Employee Advocacy
Published: January 14, 2025
If you're finding it hard to cut through the noise and build genuine brand trust in today’s crowded marketplace, you’re not alone. Traditional marketing tactics often fall short, leaving you searching for ways to truly connect with your audience. That’s where brand advocacy comes in.
Brand advocacy leverages the authentic voices of those who already love your brand — your customers, employees, and industry partners. These advocates naturally share their positive experiences, amplifying your brand’s credibility and reach.
For B2B tech companies, this approach can be transformative, driving deeper relationships and sustainable growth.
In this guide, we’ll explore how brand advocacy can solve your marketing challenges and help you build lasting connections with your audience.
Brand advocacy is when people who genuinely love your brand — customers, employees, or partners — promote it within their networks without being paid. This organic support is more credible than traditional marketing.
Unlike influencer marketing, where individuals are compensated to promote products, brand advocacy is driven by genuine enthusiasm. Advocates share their positive experiences because they truly believe in your brand’s value.
A brand advocate acts as a trusted voice, sharing testimonials, reviews, and referrals that resonate more deeply with audiences. Their authentic endorsement builds trust, drives engagement, and contributes to sustainable growth, making brand advocacy a powerful tool in your marketing strategy.
There are four types of brand advocacy. Here’s how each one can help strengthen your branding efforts:
Loyal customers who truly believe in your brand often become advocates, promoting it through word-of-mouth, writing glowing reviews, and sharing their experiences on social media. Their genuine enthusiasm helps attract new customers who trust their recommendations.
Source: Minami Creamer
Employees can be some of your most influential advocates. By sharing company updates, insights, and content within their networks, they help amplify your brand’s message. This trend is growing as companies realize the powerful impact employee-driven advocacy has on brand visibility and trust.
Source: Eduardo De La Cruz
Influencers, when genuinely aligned with your brand, can act as powerful advocates. Their endorsement feels more authentic and helps you connect with specific, engaged audiences who value their opinions.
Source: Okta
Business partners and industry leaders can advocate for your brand through endorsements, collaborations, and thought leadership. Their support adds credibility and can open doors to new opportunities and markets.
Source: Allison Macey-Miller
Simply having a great product or service isn’t enough — people need to know about it, believe in it, and in the best case scenario, market it on their own. And, you need to foster genuine connections to do that. In other words, you need brand advocacy because it:
Builds Trust and Credibility: Advocacy from customers, employees, or industry experts carries significant weight because it’s authentic. People trust recommendations from those they know and respect.
Drives Organic Brand Awareness: Advocates naturally spread the word about your brand within their networks, increasing your reach without the need for paid promotion. In fact, 91% of B2B marketers state that they use social media channels to distribute their content organically because they know where the news travels the fastest.
Enhances Customer Loyalty: When people feel connected to your brand, they’re more likely to stay loyal. Advocacy strengthens these connections, leading to repeat business and long-term customer relationships.
Is Cost Effective: Compared to traditional advertising, brand advocacy is more cost effective. It relies on organic promotion rather than paid campaigns, providing high-impact results without a hefty price tag.
When you tap into the power of brand advocates, you unlock a range of impactful benefits that can transform how your audience perceives and interacts with your brand.
Some benefits include:
Increased Brand Awareness: Advocates naturally expand your brand’s reach by sharing it within their networks, helping you connect with a broader audience.
Higher Engagement and Conversions: Brand advocacy leads to higher engagement rates as people are more likely to interact with content shared by trusted sources, often resulting in increased conversions.
Authentic Content Creation: Advocates generate genuine content — reviews, testimonials, social posts — that resonates more deeply with potential customers than traditional marketing.
Positive Brand Perception: When others vouch for your brand, it boosts your reputation, making your brand more trustworthy and attractive to potential customers.
Improved Employee Engagement and Morale: When employees are engaged as advocates, they feel more connected to the company, leading to higher morale and a stronger sense of purpose. According to statistics, that can lead to 23% higher profits than the industry average.
Customer Loyalty and Retention: Advocacy fosters deeper relationships, encouraging repeat business and long-term customer loyalty.
To build an effective brand advocacy program, follow these eight steps:
Begin by pinpointing what you want to achieve with your advocacy program. Are you aiming to enhance brand visibility, drive more traffic to your website, or increase sales? Setting specific, measurable goals will help you tailor your program to meet your needs and evaluate its success effectively.
