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© 2016 by Barbara Thomas
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Contents
Foreword …………………………………………………………………….. ix
Preface ……………………………………………………………………….. xiv
Part I Principles and Benefits of Advocate Marketing ………………… 1
Chapter 1 What Is Advocate Marketing? ……………………………… 3
Chapter 2 Why Is Advocate Marketing Important? ………………… 13
Chapter 3 The Net Advocate Score: Building on the Net
Promoter Score® ……………………………………………… 25
Part II Case Studies and Best Practices: Words from
the Experts …………………………………………………………… 35
Chapter 4 Build an Advocate Recognition Engagement (ARE)
Program ……………………………………………………………. 37
Chapter 5 The Power of One Advocate …………………………….. 53
Chapter 6 Breaking Past the “Press Release” Goal ……………….. 61
Chapter 7 Overcoming Skepticism with Open Communications … 71
Chapter 8 Innovative Marketing Strategy Propels Intel to
Successful Global Product Launch ……………………….. 79
Chapter 9 Citrix Moves from Customer Content Factory
Model to Content Showroom …………………………….. 91
Chapter 10 The Influential Power of Customer References …….. 99
Chapter 11 Award Engagement Program Helps Win
Two-Million-Dollar Contract ……………………………….. 107
Chapter 12 Enthusiastic Advocates Help Businesses Drive
Measurable Marketing and Revenue Performance ….. 117
Chapter 13 The Paradox of “Do as I Say, Not as I Do” …………. 127
Chapter 14 Survey Says: Engage Your Advocates as Partners at
Every Opportunity ……………………………………………. 135
Chapter 15 Advocates Turning Rogue: The Importance of
Reputation Management ………………………………………… 143
Chapter 16 Best Practices for Creating a Project Management
Plan for an Advocate Recognition Engagement
(ARE) Program ……………………………………………… 155
Chapter 17 Best Practices in the B2B Customer Advocacy and
Reference Industry ……………………………………………… 165
Chapter 18 Best Practices for Measurability …………………….. 173
Chapter 19 Epilogue: What’s Next? Using What You
Have Learned……………………………………………………… 193
Interviewees’ Contact Information ………………………………. 199
Index …………………………………………………………………………. 201
Foreword
When I think of advocate marketing, I think of Peter Secor.
During my time as CEO of eBillingHub from 2006 to 2010, Peter
was one of our customers. To be perfectly honest, at the time I meta-
phorically referred to him as a “sneezor” (people who “sneeze” “infect”
lots of others they come into contact with-kind of like going viral
without the virus!). Between our company and him, we created a spe-
cial relationship that played out like this: If we (the company) deliv-
ered the goods, he (the customer) would “sneeze” on others in his
network. And man, did he have a network!
It turns out that we did deliver the goods. And true to his word,
Peter “infected” as many folks as he could.
With Peter providing references for other potential customers,
giving honest product feedback, having discussions with other peers,
speaking at events on our behalf, and much more, we grew from fewer
than 10 customers to over 130 in less than two years. Frankly, we had
struggled for several years beforehand. In short (and using less viru-
lent nomenclature), Peter was what my colleague and friend Barbara
Thomas would call an advocate. He became pivotal to our company’s
burgeoning success and helped us sell the company at a good profit
a few years down the road.
Barbara Thomas (BT, to those of us who have been lucky enough
to work closely with her) states early on in her book that advocates
are a company’s best sales reps, they proactively influence other people’s
purchase decisions, and they put their reputations on the line for their
favorite brands. In retrospect, that’s exactly what Peter Secor did for
us.
As I immersed myself in BT’s book, I thought not only about my own
business experiences, myself, having been a serial entrepreneur for the
last 30 years at over a dozen companies, but also what I share with
my students in my role as a business-to-business marketing professor at the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. Much has changed in the last 10+ years of my teaching there; as I plan for each course, I challenge myself (yet again) to take a bird’s-eye view of emerging trends. Of course we entrepreneurs/marketers have all seen a continual evolution in product innovation and development with the advent of lean and agile methods and processes. But perhaps the most profound, sustainable changes have come in the realm of marketing communications. In just a few short years, the marketplace really has revolutionized the entire art and science of what defines marketing communications in the B2B (business-to-business) world. And as difficult as it sometimes seems to keep up, I firmly believe there is a lot of good news in this change.
But what’s definitely most important of all has not, in fact, changed at all: great relationships with all of your stakeholders. As any one of my students will tell you:
Whether they are created in person, on the phone, online, or through the experience of your products/services themselves—marketing is ultimately all about beginning, nurturing, and developing relationships.
