What the heck is advocate marketing? Here are six quick slides that get right to the point: what it is, why it matters, and the impact it can have at your company.

1. Advocate Marketing Defined
Including customers,
fans, and influencers as
a programmatic part of
your marketing engine
reviews!
references!
referrals!
social media!
content!
intelligence!
usability!
training!
strategy!
PR!
community!
speakers!

2. Advice from peers is the #1
most influential source of
information during the B2B
buying process.
– BuyerSphere 2013
Advice from
a friend
Search
Engine
Supplier
WebsiteEmail
Industrial
Intermediary
Sent by a
friend
Online
display ad
Social
media
Wider
advice
Industry
community
Buyers get 57% of the
way through the buying
process before they talk
to a sales rep.
– Marketing Leadership
Council
57%
Searching within
communities is the top
way B2B decision-makers
discover new approaches.
– Forrester Research
Searching within
communities
Vendor
content
Peer
content
Q&A
58%
31%
22%
20%
What’s Driving The Need for Advocacy?

3. Fundamental Changes at Work
These dynamics are forcing companies
to develop stronger strategies for
customer success, retention, loyalty, and word-of-mouth
SaaS
Social
Media
• Easier to sign up
• Easier to switch
• Pay-as-you-go
• Unbiased expertise
• Vendor validation
• ROI proof points

4. “We Thought If We
Didn’t Get A Press
Release, We Failed!”
The old way of thinking
about customermarketing
Product
Development
Launch &
Training
Sales &
Marketing
Brainstorming
Usability
Beta Testing
Community Liaison
Educational Expert
Spotlights
Testimonials
References
Referrals
Virtually
any
happy
customer
can
get
involved

5. Advocate
programs are
based on
relationships
Key Concepts
• People, not companies
• Give first, then receive
• Recognition, not bribes
• Mutual benefit
• Micro-community

6. 70live product feedback
sessions per quarter
renewal rate
for customers
in the program
100%
139
14
opt-in references,
before and after
$130K
total value
returned
by each
advocate
A Security Company A Marketing Automation Company
An Email Marketing Company An Education Tech Company

7. B2B Customer Loyalty
& Advocacy Programs
• Customer engagement programs
• Advocate communities
• Social nurturing & prospecting
About Us
Contact
Brian Gladstein
(781) 820-2654
bg@explorics.com
@briangladstein | @explorics