Smash Notes

The Science of Social Media

How to Turn Fans and Customers Into Brand Champions in 2019

A group of highly engaged fans can have a huge impact on your marketing efforts. Those fans are your brand champions and they're everywhere! One of the most powerful sources of authentic influence and brand advocacy is your very own customer and fan base. Yet many brands simply aren’t utilizing this untapped resource. We hope to change that today by…

Notes

  1. How Does Social Media Engagement Affect Marketing

    at 1:08

    Social media creates a snowball effect. When one person interacts with your post, it tells the algorithms that your content is valuable, immediately exposing it to more people. The snowball perpetuates.

  2. How Does Wendy's Use Fan Posts to Grow Its Audience?

    at 1:50

    Buffer's Science of Social Media points to Wendy's in 2018 as the pattern for turning customers into champions. Wendy's retweets posts from fans and adds an entertaining, personal caption. Each retweet puts the brand in front of more people, and those people talk back, the kind of reply newer Facebook and Instagram feeds reward. Find the fans rather than wait: search customers you already have and the posts you did not know existed, and at an event talk to people instead of watching from the side. The show names Social Rank as a free way to sort Twitter and Instagram followers by clout and by who actually replies.

  3. How Do You Turn Customers Into Brand Advocates

    at 2:32

    First, find potential influencers and advocates in your community. They won't always come to you, so look out for them instead. Become aware of how people are reacting to your brand and connect with the passionate ones.

  4. How Do You Connect With Social Media Influencers for Free?

    at 3:53

    Although you could use various automated tools, if you'd like to do all of this for free, just start a spreadsheet and keep track of your influencers and their contact information (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn ...etc). Then, simply reach out via a direct message!

  5. How and Why Do You Structure a Social Media Campaign for Your Brand

    at 6:28

    Social media campaign tends to last longer and have a larger potential than a simple social outreach. When recruiting fans, customers and strangers though, you have to think about a mutually beneficial relationship.

    Your brand ambassadors should get something valuable, in exchange for promoting your company. Don't be afraid to ask what they might want.

    The value you give them does not have to be monetary, but could instead be excuse access to features or events, or even just a public recognition of their value-add to your company.

  6. What Is Key to Remember When Working With a Brand Ambassador

    at 7:42

    Often times the best brand champions are not marketing experts, so the company has to provide them with support and clear directions on how to be the most helpful, and the impact their work would create. Make it as easy as possible for them to help you.

  7. How Do You Keep Brand Influencers Motivated

    at 8:23

    Create a community for the brand ambassadors, help them get your news first, and even start a newsletter with the most helpful links they could share and like. You can even use a leaderboard to promote healthy competition among your influencers!

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