The importance of brand advocacy in digital marketing

Since digital marketing (more so, social media) has taken the world by storm, and with the Covid-19 pandemic having forced people to isolate and communicate only digitally, word of mouth marketing has evolved. People now  rely on their friends, families, favourite celebrities, staff, influencers, etc., to stay informed through social or digital media especially  about products and services.  However, these days consumers don’t just fall for a post with an influencer holding up one of the products; they want brand loyalty. Consumers no longer just buy things but rather consider how they are made, the values the brands stand for, the person behind the brand, etc.

Here is a look at the importance of brand advocacy and its importance in digital marketing.

Staff/employee brand advocacy

Company culture is important. If your staff members are happy, you will have encouraged teams of people who are dedicated to giving your consumers the best service there is. A compliment from a staff member on the benefits they receive, their flexible schedule, or a delectable new ice cream flavour the business has introduced is an effective marketing strategy. Brands can no longer rely on print advertising in the current digital age.

Most people use social media, which is the most efficient means of communication, every day. When was the last time you checked your newsfeed, alerts, or messages? Was it just an hour or two ago? In the modern world, individuals frequently check their gadgets to make sure they don’t miss anything that could have an impact on them, so one strategy to increase brand advocacy in your staff is to add a business intranet. Here they will get to enjoy creative communication facilities, competitions, rewards and benefits while being in a professional space.

You can host a plethora of things on the intranet, from employee of the month awards to wishing people a happy birthday. Find out the things your staff members would like to happen in the workplace and implement some of them, then watch the magic of social media do the rest. Not only will people want to buy from you, but they will want to work with you too.

Consumer brand advocacy

One may argue that consumer brand advocacy and employee brand advocacy sit at 50% each because they work hand-in-hand. When people purchase or receive a service they are pleased with, they tell friends and family about it, which encourages those friends and families to buy the goods or services as well. Technology and phone usage are instruments for marketing. Sharing the link with friends or a group is so quick and simple if you visited a fantastic restaurant the previous week. After that, three of them eat at the restaurant and spread the link, and so on. This is the process of brand advocacy.

Influencer marketing functions in a similar way. Sharing an image of a product or the company’s logo on Instagram or Twitter might help spread the word about the business if you receive outstanding customer service. So, you want your consumers to not only come back but come back with more consumers.

The importance of brand advocacy

Brand advocacy is important for the following reasons:

• Keeps you ahead of the competition: Being the brand on everyone’s lips when people want a certain product, and becoming a household name puts you ahead of your competition. Many consumers are fans of brand loyalty and will hardly swap brands when they align with their values.
• Encourages consumer loyalty: When new consumers see your regular consumers enjoying being associated with your brand, they will want to join in too. It is like having free brand ambassadors.
• It builds trust between you and your consumers: When your consumers are loyal advocates of your brand, most of the time, it is because they trust you with the product or service, and then staying showcases how highly you take that trust.
• It boosts your content creation: You may not even need to post content daily because you will have loyal people who are posting for and about you and are keeping you on the screens of many.
• It promotes growth: Financially and otherwise. You will gain new target audiences and consumers, and grow.

How to Study your market

Because you want to create or become part of a brand that has staff and consumers advocating for it, you need to understand the ins and outs of marketing to those consumers, as well as relating to the staff. Consider taking on an online marketing course with one of South Africa’s prestige facilities, the University of Cape Town, and figure out how to grow your business and brand in the digital marketing world.  As mentioned earlier, that consumers now buy values and relatability, so you need to figure out how to market your products and services in a manner that will create loyalty, advocacy, and ambassadorship from staff and consumers.