Chester Clinic

Marykatescott.com

ARE YOU READY TO BE MORE THAN LIKED?
FIND YOUR BRAND ADVOCATES – THE TRUE MAVENS OF YOUR BRAND
By Mary Kate Scott
SO, YOU'VE HIRED A SOCIAL MEDIA
enough, that they want to be a "maven" and LIAISON. YOU HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE,
know all about your product. Brand YOU TWEET, AND MAYBE YOU'VE EVEN
advocate "mavens" want to both know and DONE A GROUPON. YOU ARE ALL OVER
PINTEREST AND ENGAGE WITH GOOGLE+.
YOU HAVE THOUSANDS OF FACEBOOK
You probably have brand advocates out "LIKES," BUT HAVE YOU REALLY EARNED
there, perhaps you don't know it. To find ANY MORE BUSINESS? ANYONE CAN CLICK
them, learn from them, and enable them to work even harder for your brand, you need A BUTTON, ESPECIALLY IF YOU OFFER
to know who they THEM A GIFT FOR THE CLICK. BUT HOW
DO YOU REALLY ENGAGE THOSE
are, how to reach First, learn from great
FACEBOOK FANS AND TWITTER
examples of successful,
need to be an even FOLLOWERS? HOW DO YOU TURN THOSE
established advocate
louder voice and INTERESTED FANS INTO YOUR BRAND
ADVOCATES, PEOPLE WHO REALLY VALUE
YOUR PRODUCT AND WOULD TELL THEIR
(Your casual fans are great too – more later on the potential FRIENDS ABOUT IT?
for fans to be customer advisory panels). A brand advocate isn't passive. She doesn't A brand advocate is engaged
with your product and loves it.
Facebook notificatio Loves it enough, in fact, to tell
people about it.
‘Like' and enter to win an iPad." She doesn't accept every company's friend invite so she can drive her numbers into the thousands. A brand advocate is engaged with your product and loves it. Loves it enough, in fact, to tell people about it—not just the public but friends or family. Loves it How can you get started with a brand
negative. Get a sense of what's important advocate program? First, learn from
or valuable to your fans, for your product great examples of successful, established and their lifestyle, what kinds of questions they're asking, wishes they seem to be Don't ever forget this is a programs.
expressing. Social media is a treasure trove of information for any business that wants relationship. These are friends. studies
to understand a customer base and their Treat them as friends below show
brand advocates. how brands have successfully engaged advocates and enabled their voice. Each Develop a survey to understand your
company took a different tack, ranging from fans (who might become potential
cultivating technical expertise to rewarding customer advisory panelists or advocates). passion to just spreading around some fun. Find out as much about what they think of Some of the efforts were more complex (and your brand and product (and perhaps expensive) than others, but all of the case studies can teach valuable lessons. products), what they use … Separate the fans from a
Who are your advocates and how can
potential customer advisory
you reach them? Once you've read the
panel and from this panel,
case studies, think about how you might find your smaller "maven"
identify your brand advocates. When you advocate group.
want to know what's new, you don't talk— you listen, right? So if you already have social media strategies in place, start there— think about your product and category, how surveying your existing Facebook fans (the they use products, what they like and what ones who clicked "Like") is a simple way to they would change is invaluable. Find out find people who are willing to champion about these fans: do they post online, create product reviews, rate products, recommend products (doesn't have to be yours). You are Get a sense of what's important or
seeking to find online talkers with large or valuable to your fans, for
bases of fans or followers. Find out which your product and their lifestyle,
fans read blogs, comment, forward, tweet what kinds of questions they're ever
and otherwise engage with others. asking, wishes they seem to be
this is a Ask them to become part of a
customer advisory panel. From these
responses, separate the fans from a These are friends. Treat them as friends. potential customer advisory panel and from this panel, find your smaller "maven" Before you initiate contact, listen.
advocate group. Listen a little more to Follow posts on Facebook, tweets on these special fans (you're getting the hang of Twitter, blogs and comments, product this relationship thing now .) Customer reviews, shopping sites and so forth, taking Advisory Panels can advise you on products, note of who's posting the most and what packaging, competitors, pricing and more. they're saying. Read it all, positive and These panels will talk to you, but they