Look for potential advocates within your current customer base and employee pool. For customers, analyze engagement metrics and feedback to identify enthusiastic users. For employees, seek out those who are already passionate about the brand and have a strong social media presence. Engage these individuals with personalized outreach to invite them to become brand advocates.
Create a structured rewards system to motivate and recognize your advocates. This might include tiered rewards based on the level of activity, such as exclusive product access, special discounts, or public acknowledgment. Tailor incentives to what will resonate most with your advocates to keep them engaged.
Design an onboarding process that is straightforward and engaging. Provide clear instructions on how advocates can participate, including content guidelines and best practices. Offer an initial orientation that helps them understand their role and how they can make the most impact.
Continuously support your advocates with training and resources. This might include webinars, updated content materials, and best practice guides. Regularly update them on new products, promotions, or company news to keep their advocacy relevant and informed.
Establish a feedback loop where advocates can share their experiences and suggestions. This can be done through surveys, one-on-one check-ins, or a dedicated online forum. Use their insights to refine the program and address any issues they might encounter.
Utilize social media advocacy platforms to streamline the sharing process. These tools allow you to distribute pre-approved content, track engagement metrics, and measure the impact of your advocates’ efforts. Make it easy for advocates to share content and interact with their networks.
Implement dedicated employee advocacy software that enables employees to share brand content easily. Look for platforms that provide analytics to track engagement and measure the success of employee-driven promotions. Make sure the tool integrates well with your existing systems and workflows, as well.
If you want all of these things practically packed in just one solution, try GaggleAMP and revolutionize your brand advocacy game.
To measure the success of your brand advocacy efforts, focus on these key performance indicators:
Use analytics tools to measure the frequency and quality of interactions with content shared by your advocates. Track metrics like likes, shares, comments, and clicks to gauge how effectively your advocates’ posts are driving audience engagement. For deeper insights, analyze engagement patterns across different platforms and identify which types of content generate the most interaction.
Employ social listening tools to monitor the volume and context of brand mentions across social media and online forums. Pay attention to sentiment analysis to understand whether these mentions are positive, neutral, or negative. This helps you assess how well your advocacy program is influencing public perception and identify any emerging trends or issues.
Implement tracking systems to measure how many referrals and conversions are generated through advocate activities. Use UTM parameters and unique referral links to trace traffic back to specific advocates. Analyze conversion rates to determine the effectiveness of advocacy in turning referrals into actual sales or sign-ups.
Track key metrics related to employee-driven content, such as the number of posts, average engagement per post, and website traffic generated. Evaluate key business achievements (KBAs) like improvements in employee engagement scores, increases in internal morale, and the overall contribution of employee advocacy to brand goals. This will help you understand the broader impact and effectiveness of your employee advocacy program.
Pro Tip: When choosing an employee advocacy platform, make sure it’s able to give you the necessary metrics in detail. For example, GaggleAMP offers you not only reporting, but guides on metrics such as:
Ready to see successful brand advocacy programs in action? Here are three examples to inspire you:
The Dropbox Champion Program is a prime example of how B2B companies can successfully engage and reward their most loyal users. Dropbox Champions are customers who use the platform in innovative ways, provide valuable feedback, and promote Dropbox through various engagements like reference calls and speaking opportunities.
In exchange for their advocacy, Champions earn points that can be redeemed for exclusive rewards, such as VIP experiences, product discounts, and access to new features before launch. This program not only builds a tight-knit community but also allows advocates to grow their personal brand while shaping Dropbox’s product roadmap.
Another great example of brand advocacy is Mailchimp & Co, a community designed specifically for agencies and freelancers. By helping their clients grow with Mailchimp, members can expand their own businesses, earning commission and gaining access to exclusive tools and training.
The program fosters strong advocacy through insider perks like early feature access, priority support, and co-marketing materials. As members advance, they can achieve official partner status, boosting their visibility through the Experts Directory. Mailchimp & Co also encourages collaboration within the community, allowing members to share resources and leads, making it a powerful tool for driving client success and brand advocacy.
