It’s about that time! The holiday season is upon us! If you’re looking for the perfect gift for your marketing team (and cash bonuses are out of the question) consider getting them the 2nd most requested thing on their list: customer advocacy software!
“But UserEvidence,” we heard you say, “why should I burden my marketing team with yet another software tool?”
On the contrary, our dear marketer, customer advocacy software is more lifesaver than time vampire. Consider the following nightmares:
- Spending too much time trying to find and chase down customers willing to share their story for public-facing content
- Spending even more time and money creating content for different industries, use-cases, personas, etc. but can only produce a few pieces per quarter
- Racking your brain over how to source positive reviews for 3rd party sites like G2 & Capterra
Any of these sound familiar? Good customer advocacy software should be the relief cream to your pain points — helping you not only find your loyal fans but also giving them the megaphone to gush about you. Here’s a deep dive into how customer advocacy software can work for you.
What is customer advocacy software?
First, a quick recap. Customer advocacy is about putting the customer experience top of mind. Since your goal is to drive long-term loyalty and repeat purchases, understanding your customers’ needs and desires should take precedence in your marketing strategy.
This may all sound obvious, but when only 12% of people believe a company that claims, “We put the customer first”, it’s a topic worth repeating.
On the other hand, customer advocacy software (CAS) is what you’ll want to use to empower your customers to promote your messaging, content, or product via word-of-mouth — whether it’s through sending referrals, writing reviews, or participating in surveys.
Some primary functions of CAS include collecting reviews and testimonials, sharing news with advocates, and keeping tabs on how they interact with your business. Using customer advocacy software will help you harness the good words of your current fanbase to extend your reach within your market (essentially giving you bragging rights).
In other words, having the means to show customers singing your praises is the secret weapon you’ll need to edge out the competition in the battle for customer attention.
Why customer advocacy software works
Better word-of-mouth
Sadly, it isn’t enough to convince your customers with brand messaging alone that what you offer is the greatest thing since online grocery delivery — word of mouth will do that for you. In fact, it still reigns supreme over other sources for product recommendations, with 93% of people trusting friends and family for brand information. There’s even research that shows word-of-mouth being more effective than paid ads, resulting in five times more sales.
More user-generated content (UGC) and social proof
With the popularity of UGC content like unboxing videos, review articles and first-impression posts showing no signs of slowing down, you’ll want to highlight the positive experiences of your customers to encourage others to create UGC to share on their social feeds. This not only generates more social proof that instills confidence in your customers, but also has more than double the chance of being seen when compared to content created by the business.
More engagement and loyalty
The more positive experiences your customers have with your brand, the more likely they are to stick with you. As a result, you’ll garner advocates who are willing and capable of explaining the buying process and product’s effectiveness to prospects — meaning your bottom line and ROI can only go up.
Having customer advocacy software also does wonders for cutting down on churn, as showcasing happy customers who feel invested helps to influence engagement and increase conversions.
What to look for in customer advocacy software
Customer advocacy software comes in all shapes and sizes. From referral marketing software to customer loyalty software, if it helps you manage and communicate with your advocates, it can generally be considered CAS. So what should you look for when shopping for one? Here are 4 things to consider:
Meet the Loyalists giving you repeat support
- Types of advocates: Does this software align with more than just a couple of your goals? For example, you may fancy a CAS that’s great for identifying advocates who raised their hand to take sales reference calls, record video testimonials, refer a colleague, and more. But does it also help your marketing team stay organized with a platform that allows you to find your library of testimonials and reviews in seconds? Or help your team save time on creating visual aids by auto-generating your findings into graphs and other data visuals?
- Pricing: How much does the CAS cost and how much value are you getting?
- Free trial or demo available: Is there a free trial offer, free plan, or demo period for you to try out the software before pulling the trigger?
- Review score: What do existing users of the CAS have to say about it? Checking out what people rate it on top review sites like G2 and Capterra will give you insights as to how well-received the software is.
➡️ Discover a proactive and easy way to garner and identify volunteers willing to share their success stories—check out UserEvidence’s latest Customer Advocates feature.
Final thoughts
People who advocate for you are always eager to share their stories about their experiences using your product or service. A customer advocacy software simply helps amplify their voice to the many prospects who hope to hear real-life anecdotes.
If your holiday wish is a CAS that’ll help produce long-term customer loyalty, repeat purchases, and time-saving content for you and the team (but you expect coal in your stocking) why not get in contact with us?
Get a competitive edge by nailing your customer advocacy game plan this holiday season with UserEvidence. Book your demo today.