usually don't talk (as much) to others, as (Customer advisory panels will try a your "maven" brand advocates. These sample, but usually don't share samples. panels are interested in your product, and Ask each group. Do your research on this; it can provide you with thoughtful advice, but don't necessarily aspire to be a "maven" From this customer advisory
with special information. panel, separate out those who
From this panel, find your brand
are information seekers and
advocate "mavens" who want to
sharers. This is your "maven"
advise you and share with others.
advocate group
From this customer advisory panel, separate out those who are information better product testers as you don't want too seekers and sharers. This is your "maven" much sharing about early ideas. Mavens are advocate group and will likely be 5-10% of better with new information. your advisory panel. Understand what is valuable to these "mavens", what do they How can you make it easy for them to talk believe, and what do they want to know. about it? Part II to this article. Remember they usually value "being in the know", being the first to know about a new Don't ever forget this is a relationship. product, first to see or critique a new These are friends. Treat them as friends. campaign. They love to share, and usually Appreciate them. (Two words, lots of work, want to give away samples to friends? and worth all the effort).

CASE STUDIES
Step 3 – generate content. Over 200 videos were recorded, thousands of text- Prevacid (Novartis)
testimonials were received, and Novartis selected multiple candidates for use in marketing webisodes, advertorials in print publications such as Southern Living, and more. Prevacid®24HR is now the #2 branded OTC heartburn treatment (source: IRI Actual Change in Dollar Sales VYA for 11/15/09-6/20/10). Step 4 – find the advocate "mavens" who will continue to talk about Prevacid. From the consumer advisory panel, they generate content to use in marketing developed insights into who might be a campaigns; create word of mouth among maven by looking at the content they potential users by tapping into potential generated for Novartis, their interest in the brand advocates. brand, the online reach through friends, and their propensity to engage online (across many topics/products). Step 1 – find potential consumer panelists. Novartis had to source and identify Step 5 – understand these "mavens" and clinically appropriate, influential frequent find out how the Prevacid team can help heartburn sufferers to participate in other them continue to generate content and PR, marketing, and consumer insight engage their audiences. initiatives. They needed to find and cultivate this appropriate panel to try out and document their experiences and Redwood Creek Wines hopefully to evolve into brand advocates Consumer Advocacy Program
who could be used in product marketing. Novartis used online techniques to recruit potential advocates. Over 10,000 heartburn sufferers applied to be a part of the panel—2,000 were approved and 800 people became the advisory panel. consumers to explore Step 2 – activate the panelists. Activated panelists spent an average of four hours on the Prevacid®24HR Panel over their two- week trial period including creating video diaries of their trial experiences and brand's positioning—the love of the great heartburn-related lifestyle conversations outdoors—while educating them about the with other panelists. brand and about the wine. Consumer advisory panels were provided with

