#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.
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.
A1: It’s important to foster advocacy so you can scale your biz by using customers who already love you & talk about it! #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A1 People buy from people nowadays, over companies. They’re investing in YOU, so take time to invest in THEM! #TwitterSmarter
— LUCYrk (@LUCYrk78) October 22, 2015
A1) Brand advocates can give you the marketing you always dreamed of – for relatively little monetary expenditure. #twittersmarter
— Jim Carter (@MSLJim) October 22, 2015
A1: Brand advocacy amplifies your voice to new audiences and allows you to stretch your community. #twittersmarter
— Jason Quach (@jasonctquach) October 22, 2015
A1 Your customers should be your biggest advocates. Word of mouth is the most powerful way to gain a credible reputation #TwitterSmarter
— Jade Phillips (@lifeofaworkgirl) October 22, 2015
A1: One reason is that your advocates are the ones your audiences believe in, not your brand #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/FH1gDPj6KK
— Micah-Sage Bolden (@SageBolden) October 22, 2015
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.
A2: Often brand advocates will help others troubleshoot or take time to teach or promote your product/service. #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A2: (Cont) Brand advocates always hold much more credibility as a 3rd party resource for potential/current customers! #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A2) Brand advocates know your product/service inside and out; they can inform them on the good/bad without bias. #twittersmarter
— Kyle Murray (@TheKyleMurray) October 22, 2015
A2 They help others by introducing each other to new things/products. They are a source for information when you need it #twittersmarter
— LUCYrk (@LUCYrk78) October 22, 2015
A2 Brand advocates answer questions & teach how to use solutions, reducing support costs, increasing loyalty & continued use #TwitterSmarter
— Gail Gardner (@GrowMap) October 22, 2015
A2: they offer genuine insights & tips potential consumers need to make purchasing decision. Brand side: posi endorsement! #TwitterSmarter
— PatchDesign (@PatchDesign) October 22, 2015
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.
A3: Must track this! Be diligent in tracking referrals & such & you will see positive impact on bottom line. #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A3 Huge! Advocates have their own following who want to be part of the cool crowd, #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/1oIUeXCkT8
— Terry Lo (@calgarydreamer) October 22, 2015
A3 At simplest level, advocates give brands more eyeballs. More people seeing your brand, more chances they bcome consumers #TwitterSmarter
— LUCYrk (@LUCYrk78) October 22, 2015
A3 I can imagine it’s some of the least expensive, most effective marketing for a company. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/ODoCMZ07dR
— Heather Mundt (@momfari) October 22, 2015
A3: brand advocates boost brand loyalty, brand awareness, and sales, cut cost-per-customer and provide your brand legitimacy #TwitterSmarter
— Micah-Sage Bolden (@SageBolden) October 22, 2015
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.
A4: Definitely depends on your community. @Sephora has done an incredible job of bringing loyal users onto own platform. #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A4: (Cont) But gauge how involved your community will be & stick w/ social initially for sure! #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A4 #TwitterSmarter If you have the budget and bandwidth, definitely create a secondary place for advocates to talk & meet.
— Sarah Eggers (@hidama) October 22, 2015
A4 #TwitterSMarter Inviting to a website always a good idea. Better to focus to find out the most passionate https://t.co/HFCqafuo2y
— Terry Lo (@calgarydreamer) October 22, 2015
@MadalynSklar A4) there needs to be a place aside from social media where people can find you a.k.a. A home base #TwitterSmarter
— Chris McManamy (@ChrisMcManamy) October 22, 2015
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.
A5: Advocates will give time-most important thing of all- to speak abt your biz. So important to show appreciation for this! #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A5: proactively provide a higher volume of detailed feedback valuable for improving product/service & #marketing #TwitterSmarter
— PatchDesign (@PatchDesign) October 22, 2015
A5: Brand advocates will be more likely to write blog posts and link back to you. #trust #twittersmarter https://t.co/niKuB4GzXV
— Wakefly (@wakefly) October 22, 2015
A5: When under fire, brand advocates doze the flames. They troubleshoot and solve issues on your behalf. #twittersmarter
— Jason Quach (@jasonctquach) October 22, 2015
A5) Customers give you $, advocates $ and their time, which is priceless! #TwitterSmarter
— David Boutin (@dmboutin) October 22, 2015
SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: It is not necessary to meet in person, but such meetings – when possible – always strengthen connections.
