Customers who are satisfied with a brand can become valuable advocates. The advocacy phase is all about inspiring existing customers to actively recommend the brand - whether through personal stories, reviews, or social media posts. These organic recommendations carry a high level of credibility and can significantly contribute to acquiring new customers.
Targeted conversion rate optimization (CRO) in this phase can help increase willingness to recommend and actively involve customers in brand communication.
Important KPIs for Optimizing the Advocacy Phase
Net Promoter Score (NPS): How likely are customers to recommend the brand?
Number and Quality of Reviews: How many customers leave reviews? Are they positive?
Social Shares and Engagement: How often is the brand mentioned on social networks?
Referral Conversion Rate: How many new customers have been acquired through existing ones?
Relevant CRO Methods for the Advocacy Phase
1. Personalization: Targeting the Right Audience
Not all customers are equally willing to make a recommendation. Targeted segmentation helps identify and address particularly active and loyal users. Additionally, dynamic content in referral programs can be utilized: offering different rewards based on customer value (e.g., VIP status for top customers). It is also advisable to set up automated triggers: referral incentives for users who show high interaction rates (e.g., high repurchase rates or social media engagement)
Use Case: A software provider identifies particularly active users through usage data analysis and invites them to an exclusive review program.
2. Digital Analytics: Analyzing Referral Patterns
Segmented analyses, in particular, can be used to identify which customer groups are most likely to make recommendations (e.g., loyal customers, premium customers, socially active users). AI-based pattern recognition can be employed to predict which customers are most likely to recommend
Use Case: An e-commerce company discovers that customers with particularly high cart values are more likely to make recommendations. Based on this, a targeted campaign is developed for these buyers.
3. Referral Programs: Creating Incentives for Recommendations
Through structured referral programs with rewards, companies can specifically encourage referral behavior and strengthen customer loyalty
Use Case: An online fitness studio offers its members a free one-month membership if they refer friends who successfully sign up.
Our strategic recommendation here is: Incorporate gamification elements. Referral challenges, leaderboards, or exclusive VIP programs can further motivate customers.
4. User Research: Understanding What Turns Customers into Advocates
To optimize referral mechanisms, it is important to understand the motivations of customers. Surveys and interviews provide valuable insights into why customers recommend a brand – or don’t.
Surveys can be implemented after each transaction or usage to gather active feedback. Additionally, reviews can be encouraged by making the process as simple and intuitive as possible for customers.
Use Case: A hotel chain conducts in-depth interviews with loyal customers to find out which experiences are perceived as particularly worth recommending.
5. A/B Testing: Identifying the Best Form of Referral Incentives
Not all forms of rewards or messaging work equally well. A/B tests help identify the most effective measures for a referral program.
Use Case: A retail company tests two different referral incentives – a cash reward and an exclusive discount. This helps determine which option brings in the most new customers.
Different call-to-actions can also be tested against each other: e.g., a personal invitation vs. a general recommendation.
Conclusion: Using the Advocacy Phase as a Multiplier
The advocacy phase is key to turning satisfied customers into active brand advocates. Through targeted CRO measures like personalization, referral programs, and digital analytics, positive customer experiences can be systematically transformed into growth potential.
How effective are your referral mechanisms? Let’s analyze together how you can actively engage your customers in your brand communication and increase referral conversions!
Wrap-Up of the Article Series: CRO Along the Entire Customer Journey
This article series has demonstrated how conversion rate optimization can be strategically applied in different phases of the customer journey:
Awareness: Capture attention and optimize the first interaction.
Consideration: Support users in their decision-making process.
Purchase: Prevent cart abandonment and optimize the purchasing process.
Retention: Build long-term customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.
Advocacy: Turn existing customers into active advocates.
An effective CRO strategy takes the entire journey into account and ensures that customers not only make a one-time purchase but also contribute to long-term brand loyalty and recommendations.
