Madalyn Sklar

‘Building a Community of Advocates’ with Sarah Nagel

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#TwitterSmarter Twitter chat with Sarah Nagel

#TWITTERSMARTER CHAT – Thursday October 22, 2015

By Anna Edwards

Traditional advertising does not hold the same weight that it used to in years gone by. According to Hubspot, 75% of consumers don’t accept advertisements as truth. Conversely, 71%  are more likely to purchase based on social media referrals. Smart brands are using this data to change the way they promote their products and services by placing more emphasis on brand advocacy.

In last Thursday’s chat, Sarah Nagel of Sprout Social stopped by to chat with us about the importance of brand advocacy and the role it plays in increasing a brand’s visibility and amplifying their marketing efforts. We looked at the benefits of advocacy, tools for monitoring the relationship with advocates, as well as ways of extending the relationship beyond social media.

Continue reading below for more details on the various questions and some of the more insightful and popular responses from the chat.

Be sure to join us every Thursday on Twitter at 1pm ET | 10am PT for awesome and actionable advice on how to  #TwitterSmarter.

1. Why is it important to foster brand advocacy among your customers and communities on social?

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: It is important to foster brand advocacy because advocates provide invaluable marketing and promotion. They are more believable to your existing and potential customers than traditional advertising. 

2. How do brand advocates benefit others in your community?

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: Brand advocates will introduce others in your community to your products or services. They will also provide any needed support or assistance as it relates to your products or services.

3. What impact do brand advocates have on the bottom line of your organization?

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: Because of the level of influence they hold and the important role they play, brand advocates have a very significant impact on the bottom line of an organization. They increase your reach, fill in gaps in customer support and champion your brand at every opportunity.

4. Is social media sufficient or should you invite your advocates into a separate forum or website?

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: It is useful to connect with advocates beyond social media (perhaps on a website/forum/members area) as long as social media is not neglected in the process.

5. What will brand advocates do for you that a regular customer won’t?

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: Brand advocates will always go the extra mile; much further than a customer will go. They will provide feedback, defend the brand, share and promote your message zealously. 

6. Is it necessary to meet in person to build strong relationships with customers?

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: It is not necessary to meet in person, but such meetings – when possible – always strengthen connections.

7. Which tools help with keeping track of your advocates?

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: Google Docs, Twitter lists, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck were among the more popular mentions.

8. Which brands are effectively creating a community of brand advocates?

SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: There were many great responses but Buffer, Hootsuite, Dove, Marvel and Yelp were mentioned multiple times.

Toward the end, there was talk of a #TwitterSmarter meetup. It’s early days yet, but the gang seems intrigued by the idea so we hope to get plans underway soon.

For more tips, advice and resources to help you master Twitter and grow your business be sure to follow @MadalynSklar and join us every Thursday on Twitter at 1pm ET | 10am PT for  #TwitterSmarter.

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Anna EdwardsAs a freelance copywriter, Anna eats, breathes and dreams up story-centric copy for her clients at www.focusonthestory.com. Otherwise she likes to spend time drooling over other people’s well-crafted sentences. She’s also passionate about forming connections, social media and branding. Say hi to her on Twitter!

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