Want To Launch An Advocacy Program? Here Are 3 Hurdles You’ll Have To Overcome

You know those things you’re *supposed* to do that are good for you…like…flossing daily?

Well, (gross) confession time: I rarely never used to floss.

I thought it was a scheme dentists had with the flossing industry!

For years, dentists told me that it would come back to haunt me—in the form of gum disease and/or cavities.

Well, after about 25 years, they were right: I got two cavities within 1.5 years in my mid-twenties.

Since then, I’ve flossed daily without fail. And I’ve been cavity-free ever since.

What flossing used to be to me is what post-sale customer engagement and advocacy is to marketers: something they should do…but (often) don’t.

Why? Because they’re too busy eating sugary snacks and not brushing their tee—sorry, I meant too busy focusing on acquisition strategies—to spend more time inspiring and leveraging customer advocates.

But this is one decision that will come back to haunt you as a marketer. (Even more than wearing suspenders that match your tie.^^^)

Advocacy programs: a key competency for marketers

In 2016, research from analyst firm IDC said that advocate marketing was one of the five key competencies needed “for successful modern marketing execution.”

In fact, 87% of B2B vendors surveyed believe that advocate marketing is “either very or extremely important to their overall company’s success.” (Learn more about the ROI of advocacy programs in the report. The Coles Notes version: higher retention rates and more WOM from customers via referrals, reviews, references, case studies, testimonials, etc.)

In spite of this, IDC found that 90% of B2B tech vendors in 2016 did not have advocate marketing programs or staff in place.

When asked why, respondents said that three things were holding them back from successfully launching an advocacy program:

1. A lack of customer availability or interest
2. A lack of internal alignment
3. A lack of employee bandwidth

We’ve turned to our community of advocate marketing experts—who’ve launched and run advocacy programs successfully for years—to learn how they overcame (and continue to overcome) these common obstacles.

Author: Jillian Wood, Influitive
This article was originally posted by Influitive. To view the original, click here.