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 outmoded
Today, advertising has an effect on only 14% of French consumers. The impact of traditional advertising is plummeting. Consumers are no longer receptive to it. A feeling of distrust? The message may seem exaggerated, camouflaging the truth or in bad faith... And then they're fed up with the hype. Consumer expectations have evolved. 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 advertisement. 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
This is why brands now systematically include a space for customer reviews. On e-commerce sites, product data 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 lever for distributing content. Internet users can relay your content by sharing it in turn. To intensify this viral dissemination, season your community management actions with a pinch of targeted webmarketing: competitions, private sales, promotions... 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 to activate 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 progressively reach levels corresponding to a gift, a voucher, etc. The sponsored person can also benefit from a welcome offer. This is known as a referral kitty.
Your ambassadors
The sponsorship system creates an almost contractual relationship between the brand, the sponsor and the sponsored child. The brand sets objectives and must keep its promise if they are achieved. The sponsor, on the other hand, has certain obligations towards the sponsored child if he or she is to benefit from the promised advantages. The aim of this type of scheme is to recruit brand ambassadors. Unlike sponsorship, ambassador programs are not based on a reward mechanism. The ambassador's role is more to do with recommendation, and in this sense is freer and more spontaneous.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Your brand needs to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the various webmarketing levers. The challenge is twofold.
It's about :
- Acquiring new customers. Sponsors and ambassadors bring in new customers and prospects.
- Retain 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. A CRM software solution like Spread Family is just the thing. Their white paper provides an overview of best practices. We'd like to share a few snippets with you.
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 functions ;
- but also your brand values.
When your prescribers buy into your brand, they are embracing a complete environment. And it's for this whole that they become involved and endorse your brand.
Generate desire
Offer real gifts, not just shipping costs. It's all about making your offer exceptional and emotional. Look for ways to please your influencers, in the form of targeted rewards. This can take the form of a discount, a voucher or a gift chosen either from your catalog or as a complement to it. Like Commepiedsnus.com, a sports shoe 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's on this basis that you'll be able to offer them attractive rewards. To avoid customer fatigue, remember to renew your program. It's essential to keep your network alive. Time-limited offers are also a good way of encouraging the most indecisive. The windfall effect is a powerful lever.
Video demonstration of how to turn customers into ambassadors
Traditional advertising levers are obsolete. The best way to promote yourself today is to develop your network of influence. Your customers are your best allies. Involve them in promoting your brand, to both acquire and retain customers.
Article translated from French