YDAS

When it comes to being a star your fans can make or break you.  So if you want to be perceived as the star in your product category you had better recognize and reward all those fans who spread the good word about your company on a regular basis.   And once again it comes back full circle to the same point I am contstant driving home… you need to move monologues to interactive dialogues.  And the only way is going to happen is through listening, engaging, inspiring and influencing your fans the way the way they are doing so for you.

Brand Advocacy Reward Loyalty Programs

Conceptually it’s no different than traditional media.  Identify those consumers are are responsible for the greatest revenue contribution and reward them so they continue.   But because we are talking digital what does change is the strategic and tactical approach you take.

I was reading an iMedia Connections blog post the other day that stated the following “just 1 percent of a brand’s fan base on Facebook and Twitter drives 20 percent of traffic to its website — and these influencers can directly influence 30 percent or more of your sales just by recommending your products or services to their wider social network.”  Re-read that statement and absorb the enormity of it because it is huge.  Mark my words… you might not think so today but very soon failure to not have taken the time to find, recognize and reward this group is going to prove to be detrimental to your business.

So how do you engage them?  That too is no different in concept from traditional media from the perspective that it is an unknown and will vary by company, segment, etc. and the best way to figure out exactly what works for your top percent of advocates is going to be through the test, measure, learn and refine approach.  But no doubt, because it is digital, it will be something based on giveaways, sweepstakes, discounts, special promotions, etc.