A6: I don’t think it’s necessary, but it def deepens the bond! I can reference many examples of this personally. #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A6: I don’t think you have to meet in person. It’s amazing what technology has done for us. #twittersmarter
— Madalyn Sklar (@MadalynSklar) October 22, 2015
A6) Depending on your business, not necessary, but always cool when you can. #twittersmarter
— Kim Shivler (@KimShivler) October 22, 2015
A6) Preferable but not NECESSARY. I have strong relationships strictly online. Tools like @blab are helping bridge the gap #TwitterSmarter
— David Boutin (@dmboutin) October 22, 2015
A6 I think it depends on your industry and what relationships you’re building/want to and are willing to build with commty #TwitterSmarter
— LUCYrk (@LUCYrk78) October 22, 2015
SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: Google Docs, Twitter lists, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck were among the more popular mentions.
A7: I’ve been spending a lot of time looking into community platforms like @Vanilla @Mightybell, even FB groups. #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A7: (Cont) Must have a place where advocates feel close & intimate w/ the brand. Wherever that may be! #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A7 I love @SproutSocial and using Twitter lists! Great way to keep track of your advocates #TwitterSmarter
— Jade Phillips (@lifeofaworkgirl) October 22, 2015
A7: So. many. google. sheets. I’m curious to find more options to track brand advocates (guest bloggers, etc.) #TwitterSmarter CC: @katbu
— Tara Clapper (@TaraMClapper) October 22, 2015
A7: Google Docs, Excel spreadsheets & @tweetdeck great for organizing advocates & keeping notes #TwitterSmarter
— PatchDesign (@PatchDesign) October 22, 2015
A7: For Twitter you can create twitter lists and monitor them with tools like Hootsuite & TweetDeck #TwitterSmarter
— Ms. Leslie W. (@mslesliewhite) October 22, 2015
A7 I use @Skype @Trello @Inkybee @Zoho (for collaborative docs) and recently testing @SlackHQ to keep track of everything #TwitterSmarter
— Gail Gardner (@GrowMap) October 22, 2015
SUMMARY OF RESPONSES: There were many great responses but Buffer, Hootsuite, Dove, Marvel and Yelp were mentioned multiple times.
A8: I admire the ambassador programs that Lululemon, Maker’s Mark and Yelp have built. Super loyal & active ppl! #twittersmarter
— Sarah Nagel (@sprout_sarah) October 22, 2015
A8: I’ve been a @hootsuite ambassador for one year. I think they do a great job with this. #Hootamb #TwitterSmarter
— Madalyn Sklar (@MadalynSklar) October 22, 2015
A8 I have to say @nike and @buffer are great at this! Such a sound community #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/tPHnvHRvFS
— Jade Phillips (@lifeofaworkgirl) October 22, 2015
.@Applebees is crushing it with promos like #BurgerSelfie #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/pKAQoOBGJL
— David Boutin (@dmboutin) October 22, 2015
A8 Right off the bat, @Yelp is probably the best I know. @Disney, @Marvel , @Starwars for sure too #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/XQt5RXxlNr
— Terry Lo (@calgarydreamer) October 22, 2015
A8: @Dove and @Marvel – brands that advocate for their fans/customers & stand behind the communities they’ve created. #TwitterSmarter
— Tara Clapper (@TaraMClapper) October 22, 2015
A8:Huge = @LAYS & @tacobell. They took brand advocacy to 11 w/ new menu items, products created by advocates. @MadalynSklar #twittersmarter
— jeff soto (@JS_insidepitch) October 22, 2015
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.
#TwitterSmarter chat stats via @spiderQube: 1009 tweets from 94 profiles, 1 million reach, 14 million impressions. pic.twitter.com/Sd59XgcwZU
— Madalyn Sklar (@MadalynSklar) October 23, 2015
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As 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!