Whether you operate a seasoned insurance agency or one that is just getting off the ground, understanding the importance of brand advocates can help you build your business.
What is a Brand Advocate?
A brand advocate is any individual who has been permitted to speak on behalf of your insurance agency without receiving any pay. Examples of brand advocates include clients who rate or review your products and services, as well as those who recommend your brand via social media, blogging or word-of-mouth.
How Do They Help?
Brand advocates can help build your insurance agency in a number of ways. Some of the ways in which brand advocates may help include:
- They draw attention to your agency. – Brand advocates offer free marketing services that can draw a significant amount of attention to your agency without any time or investment on your part.
- They recommend your agency to family, friends and other connections. – Brand advocates speak positively about your agency to their connections, which makes them more likely to become clients.
- They help you promote giveaways, new insurance products and other events. – If you are offering a promotion or new service, brand advocates will help you get the word out to your consumer base.
- Advocates can reach large numbers of people. – Each of your brand advocates may have hundreds or even thousands of social media connections, thus making a much larger audience aware of your brand’s offerings and merits.
Getting Started with Brand Advocates
In order to build a solid network of brand advocates, you must first identify your loyal clients. The easiest way to find loyal clients is through the use of consumer surveys. After you have identified the clients who are most likely to become brand advocates, you must entice them to do so. You can invite clients to speak for your brand via email, social media, mail or even in person. Your advocates will also need easy, accessible ways to promote your brand. For example, you may provide them with opportunities to review your products, share their experiences with your agency and/or share content published by your agency. Finally, in order to get the most out of brand advocacy, you should provide your loyal clients rewards for speaking on behalf of your agency. Some of the best rewards for brand advocates include:
- Exclusive offers
- Discounts for family or friends that come to the agency as a result of the advocate’s efforts
- Invitations to advocate-only events
- Public acknowledgment
Brand advocates can provide your independent insurance agency with significant advantages over the competition. Although it may take some time to build a loyal community of advocates, the results will be worth the effort.
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2013/06/14/unleashing-brand-advocates/, http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/9-reasons-your-company-should-use-brand-advocates-new-research/,http://www.zuberance.com/zuberrants/blog/top-ten-ways-reward-brand-advocates
