Businesses and individuals, how will you know when you have won over your customers? When they are truly loyal?
It’s not when they buy from you.
It’s not even necessarily when they return to you.
It’s when they advocate for you.
Swedish band fans
Years ago I used the file-sharing service Napster.
We felt like we were riding the wave of the future: There were tons of tracks to explore. (Years later I realized it was actually tons of tracks to steal. But I digress.)
My father had been in Sweden doing work for Saab, and he brought back an album by the excellent band Kent. I wanted more and hopped onto Napster.
Suddenly I had an instant message inside of Napster: It was from a Swedish Kent fan. We had a short discussion about how good Kent is. He wanted to know which Kent albums I owned.
I replied that it was just the one.
His response: “Why?”
He literally followed up with me a few weeks later to see if I had bought anything else.
Ah, true fans. It’s like the scene in “Donnie Darko” where the dance team’s coach tearfully chides another mom: “Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion!”
Free advertising
There is a parallel in the public relations world: Why is press coverage better than advertising?
Advertising is paying people to talk about you. Press coverage is when they do it for free, because (for some reason) they want to.
Nowadays, press coverage could perhaps include social media influencers. But we are becoming savvy to it: We know that some of that coverage is good old-fashioned paid promotions. The influencers are shilling a product for a fee.
It’s more impressive when somebody sticks their neck out–risks a bit of their reputation–voicing support for your brand, expecting nothing in return. They do it because they choose to.
Some examples of that advocacy:
- Telling their friends about your product or service
- Wearing your logo on clothing or a bumper sticker
- Filling out a survey for you
- Posting an online review about you (or just talking about you on social media)
- Referring business to you.
Pleading your case
Notice this all could apply to a personal brand, too: A colleague could talk you up to others, post a LinkedIn recommendation for you, refer you to someone looking to hire, etc. Maybe you don’t have your own bumper sticker, but you could. …
“Advocate” comes from a Latin word meaning “to call,” as in to plead before a court. Only, in our usage, it is someone pleading before the court of public opinion.
By the way, fans of Donnie Darko have been pleading about its genius for years. Often mentioned: The film features one of the best uses of a rock song in a soundtrack–and it’s Tears for Fears. Not too shabby for a film about a teen who sees a man in a bunny suit through his mirror.
So also notice that I’m advocating right now! Donnie Darko, Kent, Napster (kind of) and Tears for Fears.
Start looking for where you see your customers advocating for you. It is worth a closer look to find out what you are doing that has your people seeing so much value they advocate. How could you bring more of that value?
If you need help processing your bright spots, let’s talk.