Marketers today have a problem: we are confusing people who are willing to amplify our message with those fans who are true brand advocates. Why? Because we don’t completely understand what an advocate is.
We conflate amplifiers and advocates when they are actually quite different. A true advocate lends their personal reputation to a brand to influence their friends and peers. An amplifier lends their reputation to a piece of content or messaging to influence their friends and peers.
The reason for our confusion is actually quite simple. As a consumer, social media message amplification is easier than ever and for brands it’s now pretty easy to track. This means that there are more brand amplifiers than ever before and also that corporations notice that amplification more. The natural result is that we get a little optimistic and start to think “Well, if they are sharing my message they must love my product,” when that is not necessarily the case at all.
This plays out very clearly online every day. Users endorse content items all the time. It’s easy (just click a button) and they aren’t really risking much reputation. When that person shares a video they are not necessarily saying “Old spice is awesome! Hey, smelly friends – stop buying Dove products and buy Old Spice ones.” What they are saying is ”This video is funny and it happens to be sponsored by Old Spice. Watch it and you will laugh.” This transaction definitely accrues positive value to the brand, but it’s not advocacy.
Advocates are almost certainly sharers and endorsers of a brand’s messaging, but they also do so much more. They do it because they honestly think it will be a good outcome for their friends. They aren’t saying “Watch this, it’s funny.” They are saying: “Trust me. If you buy this thing your life will be better.” From a revenue perspective this is a much more valuable scenario.
What can you do today? Start by recognizing the distinctions between amplifiers and advocates. Then decide which you are really after and let us know if you need some help.
