How to Cultivate Long-Term Brand Advocates

The addition of brand advocates in your marketing strategy should be top of mind for most companies. Finding people and employees willing to sing your brand’s praises is the best way to get new customers and inspire brand loyalty with those you already have. While finding the right brand advocates may seem challenging, you’ll also need to consider how to keep them around long-term. Finding a long-term brand advocate should be the goal when starting a partnership, not only for the brand but also for the ambassador. While not all advocates will be around for the long haul with your business, why not put strategies in place to try to create these lasting relationships? 

4 tips to create lasting relationships with brand advocates 

With the following strategies, you can keep long-term brand advocates happy and engaged. 

Recruit the best advocates early on 

The best way to keep long-term brand advocates is to start on the right foot. Make sure you’re finding the right brand advocates off the bat. You can do this by turning loyal customers into advocates because they already love your brand. Make sure you’re interviewing your advocates to make sure they’re not only the best fit for your brand, but your brand and the requirements of the advocacy program are a fit for them. 

Create an impactful relationship 

One of the best ways to keep brand advocates around is by creating a relationship that makes them feel a part of something bigger. They’ve agreed to be an ambassador for your brand, so make sure you’re listening to their excitement about the brand and their critiques. Brand advocates want to feel like they’re helping the brand somehow, so truly considering their feedback is one way to keep your advocates long-term. Answer their questions and engage with them on social media and in your advocate hub. 

Offer exciting incentives 

It’s no surprise that the best brand advocacy programs are offering some sort of incentive. That could be monetary, free products, or updates on new and exciting ventures the brand has coming. Ensure your advocacy program incorporates some sort of incentive that will keep the ambassadors locked in for the long haul. Offer a wide variety of incentives rather than the same prizes or rewards. 

Use a brand advocacy platform 

Using a brand advocacy platform like Zuberance is another way to keep your advocates engaged and connected. Zuberance will help you keep your advocacy program organized and understand the metrics around your program. You can also re-engage advocates that have gone silent, identify new advocates and amplify their efforts.