Promoter Amplification
All of your customers are fans. That’s right, all of them. Their just not all fans of your business. Think about it, they love the Seattle Seahawks, or Taylor Swift, or Star Wars, or Candy Crush, or something. They buy tickets, download apps, stand in lines, and brag about how they knew about it first. Let’s face it, everyone is a fan of something thus you have opportunity for promoter amplification.
Now, some of your customers are also fans of your company. Dr. Fred Reichheld, author of “The Ultimate Question” and creator of the Net Promoter Score, calls these customers Promoters.
Word of Mouth
You may not realize that Promoters tell their girlfriends about your company over coffee, they recommend your products to friends on Facebook, and they suggest your services to neighbors at a bar-b-que. When you have helpful information, you want to share it with others. It makes everyone feel good.
As a business owner, you are creating great experiences for your customers every day and they actually want to tell others. Yes, they want to tell others. And their intention to share is highest when their good feelings about the experience are fresh. So, let’s help customers do that natural thing that makes them feel good and also helps grow your business.
Immediate feedback is critical
Before you can help your customers share their great experiences, you have to know that those experiences happened. Since you can’t interact personally with every customer, leverage a great CX solution that allows customers to share their thoughts right after it happens. Gartner Research found that feedback collected immediately is 40% more accurate than feedback collected 24 hours later. The customer has already moved on to other priorities and the details are lost. Regardless of whether it happens on your website, in your store, over the phone, or even in a plane, you need to hear from customers right after they interact with your brand.
Make sharing easy
When you hear from a customer, thank them. Thank-yous are a rare commodity these days. In a fast-paced world of transactional relationships between businesses and customers, a thank you goes a long way. It shows you care and you make an even stronger emotional connection with that customer.
Now, you can invite them to share their experience with others. Here are some great venues for sharing:
- Social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+
- Review sites: Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc.
- Your own website: posting customer experience testimonials is an important component of a holistic marketing strategy
Your company’s message is much more powerful coming from your most passionate customers than from you. That’s why Promoter Amplification and Promoters– the people who love your product, recommend you, and share their experience with others — are so valuable to your brand. Help your delighted customers share their experiences and your business will grow.
8 things you can do with your promoters right now
Now that we know how and why promoter amplification is important, let us look at eight exciting things you can do with your promoters.
1. Reach out to your promoters
It is always good to engage with your customers and stay connected. With so many digital avenues such as social media now available, it’s much easier to stay in touch with your promoters. If you are sending them messages, acknowledging their feedback, etc., make sure you personalize them. You may think it’s small, but your customers will appreciate it. Customers stay loyal to companies that appreciate their customers, care for them, and engage with their feedback.
2. Provide new ways to promote your organization
Positive word of mouth and referrals are, by far, the most effective tools for brand recognition and growth. Referral marketing is far effective than any sort of paid marketing. A recent survey suggests that consumers with a positive brand experience are 77% more likely to introduce your brand to their colleagues, family, and friends. Request your customers for testimonials and use them on your marketing collateral for authenticity and credibility. Your most satisfied and loyal consumers are your biggest advocates. If you come across positive comments about your brand’s products and service on social media or review websites, reach out to them for testimonials. They will be more than delighted to oblige.
3. Get feedback for new offerings
Promoters are the first ones to buy any new offerings from your brand. Since they are loyal to your brand, they understand the brand and its offerings. Using them to gather feedback for your products and services is always a great idea. This helps you build better offerings and makes your customers feel valued.
4. Give your promoters exclusive access
Many companies offer their most loyal customers an early preview and access to new offerings before a big-scale down-the-line public release. The benefits of this are two-pronged; firstly, your promoters are more than delighted to try your new product, and secondly, it gives you an idea of how your product will be received in the market. You also get the opportunity to fix any bugs in the product. Promoters who get their hands on the new product and are active on social media channels can generate a lot of interest and buzz in the market for you.
5. Seek reviews
Most of the customers will go to review sites to check product feedback, images, etc. before making a purchase decision. These review sites can be an excellent source for leads and business. Approaching your promoters for their reviews and posting them online will work wonders for your brand. Follow sites such as G2Crowd, Trustpilot, Yelp, or StackShare and try and get a good amount of reviews that prospective buyers can refer to.
6. Brainstorm with your promoters
Holding brainstorming sessions can bring up insights that you may not receive through one-on-ones with your customers. Round table discussions can spark discussions and sharing when many customers from diverse backgrounds come together. You could include the below points in your discussions:
– Prior products they used
– How can your product become more versatile
– What additional features can be added
You can always take pointers from these discussions and spin them into case studies, videos, testimonials, etc.
7. Create content with them
Even though your product has certain features, clients will always find new uses of features that you may now know of or thought of. How did your product help overcome a critical challenge? Do any of your customers have a compelling, unique story to tell? Collaborate with them to create case studies, what their challenges were, and how they were overcome. This instills trust in customers who are looking to buy a product and also lends your product credibility and authenticity.
8. Onboard them to your team
Promoters are great brand advocates, but what is often overlooked is that they are massive and expert users of your product. They know the product inside-out, its abilities, functionalities, and how to bring out the best performance. Hiring expert user promoters to your team has two key benefits:
– They are well-versed with the product and its intricacies. They can be excellent trainers for your teams and customers alike.
– They can relate to and empathize with customers making them excellent problem solvers.
Many organizations are guilty of focussing all their attention and efforts on detractors, fearing losing them to competitors. Your promoters are equally important, if not more. Use them to refine your customer initiatives and rope in new customers. See who your promoters are, sign up for a 10-day free trial of QuestionPro CX today.
Looking to deliver exceptional customer experience? Discover more about how to delight your customer at every touchpoint and turn them into brand advocates.