Of course we want to build strong, deep, long-lasting relationships with our customers, but how can we achieve that pinnacle in a predictable, efficient, systematized fashion? And better yet, how can we do that without our direct oversight, control, and intervention? And without devoting hours and hours of our increasingly precious time?
Enter the advocate.
Imagine what would happen to your business if you could turn a significant number of customers, stakeholders, friends, associates, colleagues, vendors, and (heck, why not?) even college professors into advocates? As BT expertly illustrates, advocacy is essentially the strongest form of any relationship, and as we engage in it, we
simultaneously create ultimate value for our customers and positively distinguish ourselves from our competitors.
You tell me—what’s not to like about that?
My definition of marketing is “reducing barriers to transactions.” My students discover over the semester that transactions are, in fact, a direct measure of the quantity and quality of our relationships. We build trust over time with our stakeholders, and seek to do so rapidly with our prospects in order to convert them into customers. But how do we leverage existing relationships so that we can be more efficient (read: more transactions in less time) in our marketing and sales activities?
By now, you probably already know the answer: Through promoting and rewarding advocacy, we make our customers and other stakeholders stomp and evangelize (and occasionally even defend) our business. As you will see in this book, advocacy not only reduces the barriers to transactions, it also virtually eliminates them. And I’ll repeat: it doesn’t chew up your time.
So, why don’t companies create advocates all the time? Well, some do. Mine certainly did, although perhaps more by accident than purpose. Mine I think many leaders get caught up in their company’s day-to-day måelstrom and don’t think about it at all. Some, unfortunately, won’t discover the value of advocacy until it’s too late. Still others may make an otherwise valiant attempt but simply won’t plan in enough detail to make advocacy a successful and sustainable endeavor—less “hit” and more “miss.”
Back to the book: For a few dollars and a few hours’ time well spent, BT’s carefully written manuscript should make an enormous difference in the future of your business endeavors.
With this book as your guide, you can begin today, right now. You can start transforming customers into advocates, reducing or eliminating barriers to transactions, and distancing your offerings and your company from competitors. Advocate Marketing will show you the
way, whether you are a 1-person start-up, a sophisticated 100-person operation, or a megacorporation. In short, you’ll find much in these pages that is thoughtful, relevant, useful, practical, and inherently actionable.
To sum up, in a self-referential or circular kind of way, I guess you could say that I’m an advocate for advocate marketing. Why? Because I’ve seen it work firsthand, and I’m beginning to believe that it may very well be the most effective tool in the marketing communication arsenal.
That’s why this book, Advocate Marketing: Strategies for Building Buzz, Leveraging Customer Satisfaction, and Creating Relationships, is so important and timely.
I know that if I had read this book in 2005 (were it available at the time), I could have sold my company for a much higher price. I would have had a lot more Peter Secors and, as a result, a whole lot more Ben Franklins!
Wishing the best to you, your endeavors, and your advocates-to-be.
Greg Coticchia
Pittsburgh
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank Tony Cornish for giving me the idea to write this book.
I greatly appreciate the assistance and reviews from Alvin Hayes and his support to get this project accomplished.
I’d like to express my sincere thanks to Susan Wilson, Ph.D., who edited and brainstormed with me in the pre-production versions of this book.
About the Author
Barbara Thomas is president of Creative Tactics and is recognized for helping large and small organizations with high-impact, award-winning programs. Known as BT to her associates, she offers the benefit of more than 25 years of experience with corporate and governmental institutions to engage their customers and turn them into advocates. Clients appreciate her clear, direct communication and insight into their business. As a Certified Direct Marketing and Certified eMarketing Professional, BT is the recent winner of the 2016 Killer Content award and has served on boards of national marketing organizations, speaks at marketing events, volunteers her time to mentoring, and provides pro bono marketing services to small independent business owners.
She and her husband live in North Potomac with their two dogs, one cat, and thousands of honeybees. BT is an award-winning beekeeper in the state of Maryland.
Preface
It is in the spirit of learning and teaching that I brought forth this work. As I drive to another meeting to serve as a mentor to protégés from local universities, I think back to those who have influenced me in my career over the years. I have learned so much from my influencers, which include family, friends, coworkers, peers, employers, and world leaders. I’m grateful and appreciative to all their advice, guidance, and inspiration.
Thanks to all the wonderful contributors who shared their knowledge and experience within these pages in our interviews together. You have taught me so much. And I have enjoyed meeting and learning from each one of you.
Now I would like to learn from you, my valued readers. Please share what advocate marketing strategies worked for you and what did not. I hope you will find value in these pages and will be open to trying or applying what you’ve learned to whatever you do.
Barbara Thomas, CDM, CeM
North Potomac, MD