Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Brand Advocacy As A Digital Conversion Tool To Capture More Sales Faster
Ever wander into a neighborhood watering hole and it becomes obvious that there are two groups of people congregating. There are the “regulars” and the “newbies”. The regulars all know each other. They know the bartender. They know all the inside jokes and act as if the bar is their living room. The newbies quietly order a beverage and sit in the seats that have the worst view of the TV staring at their phones and trying to blend into the furniture.
If the bartender is a good one and cares about growing the business, they will try to convert as many newbies as
possible to regulars. How? Maybe a drink on the house is the answer. Perhaps the bartender needs to spend some time chit-chatting with the newbie about where they are from, and what they do. I think that the bartender can do anything and everything but none of it will convert a newbie to a regular. Even if they come back another time they are still a newbie.
I am here to argue that regulars are the best to convert a newbie to a regular. Only a regular can make a newbie understand the unwritten rules of the joint. Only a regular can convey why this is the best neighborhood joint to meet people and to have a good time. Only a regular can make that newbie feel comfortable enough with the experience that they want to come back in time and time again.
Innovative brands get this. They need their regulars to be advocates and CONVERT traffic for the brand. There are five ways that your regulars can be a conversion optimization tool for all that new web traffic you are driving to your site.
Testimonials and Reviews: People trust other people’s opinions. What is still amazing to me is how much people use perfect strangers’ opinions in their customer journey and decision-making process. Just think about the last time you bought a TV. You did your research, read all the formal expert reviews, and then went to a website to start shopping. On that site, you more than likely ranked the search outcome by “average
customer review” or how many stars were given. You only want 4-5 stars. You then will read the reviews. Bill in Oregon had a bad experience. “Well, forget that one even though all the experts said it was what I was looking for in a TV.” Reviews and testimonials carry enormous weight in the purchase decision even if the sales cycle is a long one. You need to activate a plan.
Capture reviews and testimonials from current customers – give them a reason to fill out and give you that feedback quickly after purchase. Make it unbelievably easy for a customer to give you that feedback.
Broadcast reviews and testimonials – how will you make this a prominent part of the customer digital journey both on your website and on other channels like TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Promote reviews – how and where can you be promoting the amazing reviews you are receiving? Are they included in your emails? Are they prominent in your newsletters? Are you using them in account-based marketing so that you are sending the reviews by people that had the same problem to your prospect?
Brand advocacy and Influencers - Brand advocates need to be authentic, love the brand enough to teach and explain to others like them the secret to why it is so good, and then truly convert a newbie to a regular. I met with a very cool brand of men’s shaving cream called Billy Jealousy. They get this theory that only other people in the target market being so passionate about the brand are willing to open up the “secret” of how awesome the product is and can convert newbies. They can give away free products but until they see that this is a lifestyle that others are living, and they want to be a part of it, they still will not be a regular customer.
So, who is passionate enough about that your brand that they are willing to let some newbie join the crew and become a regular? How do you make that newbie to your brand feel so unbelievable “at home” that they want everyone to know their name?
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