Not surprisingly, my colleague Steven Donaldson of Radiant Brands has some smart things about building the value of your brand. Your ultimate goal, of course, is “advocates and customers to fight for you and seek out your products.” Just as all those Apple fanatics do.
And here’s how you do that, according to Steve.
Find your most loyal advocates
Ask them to follow you on the social media and then make them feel special, as though they found you first and are, therefore, the smartest, most astute folks going. No, this is not cynical. They followed you, and you’re great, right? Per Steve, “Wrap this around their status or their ability to promote your products as a super connector, and they become the voice of your brand.”
Keep them Loyal
Don’t do anything stupid. Steve cites Netflix and its price doubling and company splitting as an example. Don’t breach your advocates trust and definitely don’t make them feel embarrassed for supporting you. If you need to make changes, as any company does, think them through, which is why you hire young, eager MBAs to run the numbers and construct the scenarios, and manage them (the changes and the MBAs) intelligently.
Reward them
Even the most doggedly loyal advocate sooner or later wants to know what’s in it for them. Let them know that you value their counsel and actually use it to extend your marketing efforts. And—this recommendation is from me—recognize them publicly, whether in a tweet or at your annual user conference.
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