samples, information, the option to for food is an art. Barilla invested in advocates exclusive Q&A sessions with winemakers, by providing them with "Test Kitchen" and creating avenues for this panel to share packages containing product samples and content. From this panel, the team information about Barilla. These identified the active advocates and created consumers were provided flip phones, and specific programs to meet their needs. The were encouraged to create dishes, host platform has become an "anchor" of dinner parties, and upload video or photos Redwood Creek's overall marketing mix, of their dishes for other members to connecting on and offline marketing, PR, comment on, rate, and share. These consumer insights, and direct consumer advocates were also encouraged to rate and marketing. share recipes and events created by other advocates. Feedback on consumers' pasta consumption habits, market research, and La Cense Beef -
brand perception as also collected. The Grass-fed Party Advocate
Cingular - Cingular TrendForce
La Cense Beef wanted to conjunction with agency, created and environmentally conscious consumers about their 100% grass-fed beef products and ranching methods. The Grass-fed Party social platform started by reaching advocate/consumer influential foodie bloggers, then expanded panel program that brought together to smaller upcoming blogs by informing and passionate consumers in a private, educating them about industry trends, members-only online social environment. sustainable ranching, and the latest news on TrendForce engaged, connected with, and the grass-fed "moo-vement". The team rewarded participants for learning about then reached out to consumers, created Cingular's products and services, creating advisory panels and selected and cultivated content, sharing information with peers, brand advocates. and providing Cingular with opinions, feedback, and valuable market research. Barilla Pasta
Gillette - TAG™
Body Spray
sought to strengthen Gillette wanted to reach and engage as well as reinforce their tradition and belief students on their that the making—and the enjoyment—of terms, encouraging them to promote the individuals spread the word about the TAG brand within their social circles. In program and brand, and ways to tell the partnership with Gillette's youth marketing company about bars and restaurants they agency, Affinitive launched a brand find who haven't quite gotten the Maker's ambassador program to bring the TAG brand into the lives of fraternities and sororities with a specific focus on consumer- generated media (CGM). The program Fiskateers (Fiskars)
included product sampling, parties, user-generated content (photos, videos and text), fraternity outreach, social networking, and research. Scrapbookers know Fiskars, the maker of fine scissors among other things. This company, with their great product and an Maker's Mark Brand Ambassadors
interesting history, tapped into an This program is all incredibly passionate community to build about the passion. engagement. Instead of pushing the product, Fiskars focused on the people, legendary brand in created a program for these advocates, and encouraged scrapbooking and crafting. The bourbon. Passion for company recruited a few of the most vocal fans to start a group blog, and launched an crafting a classic. ambassador program (called them Passion for enjoying it all one sip at a time. Fiskateers) with taglines such as "Born to Maker's Mark created and heavily invested in a substantial brand advocacy program Among other things, the "Fiskateer" several years ago. It's now the subject of ambassadors had opportunities to attend countless word of mouth marketing case exclusive meetup-style events and got studies, and deservedly so. invited into a private online community The Maker's Mark Ambassadors program where they could connect with others who gives members access to "The Embassy," a shared their passion for scrapbooking and private online community loaded with Fiskars shears. This was also a way for the everything from personalized business cards company to hear directly from their most to hand out in bars to a picture of your committed customers, creating a two way name engraved on an actual barrel of the dialogue that is the hallmark of smart fine product—which you can visit in person ambassador programs that led to product if you like. VIP tasting events, special offers, development, and marketing campaigns. great swag, exclusive gift shop products, Full credit to the crew at Brains on Fire for direct contact with Bill who runs the making this idea a reality. program (a real guy by the way). Ambassadors are also armed with fun tools to help move product as well – among other things, the business cards, which help Most Valuable Professional
MVPs, who have to earn their award each (Microsoft)
year, show off the program logo on their blogs, profiles, and even resumes and business cards. Thousands of them make the annual trek to Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, WA for the weeklong MVP Summit, a massive mix of celebration, recognition, connection making, education, Microsoft MVPs like to let people know they and feedback directly with the company's are experts and share their expertise with executives and product teams. Probably the others. Given how technical many of most structured program on this list, Microsoft's products are, there is a lot to be Microsoft MVP is also likely the oldest. shared. Originally launched as part of Microsoft support teams, as a way to recognize, reward, and support the users who were most active on question and answer forums. This program evolved over the years into a marquee brand for these ambassadors and drove product ABOUT MARY KATE
Mary Kate Scott is the Principal of Scott & Company, a management consulting firm that creates strategies and executes projects for healthcare organizations. She can be reached at mks@MaryKateScott. com

Source: http://www.marykatescott.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Brand-advocate-11-2012.pdf