It’s plain as day on social media: There are brands that have customers who are avid fans.
These customers create free marketing, essentially–they post, engage with their own communities organically to spread the message and positivity of the brand they adore.
Then there are the brands who don’t have the avid fanbase. Their customers are passive. They consume, but do not engage and definitely don’t promote the brand itself.
So how do you create the fanbase?
How do you get to be a brand with customers who not only appreciate your product or service, but promote it?
Here are seven real-life Customer Success experts who know the secret to turning customers into brand advocates.
Jeff Yeger | VP of Customer Success at PeerSpot
I think the easiest way to get people to advocate for you is to advocate for them first. Or in other words – earn it.
In most interactions with a customer you’re working to help your specific point of contact achieve a goal they care about.
You need to take the time to understand their day to day and to dive into the KPIs they’re judged on. At that point you can go back to your team and be their advocate – what can our product(s) do to help? What teams internally do I need to get on board? What other customers are in similar situations and already achieve similar goals?
If they see you fought for them and made their goals your goals the obvious next step is to reciprocate.
Mikael Blaisdell | Executive Director of The Customer Success Association and The Customer Success Forum
Turning a customer into an advocate for your company starts by making them highly successful by their own standards, and then by helping them to brag about their success far and wide. The goal is to create legends that are told and retold, and the best kind are tied directly to money. “They helped us to double our profits in just the first quarter!” To start the process, ask careful questions about increased productivity, and then help them connect the dots to profitability.
Yes, it can be difficult to make the connection to real dollars and sense. But it must be done, both to ensure the continuation of the relationship as well as to encourage the generation and spread of valuable legends.
Or Guz | Senior Director of Global Customer Success and Operations at PerimeterX
Instead of focusing on creating advocates, companies should focus on delivering customers’ desired outcomes. Business outcomes-centric organizations will naturally convert customers into loyal advocates.
Tanya Strauss | Senior Director of Customer Success at Recurly
The way to turn customers into raving fans is to deliver value. Customers don’t purchase software just to login. They are looking for value, delivered against the promise of what they purchased. Show them that value and you’ll have brand advocates for life.
Leandro Demari | Senior Manager of Global Services Product Management at HP
Customer Success is about delivering your customers’ definition of Success, ensuring everyone understands it since early sales stage engagement, plus CSMs consistently demonstrating value since day one will increase the odds of customers becoming your brand advocate.
Alex Kaufman | Senior Account Manager at Amazon 
The most important thing to do with any client is to earn their confidence and ensure they see you as their trusted advisor. Once you’ve done so, and proven that you are committed to their success via transparency and consistency, you can turn the conversation to advocacy. There’s no way you can convert a client to a brand advocate without a solid foundation.
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