When I announced that I was leaving Intel, everyone’s reaction was one of surprise. Their first question was, “Why?” Indeed, why? I have been a part of the Intel family for eight years. Over the last five years I have had the privilege to be a part of an amazing team that transformed Intel into a truly social business. We painted the blank canvas, we designed and implemented global social strategies, we built extraordinary communities, and we ran innovative social programs. Intel has a special place in my heart; it led and will continue to lead in this space.
Naturally, the surprised “Why?” was followed by a curious “So what is this new opportunity? It has to be pretty darn cool!” Yes, it sure is.
As I look back at the rise of the Internet and the evolution of marketing, I cannot help but think how far we have come. From the mass media era, to the digital media era, to the rise of the digital citizen and social business. Brands have realized the value of listening and building global communities. They have worked hard on activating their presence on social networks and attracting their customers on a larger scale. But now that they have built large global communities and they continue to work hard on engaging these communities in daily conversations through a perpetual cycle of content creation and optimization, they also cannot help but wonder “what now?” Recently I have caught myself asking that question continuously as well.
Enter the Age of Advocacy. The era of collecting fans is over. Companies need to get smarter about activating their fans and current communities around the common interest, the common cause. As marketers, we need to start building movements, not campaigns!
Every brand has 3-10% of the most loyal, most vocal advocates who are excited to spread the love of your brand far and wide. These advocates can be your customers, your vendors, your friends, industry influencers, and (here is a shocker!) your employees. All they crave in return is to have a more meaningful relationship with your brand beyond daily Facebook posts or regular tweets. And that is exactly what the BRANDERATI platform enables.
At BRANDERATI we put the power of influencers and brand advocates on the side of our clients. We enable brands to create advocate/influencer networks from their existing social communities, and provide the foundation for a complete program, from recruiting, through engagement, to learnings and optimization. Our platform gives brands the ability to invite selected individuals into a branded VIP community, create multiple member segments within that community, serve and target your content, give members the ability to create their own custom content and share across all social networks, evaluate the impact in real-time, and develop actionable social insights. Our turnkey strategic and creative services help ensure the best experience for you and your advocates.
I am excited to be a part of BRANDERATI and this movement because I firmly believe that, in the Age of Advocacy, those that cannot identify, engage, direct and reward an army of advocates will be at a clear disadvantage to the leaders in their space.
I invite you to reach out and connect with us. Let’s talk advocacy and influencer marketing! We would love to help you elevate your brand from Like to Love to Loyalty.
Originally posted at Branderati.com