Mark Twain undeniably penned one of the best sales scripts of all time in Tom Sawyer. Here’s what happened. Young Tom Sawyer is ordered by Aunt Penny to whitewash her fence, which he wasn’t so keen on doing since all of the other neighbourhood kids were out playing. Tom proceeds to head outside with his bucket of paint and paintbrush and makes whitewashing a fence look like so much fun that soon every kid in the neighbourhood was begging him for a brush.
In summary, Tom Sawyer managed to make a real paid job into something so fun that people would do it for free.
The Tom Sawyer Method of Marketing
This anecdote applies to marketing at its best and more specifically to customer success.
Customer success is quickly becoming one of the most integral parts of the modern philosophy of SaaS marketing. This is so as it neatly ties in with revenue growth and retention. When executed well customer success can lead to reduced churn, expanded revenue streams and more importantly the opportunity to create brand advocates.
Brand advocates are money making, growth-generating machines.
They are so because they’re the ones who;
– Leave reviews and ratings
– Write great testimonials
– Comment on your socials
– Read your blog
– Share your posts and offers
– Engage with your brand on all platforms
– Recommend you to friends
They’re the most effective brand advertising that you could have asked for. However the benefits of brand advocates don’t end with their marketing efforts. Brand advocates also spend twice as much, or more, on products and services than average customers while acting as a virtual sales force driving new leads with their activity.
Brand advocacy begins with effective customer success. Take a page out of Twain’s book and create an environment wherein helping you is so rewarding, your customers want to do it for you – for free.
Many businesses think it’s simple to create brand advocates and that there is a quick fix to do so for example by offering referral bonuses or hosting a contest on socials. However, the reality is that you also need to provide outstanding experiences, proactive services, usability, empowerment and appreciation. All these ingredients put together create top notch brand advocates. However, the last two are more often than not neglected.
Customer empowerment
Gymshark, the online eCommerce sportswear retailer that needs no introduction, is made up of a community of athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike, who not only wear and promote their clothing line but also share Gymshark’s content. By elevating their top customers into a community of like minded individuals, with their ‘United We Sweat’ campaign, Gymshark not only shows appreciation but gives these highly valued individuals a platform on which to shine.
Content creation, marketing, and social media outreach is hard work, however, if your customers are happy and satisfied with your product or service, it’s work that they will happily take on themselves.
If you’re interested in turning your customers into loyal brand advocates and are unsure how to go about doing so, feel free to check out our rewards marketing platform features.
