strategy. Take care of them, keep them attended to and guarantee their permanence. In this way, the main benefits of brand advocates will come to light. Here is a summary of some of the most important ones:

1. They contribute to improve brand engagement.

The struggle to capture social traffic is getting harder and harder. Yes, we know. Paid ads, on many occasions, don't get the results we expect in terms of visits, let alone conversions.

Therefore, when a prescriber shares posts on their feed, regardless of the social network we are talking about, it will help reduce the possibility of that information going unnoticed. In this case, your audience is filtered through shared likes between prescriber and potential customer.

This contributes greatly to improving brand engagement without incurring additional costs.

2. They bring credibility to a brand

Internet users rely on the opinions of other people who have already bought a product or purchased a service before making a final decision.

Let's take the example of hotels: What do we do when we want to book a room? Compare offers and then read reviews about cleanliness, location, staff, food, and so on.

For this reason, a brand advocate who provides positive, truthful and committed reviews will improve the trust of other users in what you offer.

3. Influencing conversions

Following the order of benefits, brand advocates contribute to increasing sales. According to a Nielsen study, 81% of Internet users trust word of mouth, and 87% make their decisions based on the opinions of third parties.

Conventional advertising strategies, although effective in certain sectors, are not the ones that achieve the best conversion results.  

It is increasingly important to actively listen to the brand on an ongoing basis, as well as to promote strategies that allow us to convert the public into prescribers.

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