Customer advocacy is the set of actions and behaviors of customers who publicly support and promote a company, brand, product, or service. These customers go beyond simply being satisfied with their experience and actively share their positive experiences and recommend the company to others.
Why is customer advocacy important?
Customer advocacy can be seen as the ultimate goal of customer satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty efforts. When customers become advocates, they become a powerful marketing force for the company, as their recommendations and positive reviews can influence the purchasing decisions of other potential customers. Some may even go the extra mile to actively promote the company's products or services on their own volition.
How can businesses encourage customer advocacy?
Customer satisfaction is the crux of customer advocacy. However, there are several ways to encourage customers to become advocates, such as:
Providing incentives or rewards for advocacy behaviors
Customer advocacy can also be measured through metrics such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Effort Score (CES), which measure how likely customers are to recommend a company or how easy it is for them to do business with the company. By tracking these metrics and implementing strategies to improve them, companies can build a stronger base of customer advocates and drive business growth.