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September 15, 2004
Customer Evangelists
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Marketing
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One of the hottest marketing trends today has taken a page from 2000-year-old Christianity. After all, it survived crucifixion, persecution and a large chunk of history. Those Christians know a thing or two about spreading an idea, though the idea itself certainly plays a part.
Evangelism is what Christians do so well, simply telling others about their faith. That same concept has been applied to business and marketing lately, with the twist of letting customers do the work. Rather than wasting ad budgets on expensive commercials that aren't working, why not invest in your customers? Let them do the advertising for you.
The idea is to create customer evangelists. If customers love your business or organization, they'll tell others. It's free advertising. And the idea is all over the place:
- Creating Customer Evangelists - The original book that presents the Christian idea of missions to the business world.
- "The Customer Evangelist Manifesto" - A free 21-page PDF that gives a quick and easy overview.
- "Testify" - A free 50-page PDF that features 18 organizations that have implemented customer evangelism techniques.
- Church of the Customer - What would a hot new fad be without its own blog?
Having loyal customers willing to talk up your organization is great, but how do you get there? A few easy steps can have you well on your way:
Be Open & Honest
Everyone makes mistakes, but don't compound them by hiding information or trying to duck the issue. In a wired world your customers will find out, so be the one to break the news. They'll appreciate the honesty.
Empower Customers
Make it easy for your customers to be evangelists. Apple includes window stickers with every computer. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association included cards announcing an upcoming TV special in a recent monthly letter to supporters, encouraging them to pass the cards out to friends.
Join the Club
People love to belong and feel like they're a part of something. Give customers that insider feeling by letting them know about new products or services before they're released.
Personable
Customer evangelism is based on relationship; both the relationships customers have with potential customers, and your relationship with the customer. A customer can't have a relationship with a faceless corporation, so put some personality in your marketing, your products, your communications.
Score some free advertising by getting your customers talking about your organization. We can help you get the conversation going.