Forming Your Brand Advocate Army One Community Member at a Time

When looking at why things go viral on the Internet across social media channels, behind the scenes are social media influencers and brand advocates (whether they realize it or not) who feel compelled to share something that they like, that makes them laugh, that helps them and that inspires them.

It feels good for a company or business owner when they see people doing this, but it also begs the question, How do I convince people to become a social media influencer or a brand advocate?

Understanding Who They Are

Before you can engage them on the behalf of your company and your brand, you first need to understand who they are – brand advocates are product users not connected to the company but that believe in the products they are using while social media influencers are people that others online pay attention to because they have already proved that they are conduits and sources of good – and valuable – information. You want both of them!

That’s because they have the “street” credibility and the passion to change behaviors and win customers on your behalf. They write reviews and share their perspectives on products and services. If they rave about your product or service, it is worth its weight in gold.

They essentially have done the marketing for you without even touching your marketing budget and they most likely have been more convincing than any paid campaign you would have developed. They tend to be perceived as more genuine and authentic than the company they are writing about. Typically, consumers tend to believe other consumers over companies.

Recruiting Brand Advocates and Social Media Influencers

One of the best ways to get them on your side is to know where to look for them. Here are some good indications of people you want on your side:

They comment frequently on blog posts. Clearly, they are reading blogs and interested in what is going on. This interaction means that they could provide the same commentary for you.

They are active on Facebook pages and hover over the “like” widget quite frequently. This shows they are emotionally connected to social media and want to share their opinions with others, including actually sharing the content or participating in the community aspects found within social media. You want them to feel just as passionate about what you have to offer so they will tell others.

 They Tweet daily and reTweet often, showing their level of engagement and action in social media activities and information. You know that this could help you quickly spread messages and information you want more people to see and think about.

Now that you know where they are, it’s time to get them doing the same for you:

Provide information worth following and getting passionate about. Study your potential brand advocates to see what they respond to and what type of information they most often share or talk about. Make sure you follow this formula.

Start following those people that you feel will be interested in what you have to offer. Start a conversation with them and see if you can elicit their help in building your army of online brand advocates.

Be patient as it takes time to get the momentum going. You will need to put in the effort of creating meaningful conversations. There is no such thing as instant trust. Add relevant content and offer valuable information. Build it and they will eventually come but be sure to be consistent, authentic, and appreciative.