Make your customers your brand ambassadors
CRM tip: The act of buying increasingly depends on the customer reviews associated with a product. When it comes to promotion, brands have a new lever to activate: prescriptions.
A new form of promotion
Advertising outdated
Today, advertising has an effect on only 14% of French people. The impact of traditional advertising is plummeting. Consumers are no longer receptive to it. A feeling of distrust? The message may seem exaggerated, disguising the truth or in bad faith... And then they're fed up with the hype. Consumer expectations have changed. So brands need to adapt.
The growing importance of reviews
On the other hand, the interesting figure is that 90% of consumers say they give credence to the testimonials of their peers. So Mr Dupont's opinion about a particular brand has far more impact than any advert. Reviews have become key in the conversion tunnel. Brands have every interest in encouraging their customers to testify, in order to acquire new ones.
Your action levers
Brands are now systematically providing a space for customer reviews. On e-commerce sites, product sheets are accompanied by reviews. A good start, but how can you give your customers an even greater say?
Social networks
Social networks are a powerful way of disseminating content. Internet users can relay your content by sharing it themselves. To intensify this viral distribution, season your community management actions with a pinch of targeted webmarketing: competitions, private sales, promotions, etc. These are all opportunities to identify your influencers on the web: those likely to promote your brand.
Sponsorship
Setting up a referral system is an excellent way of activating word-of-mouth. The idea is to encourage your customers to talk about your brand. A gaming-type system can be used to award points as a reward for actions taken. In this way, your referrers gradually reach levels corresponding to a gift, a shopping voucher, etc. The referred person can also benefit from a welcome offer. This is known as a referral kitty.
Your ambassadors
The sponsorship system establishes an almost contractual relationship between the brand, the sponsor and the sponsored person. The brand sets objectives and must keep its promise if they are achieved. For their part, the sponsor has certain obligations to fulfil towards the sponsored child if they are to benefit from the promised advantages. The aim of this type of scheme is to recruit brand ambassadors. Unlike sponsorship, ambassador programmes are not based on a reward mechanism. The ambassador's role is more to do with recommendation, which is in this sense freer and more spontaneous.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Your brand needs to make the most of the opportunities offered by the various web marketing levers. The challenge is twofold.
It's about
- Acquiring new customers. Sponsors and ambassadors bring new customers or prospects to you.
- Building loyalty among your existing customers. By offering them a sponsorship system, you are inviting them to go further together. In a way, they become partners in your development, and you'll thank them for it.
As a brand, how do you go about it?
Your company needs to deploy a 360° marketing strategy. To do this, a CRM software solution like Spread Family is just the thing. Their white paper provides an overview of best practice. Here are a few snippets.
Building a strong image
Recruiting influencers means building a community around your products. To achieve this, you need to create attraction around your brand. It has to be based on a whole:
- your products, their quality and their functions ;
- but also your values, those that the brand conveys.
By signing up, your influencers are embracing a complete environment. And it is for this whole that they become involved and endorse your brand.
Make people want to buy
Offer real gifts, not just postage costs. It's all about playing up the exceptional and emotional nature of your offer. Try to please your influencers with targeted rewards. This could be a discount, a voucher or a gift chosen either from your catalogue or as an add-on. Like Commepiedsnus.com, a sports footwear retailer, which offers special socks, for example.
Unite your community
Setting up an intelligent sponsorship system means understanding your customers: their expectations, their typology. It is on this basis that you will be able to offer them attractive rewards. To avoid customer fatigue, remember to keep renewing. It's vital to keep your network alive and kicking. Time-limited offers are also a good way of encouraging the most undecided. The windfall effect is a powerful lever.
Video demonstration of how to turn your customers into ambassadors
Traditional advertising levers are obsolete. The best way to promote yourself now is to develop your network of influence. Your customers are your best allies. Involve them in promoting your brand to acquire and retain customers.
Article translated from French