Definition: Advocacy Marketing is a form of marketing that emphasizes getting existing customers to talk about the company and its products. More than 80% of shoppers research online before buying, and having people publicly advocating for the product gives these researchers something to find and study.

82 Responses to How To Build A Community of Brand Advocates. Most referral marketing programs don’t work because companies haven’t laid the groundwork for meaningful customer relationships. Before you can ask customers for referrals (which is kind of a big deal), you’ll need to consistently engage them, and turn them into brand. National Alliance on Mental Illness (New York City chapter) is part of the nation’s largest nonprofit, grassroots mental health education, advocacy and support organization. NAMI uses Engage to execute its advocacy campaigns. More importantly, advocates were featured everywhere throughout the event—in sessions, keynotes, branding, awards ceremonies and a special book about their advocacy program given to every attendee. This helped grow program membership while showing customers and advocates alike all the ways they could support the Oktane event.

Why advocacy marketing is so effective

In a 2015 report by Nielsen, a global information and research organization, it was found that 83% of consumers placed the most trust in the recommendations of friends and family. Furthermore, 66% trusted the opinions of consumers they found online.

Examples Of Brand Positioning Statements

Advocacy works because, as the above studies illustrate, people are more likely to trust their peers than direct advertising. When someone asks a friend about their experiences with a particular product or company, the feedback can be significantly more impactful than any marketing campaign could hope to attain.

Advocacy marketing is also one of the most affordable methods of acquiring new customers because it leverages previous investments in products and customer service. Happy customers tend to talk about products without being prompted to do so, which can lead to new customers at no additional cost.

Examples Of Brand Repositioning

How to position your business to attract advocates

These simple strategies can help any company encourage advocacy (and improve their business at the same time).

• Be Consistent: The company should strive to be as consistent as possible in all of its dealings. Customer support should answer questions within a set period of time. Products should be shipped within a certain number of days. The website should be available as much as possible. When customers know they can rely on a company to do things in a certain way, they're more likely to advocate for it—customers don't want to suggest things they believe other people won't like.
• Offer An Outstanding Experience: Customers make purchases and expect to get a certain degree of value from that purchase—and they ultimately judge companies by how well the product they get matches their expectations. By making them feel like they received more than they paid for, it's possible to create a better experience for the customer—and satisfied customers are inherently more likely to advocate for the company in the future.
• Build a Brand Narrative: Customers rarely advocate for companies they've forgotten. A strong brand narrative can help the customer remember who the company is and how it helped them—and making customers a part of the narrative encourages them to show loyalty to the brand.

Advocacy advertising is a powerful method of delivering emotionally charged messaging. The advertising style is designed to introduce ideas and to address issues as a means of swaying public opinion. Non-profits and political campaigns utilize these ads with regularity. Private businesses also will utilize advocacy advertising when the message is relevant for their customer base. Ultimately, advocacy advertising is about delivering a message more than it is about selling a product or service.

Political Campaigns

Political ads inundate the radio, television and streaming networks leading into every election cycle. The ads fall into the advocacy category, because they deliver politically charged messaging intended to influence public opinion. Interest groups also use advocacy messaging to sway opinion toward the candidate they support. Typically, unions and special interest groups drive advocacy messaging.

Patagonia Sues the President

The Patagonia company produces outdoor clothing and soft goods. They are members of 1-percent for the planet and invest corporate dollars into advocacy advertising. The company has donated their total black Friday sales to conservation causes and even went so far as to sue President Trump over his decision to rescind national monuments. Although these decisions are motivated by advocacy, they also align with the customer base's core values and increase brand loyalty.

Non-Profit Fundraising

Advocacy Report Examples

Non-profit organizations raise funds with advocacy messaging. Animal shelters, cancer research and charitable causes all use this form of advertising to drive revenue for their causes. Televised phone drives and fundraising specific ads are not difficult to locate in everyday life. Networks often donate additional air time to these causes. Additionally, corporate interests will partner with non-profits to assist and sponsor advocacy campaigns. These joint efforts have positive brand associations and they increase reach through combined ad dollars.

About the Author

Types Of Advocacy Examples

Zach Lazzari is a freelance writer and manages marketing initiatives for multiple small businesses. His business experience ranges from startups to corporate with a focus on digital advertising, content marketing, sales lead generation and audience acquisitions. He built a custom email lead gen campaign that catapulted a startup to 7-figure sales within one year. Zach studied anthropology at Western State College of Colorado and is always learning and studying new ways to drive business.

Examples Of Advocacy Organizations