To continue our discussion on engagement, today we’re focusing on customer advocates. Some B2B marketers consider this category to be more prevalent in B2C, but that’s not necessarily the case. Recruiting B2B customer advocates is simply a matter of knowing where to look and planning your approach.
In our age of social media and peer review, the B2B buying process has changed. The shape of the sales funnel is no longer straightforward and predictable. The internet has empowered buyers to conduct research and seek recommendations from colleagues they trust. Prospects have access to more information than ever before, and when they seek answers, customers advocating for your product can make or break a sale. B2B devotees might not be as easy to cultivate as their B2C counterparts, but they are powerful allies.
The first step in cultivating advocacy is to identify your company’s most committed customers. There are a variety of places to look for this – perhaps in email marketing data or by careful social listening. Who’s opening your messages regularly, and who’s referencing you on Twitter? Repeat buyers and long-term customers are often a good place to start if your customer base isn’t yet engaged with you on social media.
Once you’ve identified your most committed customer base, it can be strengthened by helping them connect to one another. Many B2B companies have successful user forums that enable customers to interact and discuss what they love – or maybe what they don’t – about your product. It helps you improve your customer service and product offerings and gives customers a place to strengthen their relationship with your company. Creative use of testimonials also connects customers and builds advocacy. Consider asking loyal customers to share success stories with prospects who are close to purchase, or host a testimonial contest on social channels.
The user forums and testimonials mentioned above are excellent examples of brand co-ownership. In our digital and social media-driven world, customers love to interact with brands in quick and immediate ways. This relates just as strongly to B2B companies as B2C. Think outside the box to discover new ways your company can have authentic conversations with customers, involve them in design or creation contests, or perhaps include them in survey-based decision making. The possibilities are endless, but the goal is the same: be engaging with your customers, and advocates will emerge.
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