Customer Advocacy Strategy

It’s Time For a Customer Strategy
Transforming Advocacy from Marketing Tactic
to Competitive Advantage
Key results from the 2015 Study on Customer Advocacy and Engagement
By The Center for Customer Engagement and SiriusDecisions

What We Learned: The Good News
2015 Study on Customer Advocacy and
Engagement

More Than 200 Companies Participated in 2015 Study
• Company sizes (by annual revenue in US $)
• 33 percent less than $100 million
• 23 percent more than $5 billion
• 21 percent between $101 million and $500 million
• 17 percent between $1.1 billion and $5 billion
• 5 percent had between $501 million and $1 billion
• Customer types (i.e., who respondents sell to)
• 69 percent enterprise (more than 1,000 employees)
• 23 percent midmarket (101 to 1,000 employees)
• 8 percent small (100 or fewer employees)
• Sales models
• 69 percent sell mainly via a direct sales force
• 12 percent via inside sales
• 12 percent via third-party channels
© 2015 Center for Customer Engagement and SiriusDecisions All Right Reserved

Good News: Expanded Responsibilities in 2015 vs. 2013
85 percent said “advocacy” now includes
not just traditional references but also
other customer marketing efforts
(e.g., events, advisory boards, content,
communities, others)
+ Up 26 percent from 2013

Good News: Better Use of Direct Advocacy Sources
Source: SiriusDecisions 2015 Customer Advocacy and Engagement Study

Good News: Taking Advantage of Technology Support
53 percent said they plan to invest in
technology in the next 12 months
Some of what’s in use today:
• 60%: Salesforce automation/CRM
• 44%: Customer reference platform
• 37%: Marketing automation platform
• 32%: Online community platform

Good News: Planned Technology Investment Spans Wider Range
Where 2015 investment is planned:
• 54%: Customer reference platform
• 25%: Advocate marketing/gamification
platforms
• 21%: Online community platform
• 21%: Marketing automation platform
• 14%: Customer survey platform
• Plus a range of other technologies and
services

What We Learned: Opportunity Remains
2015 Study on Customer Advocacy and
Engagement

Opportunity: Sales Help Remains Mostly Voluntary
65 percent said sales
help with advocate
sourcing is voluntary
Just 7 percent said
sales must submit a
certain number of
references and are
measured on this
(same as 2013)

Opportunity: Time To Find, Nurture Your Best Advocates
Just 35 percent of
b-to-b companies
have a formal
process to identify
and recruit top
customer advocates

Opportunity: Advocacy Easier Said Than Supported
83 percent said references are “critical”
or “valuable” to sales cycle…
…But majority still allocate
less than 10 percent of marketing
program dollars to customer advocacy
and engagement
--No change from 2013

Opportunity: Your Sales Pipeline Could Have a Silent Killer

Reality: Customer Evidence Is Critical In All Buying Stages
Source: SiriusDecisions 2013 persona study of C-level buyers
89 percent of CXOs say their perception of a
vendor’s brand moderately to significantly
influences their short-list creation.
75 percent of a CXO’s research is done via
personal interactions and viral communication
networks
80 percent of a CXO’s final decision is based on
his or her own or others’ experience with your
company
Source: SiriusDecisions Persona Study

Holding Us Back: We Don’t Know Enough About Buyers
Only 18 percent
said they know
their buyers
journey
extremely well,
map it and
know the roles
involved

Opportunity: Advocacy Must Support All Stages of Buying
Source: SiriusDecisions 2013 persona study of C-level buyers
33 percent said they believe customers
frequently rely on advocacy/references in the
education (early) phase
vs. 55 percent in solution (mid)
and 76 percent in selection (late) phases
23 percent don’t focus at all on advocacy
support for education (early) phase.

It’s Time to Build A Customer Strategy

What Does It Mean To Have A Customer Strategy?
Business Goals
Activity
Activity
Activity
Activity
Activity
Buyer/Customer
Needs

Activity
What Does It Mean To Have A Customer Strategy?
Activity
Activity
Activity
Activity
Activity
Business Goals
Buyer/Customer
Needs
Clear link from
activity to
intended impact

Customer Strategy Means Supporting Buyer and Customer Needs
① Loosening of the
Status Quo
SiriusDecisions B-to-B Buying Cycle
② Committing to
Change
③ Exploring Possible
Solutions
④ Committing to a
Solution
⑤ Justifying the
Decision
⑥ Making the Selection
Vendor
Selection
Phase
Solution
Phase
Education
Phase

Most Companies Offer Array Of Options To Customers
…But Are They Being Used In the Most Effective Way?
User &
Partner
Groups
Customer-
led or
Company-
sponsored
events
Events
Regional
or annual
customer
events
Online
Community
Online
customer
engagement
platforms
Social
Media
External
social
engagement
communities
Advocacy
Formal
customer
evidence,
content and
engagement
CABs
Executive-
level
customer
steering
groups

Step 1: Understand What Buyers Need and Provide Support
SiriusDecisions B-to-B Buying Cycle
① Loosening of the
Status Quo
② Committing to
Change
③ Exploring Possible
Solutions
④ Committing to a
Solution
⑤ Justifying the
Decision
⑥ Making the Selection
Vendor
Selection
Phase
Solution
Phase
Education
Phase
What matters
most and who
do buyers trust
as they go
through each
stage of their
journey?

