An advocate for a company engages with others without compensation, recommends the company credibly based on real benefits and achievements, and believes the customer-business relationship is important. Effective advocate marketing programs recruit advocates, engage them, reward them, and measure results like increased sales, customer satisfaction and retention, and marketing metrics. It requires aligning an organization's functions around customers and building relationships through mutual benefit.

2. An advocate for my company is someone who…
…engages with influencers, prospects & customers
by being…“one of them”
…actively recommends… to their vast network
without any compensation
…has credibility when they talk about their real
business gains and achievements…
…is an evangelist for my company.
…believes the …customer-business relationship
far exceeds the function of our product.
…is willing to share… tangible benefits… after
their experience with our software/solutions.
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

3. What is advocate marketing?
How do you organize for it?
Who are the players?
What do programs look like?

4. B2B Customer Loyalty
& Advocacy Programs
@briangladstein

5. A personalized roadmap for
measuring and increasing
organic advocacy.
• Who are my advocates?
• What is their potential?
• What is my action plan?
http://explorics.com/aa
Get an Advocate Assessment!

6. What the Heck is
Advocate Marketing?

7. Advocate Marketing Defined
Including customers,
fans, and influencers as
a programmatic part of
your marketing engine
reviews!
references!
referrals!
social media!
content!
intelligence!
usability!
training!
strategy!
PR!
community!
speakers!
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

8. Advice from peers is the #1
most influential source of
information during the B2B
buying process.
– BuyerSphere 2013
Advice from
a friend
Search
Engine
Supplier
WebsiteEmail
Industrial
Intermediary
Sent by a
friend
Online
display ad
Social
media
Wider
advice
Industry
community
Buyers get 57% of the
way through the buying
process before they talk
to a sales rep.
– Marketing Leadership
Council
57%
Searching within
communities is the top
way B2B decision-makers
discover new approaches.
– Forrester Research
Searching within
communities
Vendor
content
Peer
content
Q&A
58%
31%
22%
20%
What’s Driving The Need for Advocacy?
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

9. Fundamental Changes at Work
These dynamics are forcing companies
to develop stronger strategies for
customer success, retention, loyalty, and word-of-mouth
SaaS
Social
Media
• Easier to sign up
• Easier to switch
• Pay-as-you-go
• Unbiased expertise
• Vendor validation
• ROI proof points
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

10. Organizing for Advocacy

11. Exec team
Tech Support
Sales
Product
ManagementCustomer
Success
Marketing
The customer
Perceived as
Protective
Perceived as
Exploitive
Who Owns the Customer?
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

12. Is Your Organization Aligned?
Support
“My job is to maximize
the value customers
receive from us”
Marketing
“My job is to
maximize customer
lifetime value”
The customer
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

13. Achieve Alignment Through
Shared Customer Vision
Support Marketing
The customer
“I believe in this
company.
The more I get involved,
the more they can help
my career.”
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

14. “We Thought If We Didn’t Get A Press
Release, We Failed” (WRONG!)
Strategy
Product
Development
Testing
Launch
Training
Marketing
Sales
Brainstorm
sessions
Usability
Beta Testing
Community
Liaison
Educational
Expert
Spotlight
Referral
Appeals
to
job
exper.se
Appeals
to
sense
of
community
Appeals
to
desire
to
self-­‐brand
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

15. The customer
Exec team
Tech Support
Sales
Product
Management
Customer
Success
Marketing
The Advocacy Champion
The champion
Customer success?
Customer marketing?
Client services?
Account rep?
engage
match
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

16. The Players

17. Superstars
Jenny Berthiaume
Liz Richardson
Evan Jacobs
Naysa MishlerDanielle Camara
Jeffrey Linton
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

18. B2B - Enterprise
Services ↓
Reference
management
SaaS Customer
Success
B2B Advocate
Marketing
B2C Advocate
Marketing
B2C Advocate
Programs
B2B Advocate
Programs
B2B - SaaS B2C
Product ↑
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

19. Analysts & Influencers
“If you haven’t put structure and
process around advocacy marketing,
start now. One of the first discoveries
that marketers encounter is that
more than half their customers are
willing to publicly advocate their
favorite products online.” Bob Peterson
SiriusDecisions
Richard Fouts, Julie Hopkins
Gartner
Peter O'Neill, Zachary Reiss-Davis
Forrester Research
Mack Collier
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

20. Customer Reference Forum
Community Roundtable
Customer Success
Association
Customer Success
Management Forum
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

21. Program Design

22. Advocate
programs are
based on
relationships
Key Concepts
• People, not companies
• Give first, then receive
• Recognition, not bribes
• Mutual benefit
• Micro-community
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

23. I’ll scratch your back. You scratch mine.
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

24. Recruit Engage Reward
Human Resources
Technology & Communications Stack
Analytics
Harvest
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

25. Measuring ROI
Sales metrics
– Deal influence
– Pipeline influence
– Revenue influence
– Renewal rate
– Churn reduction
Customer success metrics
– Customer satisfaction
– Net promoter score
– Product usage
– Service calls
Marketing metrics
– Lead referrals / conversions
– SEO
– Page views / downloads
– Content production costs
Internal metrics
– Membership rate
– Engagement rate
– Engagement frequency
– Advocacy rate
– Advocacy frequency
@explorics
#AdvocateCC

26. A personalized roadmap for
measuring and increasing
organic advocacy.
• Who are my advocates?
• What is their potential?
• What is my action plan?
http://explorics.com/aa
Get an Advocate Assessment!

27. Contact
(617) 758-8998
www.explorics.com
info@explorics.com
@explorics