Featuring Asha May, CMA Industry Expert
Building a thriving customer advocacy program takes more than great tools—it takes buy-in across teams and smart use of data. In this short video, Asha shares practical strategies to fast-track program adoption and engagement.
Learn how to:
One of the biggest challenges in adopting an advocacy program is securing executive and stakeholder buy-in. This begins with measurable value. Collecting and presenting data that clearly shows how advocacy drives business impact—such as increased referrals, shortened sales cycles, or stronger customer loyalty—is critical. Leaders are more likely to support programs that tie directly into key performance indicators (KPIs) and revenue goals, especially when they can see evidence of tangible results.
Tracking metrics like referral traffic, conversion rates from advocacy-driven leads, and engagement levels also helps internal teams see advocacy’s value in real time. This data not only proves impact but fuels continuous improvement and helps justify further investment in the program.
A successful advocacy program isn’t the responsibility of a single team. It needs champions and contributors across your company. Marketing, sales, customer success, product development, and even executive leadership all play vital roles. By fostering ongoing collaboration, you ensure advocacy initiatives align with broader organizational goals and have support across departments.
For example, the sales team can help identify strong advocates from their customer interactions, while product teams can leverage advocacy feedback to improve offerings. Aligning advocacy goals with department objectives—like tying advocate-generated case studies into product launches or sales enablement content—encourages shared ownership and participation.
Early successes are powerful accelerants. By identifying quick wins—like showcasing customer testimonials that increase conversion rates or securing keynote speaker slots for top advocates at industry events—you create momentum that can influence internal perceptions and boost program credibility.
Highlighting these wins through company-wide communications (such as newsletters or Slack announcements) helps sustain internal excitement and keeps advocacy top of mind. Celebrating success publicly also reinforces to customers that their participation is valued and impactful.
For a program to be embraced long-term, it must connect with your business’s overarching strategy. This includes clearly defining how advocacy supports marketing, sales, customer retention, and brand health goals. A program that lives in a silo is less likely to gain traction.
Advocacy initiatives are most effective when they support measurable outcomes that leadership cares about, such as improving net promoter scores (NPS), increasing upsell rates, or generating higher-quality leads. When advocacy is tightly interwoven with strategic objectives, adoption becomes less of a “nice-to-have” and more of a central business priority.
For customers to become advocates, they need simple, meaningful ways to engage. Offering a variety of advocacy opportunities—such as participating in case studies, providing testimonials, speaking at events, or sharing content on social media—ensures that customers with different preferences and time constraints can participate in ways that feel comfortable and rewarding.
Personalization goes a long way: use customer data to tailor advocacy invitations based on interests, purchase history, or engagement levels. Moreover, recognition and rewards—like exclusive insights, swag, or public acknowledgment—can motivate advocates and make the experience more fulfilling.
Sustaining adoption means maintaining ongoing education and engagement. Regular training sessions, onboarding communications for new team members, and recurring updates help internal users understand how to use advocacy tools and why they matter. Likewise, continuous communication with advocates—through newsletters, program updates, or community events—keeps them engaged and informed.
Feedback loops—both internal and external—are essential. Regularly solicit input from internal teams about what’s working or where friction exists. Similarly, invite advocates to share their experiences and suggestions. Use these insights to iterate on your approach, refine processes, and enhance the advocate experience. This iterative mindset contributes to a more resilient and effective program over time.
Whether you’re just launching your program or looking to take it to the next level, Asha’s expert guidance will help you turn internal alignment and customer enthusiasm into sustainable advocacy growth.
Watch now to discover how to accelerate adoption and elevate the impact of your customer advocacy initiatives.
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