This third example is from Uptempo, a marketing planning software, designed for marketing thought leaders who are passionate about influencing global marketing operations. This program offers a platform for advocates to share their insights, connect with industry peers, and enhance their personal brand. Participants can grow their company’s visibility and credibility while being recognized for their exceptional achievements with awards.
The program provides flexibility, allowing advocates to engage in activities of their choice without long-term commitments. Uptempo also incentivizes referrals with travel vouchers, further aligning personal interests with brand advocacy efforts. This approach effectively amplifies both individual and company success.
While brand advocacy offers numerous benefits, it also comes with its own set of challenges that can impact its effectiveness. Addressing these issues proactively is key to maintaining a successful advocacy program. The top challenges in brand advocacy are:
One of the biggest challenges in brand advocacy is ensuring that the endorsements remain genuine and credible. Authenticity is crucial — if your advocates’ support feels forced or insincere, it can backfire. To maintain trust, carefully select advocates who genuinely believe in your brand and encourage them to share their honest experiences.
Avoid over-managing or scripting their content, as this can erode authenticity. Regularly engage with your advocates to understand their perspectives and ensure their voices remain true to their personal experiences.
Incentives can motivate advocates, but they must be balanced to avoid compromising their credibility. Overly generous rewards or aggressive compensation can make advocacy appear less genuine and more transactional. Design reward programs that align with the advocate’s natural enthusiasm for your brand rather than creating a purely monetary exchange.
Consider non-monetary incentives like exclusive access to new products, recognition, or career development opportunities. Ensure that incentives enhance rather than overshadow the authenticity of the advocacy.
Handling negative advocacy or backlash is a delicate task. Negative feedback from advocates can arise for various reasons, including dissatisfaction with your products or services. Establish a proactive approach to address issues before they escalate. Monitor advocacy channels for any signs of dissatisfaction and be prepared to respond constructively and transparently.
You can also develop a crisis management plan that includes guidelines for addressing negative comments and feedback. Engage directly with the concerned advocates to resolve their issues and mitigate any potential damage to your brand’s reputation.
To enhance your brand advocacy effectively, be sure to:
Building a culture that naturally encourages advocacy starts with creating an environment where employees and customers feel genuinely connected to your brand.
Begin by aligning your company’s values and mission with everyday practices. Encourage open communication, celebrate successes, and recognize employees and customers who exemplify your brand’s values. Create opportunities for employees to contribute to decision-making and provide feedback, which can increase their sense of ownership and loyalty.
For customers, build community through events, forums, or social media groups where they can share their experiences and feel valued. By nurturing a supportive and inclusive culture, you turn employees and customers into passionate advocates who naturally want to promote your brand.
Maintaining strong relationships with your advocates requires consistent and meaningful engagement. Regularly update them on company news, product developments, and upcoming events to keep them informed and involved. Establish communication channels, such as newsletters or dedicated advocate portals, to share relevant updates and provide exclusive insights.
Another good idea is to create opportunities for advocates to interact with your brand beyond their advocacy activities, such as through special events, webinars, or networking opportunities. Show appreciation for their efforts through personalized messages or shout-outs. Engaging with advocates in a genuine and timely manner helps sustain their enthusiasm and keeps them motivated to continue supporting your brand.
To empower your advocates, provide them with high-quality, shareable content that they can easily use to promote your brand. Develop a content library with a variety of assets, such as blog posts, infographics, videos, and social media graphics, tailored to different platforms and audiences. Ensure that this content is visually appealing, informative, and aligned with your brand’s messaging.
It is important that you make it easy for advocates to access and share this content by providing ready-to-use social media posts, pre-approved hashtags, and sharing guidelines. Regularly refresh the content to keep it relevant and engaging. By equipping your advocates with valuable and easy-to-share materials, you enhance their ability to promote your brand effectively and authentically.
Integrating brand advocacy into your marketing strategy is not just a trend but a powerful way to build trust, drive engagement, and enhance brand visibility. Start by implementing a small-scale advocacy program and scale your efforts as you see results. Remember, employee advocacy, in particular, can be a game-changer, leveraging your team’s enthusiasm to amplify your brand’s reach.
Ready to transform your advocacy efforts? Explore GaggleAMP to streamline and elevate your brand advocacy program and unlock its full potential. Your next big leap in brand growth starts here. Start your trial today.
Employee Advocacy
Employee Advocacy
Employee Advocacy
