OFF-MUTE ๐
๐ซ When you have a great product or service, the real PR magic happens.
๐ช People start rooting for you.
๐ฌ Advocacy is a powerful communications tool that drives awareness, builds pipeline and influences revenue.
๐ Customer storytelling, for example, is one of the most effective ways to validate a companyโs vision and technology. It can be leveraged to explain how features and functions work, inspire cross-platform adoption, and even deepen customer relationships.
๐ ๏ธ But a successful customer advocacy program takes time and effort to build. Hereโs what our EVP and Pacific Northwest General Manager Kate Riley recommends:
๐ Identify the right customers. Are there specific audiences youโre trying to reach? Access to credible and knowledgeable spokespeople who can talk about results and direct outcomes is key.
๐ฌ Communicate how it benefits them. Reinforce how working together can (and will) help both of your brands boost awareness and credibility in the space. Just be sure to get sign off from the customer and their PR or legal team to be named publicly.
๐ฏ Keep it low pressure. These are your paying customers after all. We recommend keeping the ask casual. And if the company isnโt up for participating in a media interview, perhaps they would be interested in speaking during a LinkedIn Live event or sharing their experience as a written case study for the website instead.
๐ Show (and tell) different use cases. Find ways to spotlight how the product or service is being adopted across priority verticals. Keep questions like these in mind:
- How long have you been using the product/service?
- What problem(s) were you facing/what was the need that caused you to look for a solution like this?
- After implementing the solution, what were some noticeable improvements?
- Can you share specific metrics on how it reduced costs, downtime and/or improved efficiency for your business?
๐๏ธ Choose the moment. Can a customer support an upcoming launch or extend momentum after a recent one?