Advocacy Engagement Examples by Buying StageBUYER’SJOURNEY
EDUCATION SOLUTION SELECTION
Loosening of
the Status Quo
Committing to
Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Committing to a
Solution
Justifying the
Decision
Committing to
the Selection
ADVOCACYOPTIONS
• Logo use (online, presentation, print)
• Advertising reference (print, online,
other)
• Quote reference (online, audio,
presentation, print, social media)
• Success story (online, audio, video,
live presentation, newsletter, print)
• Press release quote
• Customer co-marketing
• Social community participation
• Webcast with client co-presenter
• Analyst rating participation
• “Why we chose ABC Co.” story
• Switching vendors case study
• White paper or other long-form case
study based on client success
• Press/influencer interview
• Reference audio/video
• Speaking engagement − panel
• Speaking engagement − joint or solo
content
• Event presentation
• Social participation
• ROI case study
• Early-stage customer experience
story
• Joint press release
• Partner reference (call, video, visit,
presentation, online, print)
• Reference call access
• Reference visit access
• Analyst reference/interviews
• Customer event participation
• Social participation
• Event/hospitality access
InteractionsContent

Step 2: Understand What Customers Need and Coordinate Actions
What is
appropriate
to ask of
customers and
what are ideal
engagement
options at each
stage of post-
sale lifecycle?

Quick Audit: Where Are Advocacy Contributions Hidden Today?
CUSTOMER ADVOCACY AND ENGAGEMENT ECOSYSTEM
CUSTOMER
MARKETING
SALES
SERVICE
CUSTOMER
SUCCESS
PRODUCT
BRAND/
COMMS
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
GrowRetainDevelopDeliver

Map Out When and What To Ask Over Customer Lifecycle
What could a
brand new
customer
share?
What do
customers learn
as they work
with you? What
can they share
with others?
Why do
customers stay?
What and how
are they willing to
share about the
value they get
from you?
What makes a
customer’s
relationship with
you special?
Where are the
brand-level
connections?
AdvocacyOptions
STAGEand
GOAL
Begin path to
value
Build value
Recognize
value
Enhance value
Grow/
Advocate
Retain/Actualiz
e
Deliver/
Initiate
Develop/Partici
pate

Customer Advocacy Examples: Customer Lifecycle SupportCUSTOMER
LIFECYCLE
DELIVER/INITIATE DEVELOP/PARTICIPATE RETAIN/ACTUALIZE
Fulfill on Purchase/Use What
was Bought
Ensure Adoption, Ongoing
Use/ Engage Where Possible
Maintain Business/Show Value
Build Business/Become
promoter
Support engagement, show
path to faster value
FAQs, Tips and Tricks
Early deployment stories
Quick win stories
Partner recommendations
Customer community
User Groups
Customer website areas
Reinforce use or
participation, build on value
Answers to FAQs from
successful customers
Later-stage customer stories
Customer survey
Customer events
Community introductions
Help customer to prove
impact
Longer-term ROI Case Study
Challenge/solution Stories
Analyst coverage
Executive briefings
Customer events
Executive advisory groups
Other advisory groups
Cultivate growth and
advocacy to enhance value
Innovation case studies
Award case study
ROI case study
Speaking engagement
Event/hospitality access
Community leadership roles
External community
participation/leadership
ADVOCACY
REQUIREMENTS
ASSETOPTIONSGOAL
InteractionsContent
GROW/ADVOCATE

How To Measure Impact

How Are Advocacy Teams Measured Today?
58 percent: Quantity of case studies
53 percent: Quantity of references
47 percent: Impact on wins
36 percent: Impact on sales productivity
22 percent: Leads generated
16 percent: Customer retention
13 percent: Customer loyalty/NPS

SiriusPerspective: Choose the tactic that best supports the relevant stage.
The Impact of Customer Engagement on Sales
Help sales close
more deals
e.g. increased probability
of conversion through
pipeline, more deals in
key categories
Move deals faster
through the pipeline
e.g. shorter time to
qualify, fewer days to
close overall, fewer days
in stage
Find more deals
Drive larger deals
Find the right deals
e.g. incremental revenue,
wider product/solution
breadth in deals, deals
found in preferred areas

Impact Examples for Post-Sale Customer Engagement
Retain
• Retain 1 or 5 percent more customers?
• Improve loyalty or NetPromoter scores by 5 percent?
• Increase customer lifetime length by one year? 5 years?
Reduce
• Lower customer support demand by 5 percent?
• Lower cost of sale by .5 percent
Improve
• Improve product/service engagement by 10 percent?
• Increase selling time by 5 percent?
• Improve sales yield with upsell and cross-sell?

Activity
All Because Influence and Impact Of Customer Strategy Is Clear
Activity
Activity
Activity
Activity
Activity
Business Goals
Buyer/Customer
Needs
Clear link from
activity to actual
influence and
impact

What To Do Right Now

Action Item Checklist For Your Customer Strategy
1. Understand your buyers journey and where
advocacy can help
2. Understand your customer lifecycle and when it’s
ok to ask for advocacy support
3. Understand your customer lifecycle and define
where advocacy should be providing support
4. Define a measurement strategy that clearly shows
how important customer advocacy and
engagement are to business results
5. Make a great case for the resources you need to
make an even bigger impact

What Will You Change This Year?

Customer Advocacy Strategy

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