Brand advocates are not your average customer, and they are a crucial part of your success. Learn how they contribute to your growth and how adding social features can turn users into loyal fans.
According to Social Media Examiner, brand advocates are “any customer who has been officially commissioned to speak on behalf of your brand without compensation.”
They are not just any customers; they are the ones who engage with your brand on a deeper level and believe in the value of your products. They follow your company’s journey and promote you to their network through social media, word of mouth, and online reviews.
So do you need brand advocates? Yes, you do — and here are the reasons why:
- Brand advocates drive revenue growth
Brand advocates have strong faith in you and your products, and they’re always the first ones who get excited to try your new offers, ensuring continuous profit for your brand.
Studies show that a 5% increase in customer retention produces more than a 25% increase in profit. The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70% compared to 5-20% to a new customer. It’s because loyal customers will never forget your brand and the products they love – you always stay on top of their minds.
- They also bring new users
With so many claims from ads today, we’re not even sure if we can trust brands anymore. Growing skeptical towards brand messaging, we rely instead on our peers for authentic reviews.
Brand advocates love to talk about you, and by creating user-generated content (UGC), they also influence other people positively, increase your reach and help you attract new users. In a survey, 79% of people said UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions, and another 61% of customers reported that UGC encourages them to engage with brands.
- And help enhance your product, too
Another benefit of having brand advocates is their willingness to get involved in the product development process.
Because they are emotionally attached to your brand, and they have adopted your product for the value it provides them, brand advocates also want to help improve it. Their insights give you clear visibility over the user experience and provide you with an in-depth understanding of your users’ want, miss, or expect to be more satisfied.
Use social features to build brand advocates
To achieve this level of loyalty, you need to focus your attention on engaging your users. An engaged user is a satisfied customer, one that finds value in interacting with your product. Here are ways in-app social features can help turn casual users to brand advocates.
- Create engagement by implementing social features, such as in-app messaging and videos in your platform.
Having them on your app can strengthen in-app engagement, facilitate discussions between brands and users, and leverage UGC. They can additionally drive new monetization opportunities and enhance your app's functionality.
- Authentic UGC from your brand advocates reduces skepticism, distrust, and suspicion from new users, which is why having fans who are loyal to you is a massive win for your brand.
Social features such as feeds and groups can help you do that by promoting in-app community engagement through discussions and reviews. They allow users to express their thoughts and opinions and share their experiences with your product directly from your platform.
- Adding social features such as live chat to your app can help bridge the communication gap with your users. Use this to receive feedback, address questions, and answer queries instantly.
In a survey, 41% of customers prefer live chat and believe this is the most efficient for brands to address their concerns. Implementing live chat contributes to an interactive and positive experience to delight your users. It offers ultimate customer satisfaction, boosting trust and reliability as users know that they can count on you to help them achieve a better customer experience.
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When you think of your ideal customer, think of brand advocates. Through their unwavering loyalty and support, brand advocates can drive your revenue growth, contribute to enhancing your product, and raise awareness to bring your product to success. And with the right social features on your app, you can transform any customer into a loyal brand advocate that you can always rely on.