Inspire brand advocacy to elevate your marketing strategy

Future conscious brands must stop relying solely on traditional advertising. Brands with a community first approach to their marketing are already harnessing the power of customers, employees, and influencers to build a stronger, more authentic presence.

A study published by Nielsen revealed that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over traditional ads. The growing preference for a more honest and meaningful review has established brand advocacy as a key driver in customer acquisition and loyalty.

Why brand advocacy is a must to scale your business

Building a brand that inspires willing advocacy from customers, employees, and influencers has huge benefits, such as:

• Increased Credibility: Word-of-mouth and authentic recommendations from trusted sources elevate a brand’s reputation and credibility
• Organic Reach: Advocacy taps into existing networks, allowing for organic growth without relying on paid media
• Enhanced Customer Retention: Brands with strong advocates enjoy higher retention rates as loyal customers feel personally connected to the brand

It’s easy to see why advocacy has grown in significance. The honest, transparent and personal recommendations shared by authentic supporters are particularly impactful within the beauty industry.

Consumers want to witness real-life transformations, and are invested in the visual journey of a brand advocate, particularly when it comes to product promotion.

Examples of brands who have mastered this shift towards advocacy include L’Oréal and Estée Lauder. Their focus on building a deep connection to their audience has created opportunities to use their advocates’ content to amplify their reach.

Top brand advocacy examples

To understand how advocacy is being championed by the biggest of global brands, we need to understand the practical application of connection, recommendation, and loyalty within a marketing strategy.

Customer-Driven Brand Advocacy

The heart of every marketing campaign and content strategy is the people who use the product or need the solution. Brands that can successfully convert satisfied customers into passionate advocates will see the most success.

A great example is Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign. By encouraging users to share the photos taken with their own iPhones, Apple not only collected user-generated content, but also showcased its customers’ creativity. They used the results of this campaign to build a community of advocates who were eager to promote the brand through their own personal experiences, and to their own audience.

For beauty brands, customer-driven advocacy plays an even more important role. Glossier, for example, created a strategy that revolves entirely around the importance of creating a strong online community.

Customers are encouraged and inspired to share their own experiences and product recommendations, and it’s this authentic, peer-to-peer promotion that has allowed Glossier to build a loyal following. Over time, their community has had a significant impact on the brand’s growth.

Employee Advocacy in Action

When employees willingly become advocates, their passion and insider knowledge can amplify brand visibility. LinkedIn offers a great example of employee advocacy.

The company encourages its employees to share their experiences and company content on social media. Leveraging such a connection has created a more authentic connection between the brand and its audience.

For beauty brands, an employee who truly believes in their products will serve as a powerful brand ambassador. L’Oréal has effectively made use of employee advocacy, encouraging their team to share beauty tips and product recommendations. These insights build, for the consumer, a more human brand, fostering that deep and meaningful connection.

Social Media Advocacy

Social media platforms, particularly Instagram and TikTok, have become vital tools for building a more authentic brand voice. Beauty influencers and content creators are renowned as some of the most influential advocates for brands today.

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna’s celebration of diversity on social media has helped it to build a loyal global following.

In fact, what’s interesting about Fenty’s success is its ability to use social media as an advocacy tool. It gives its users a platform to share their product experiences, creating an organic feedback loop that continues to enhance brand trust and visibility.

Instagram’s visually-driven nature, combined with influencer partnerships, makes it a perfect platform for brands like Fenty to generate excitement, build engagement and nurture a community.

How to build a brand advocacy programme

Creating a successful brand advocacy programme requires a strategic, thoughtful approach. Here are some key steps that your brand needs to consider:

1. Identify Key Advocates: Start by identifying customers, employees, or influencers who already have a strong connection to your brand.

2. Encourage and Incentivise Sharing: Offer incentives such as discounts, exclusive content, or early access to products in exchange for advocacy.

3. Provide Tools for Advocates: Equip your advocates with the tools they need to share your brand’s message, such as branded content or shareable media.

4. Measure and Optimise: Use tools like social media analytics and advocacy software to track the effectiveness of your advocacy programme and make necessary adjustments.

At Odore, we recognise the importance of building a successful brand advocacy programme. When you can combine genuine promotion with effective management of content partnerships, you can build more consistent and impactful marketing campaigns throughout the year.

Take your brand to the next level with advocacy

Brand advocacy is more than just a trendy buzzword, it’s a powerful part of a successful marketing strategy, with the potential to elevate your brand to new heights.

When you make customer testimonials part of your content strategy, and you encourage employee engagement, or social media influence, advocates are able to create an authentic and organic connection to your brand, which in turn drives credibility, loyalty, and growth.

As a CMO or marketing professional, you already understand the value of authentic connections with your audience. Now, it’s time to take that to the next level by actively embracing brand advocacy, and empowering your loyal customers, employees, and influencers to amplify your message.