1. I N F L U I T I V E . C O M
MARKETING
ADVOCATES
E N G A G I N G

2. Engaging Marketing Advocates
2
AREYOUTALKIN’TOME?
When designing and running any effective and engaging marketing program or campaign, it’s key to know who your audience is and speak
their language, so to speak (pardon the pun).
Most companies have already developed personas to help them better understand, market and sell to their buyers. But they often stop there.
What about existing customers, partners and employees who have not only already invested in a relationship with your company, but who have
also become enthusiastic advocates for your brand?
Buyer Personas Vs. Advocate Personas
Developing a framework with which to better understand your
advocates is just as important as understanding your potential buyers
– especially if you’re going to invite them into an advocate marketing
program. While there are often some similarities among these personas,
what motivates someone to buy isn’t the same as what motivates them
to advocate for your brand over the long-term.
The Psychology Of Advocacy
When considering implementing an advocate marketing program, an
objection that many marketers have is: “That sounds great and all, but
my customers, partners or employees would never do that.” Those
marketers are wrong.
Here’s why: It’s simply human nature to advocate for things you love,
whether they’re restaurants, movies, smartphones or enterprise
business-to-business software. People become advocates because
they’re hardwired to connect with others, establish relationships and
build social capital.

3. Engaging Marketing Advocates
3
Who Are Your Advocates And What Makes
Them Tick?
Beyond human nature, however, there are unique qualities among
individual advocate types that marketers must take into consideration.
What motivates and engages an HR professional in an advocate
marketing program is likely to be very different from what will appeal
to a marketer or a salesperson, for example.
Understanding the persona(s) you are targeting with your program
and the individual activities within it can help you design invitations,
challenges, rewards and messaging that appeal specifically to that
audience, generating higher levels of engagement.
Here, we’ll look at Marketers, what defines this persona, and how
to position your message to address the key challenges they face.
More and more companies are starting to build advocate marketing
programs within their organizations to mobilize their customers and
other fans to write glowing product reviews, provide genuine referrals,
recommendations and references, and participate in content creation
and social conversations.
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4. Engaging Marketing Advocates
4
THEMARKETING
PERSONA
Do you know that person who’s absolutely great at small talk? Who can easily
capture the attention of a room? They likely fall into the Marketer persona. They
are, first and foremost, great communicators that carry a glass half-full attitude.
However, there’s more to Marketers than meets the eye. Since they have to gather
and interpret a lot of data to help effectively communicate their company’s brand
message to customers and prospects, they tend to be highly analytical as well.
But they’re often under-appreciated, facing constant pressure from sales to “bring
in the leads.”
Despite the stress they’re constantly under, this group “gets” advocacy. If you
understand their passions and challenges, they will become extremely loyal (and
vocal) evangelists for your brand.
“Marketers tend to be extremely empathetic when it comes to advocacy,” says
Sam Brennand, Director of Customer Success at Uberflip. “At one point or another,
every marketer worries about not driving enough engagement with their content,
generating enough new leads or references, or being able to get the right case
studies...So when a marketer becomes an advocate, they really, truly become an
advocate.”
“Becauseoftheirunderstandingofthe
importanceofmarketingassetsliketestimonials
andsocialamplification,Marketersarehappyto
participate—notjustfortherewards,butsimply
tohelpout.Theytendtobemoreactivethan
othertypesofadvocates.”
-Mychelle Mollot, CMO at Klipfolio

5. Engaging Marketing Advocates
5
More than words
Marketers have a knack for interpreting non-verbal communication, with the
uncanny ability to read others through their body language alone. And they are
known to be fun, charming and friendly.
Go team!
Marketers excel at being team players. According to SalesMarketingManagement.com,
not only do marketers have to self-motivate, but they also need to be able
to motivate others. They work with a number of different people, from internal
executives, team members and creative staff, to external clients and partners.
That means having great people skills as well as being skilled project managers.
More Steve Jobs, less Bill Gates
Just because they work well in a unit, doesn’t mean they don’t like to stand out.
There’s no stiff three-piece suit and tie in a Marketer’s wardrobe. Marketers like
showing off their individual personality and making a statement—whether that means
casual jeans and a button down, or following the latest trends. They want to be a
unique brand unto themselves—and have respect for brands that can do the same.
ESTP
While there are a number of ways that Marketers can be classified on the well-respected
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality measurement, the most common label is
ESTP, which stands for Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking and Perceiving. This puts them
in good company with an eclectic group of celebrity ESTP types like Ernest Hemingway,
Madonna and Lucille Ball.
“Don'tbepredictable.Marketersget"sold"to
morethananyotherB2Bbuyers,soaboveall
else,dowhateverittakestoavoidbeingboring.”
-Catie Ivey Coutinho, Vice President of Sales at Insightpool

6. Engaging Marketing Advocates
6
“They have a gift,” suggests the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) of those
who fall into the ESTP type, “for reacting to and solving immediate problems, and
persuading other people.”
The analytical mind
According to Hubspot, Marketers spend an average of 3.55 hours per week just
on collecting, organizing and analyzing data from different sources. So they require
excellent analytical skills in order to do this effectively, and make informed decisions.
A study entitled Matching Personality Skills with Marketing Careers in the University
of Wisconsin’s Journal of Undergraduate Research XIV, backs this up. It found that the
most common skills Marketers need are analytical thinking and problem solving.
In other words? “Don't baby them. They're smart,” says Jillian Zacchia, Content
Generation Specialist at Acquisio. “You don't need to spoon-feed them, but do lay
your ideas out clearly.”
High aspirations
Marketing professionals tend to have high aspirations. They don’t want to be
stagnant in one position. They are constantly seeking out that promotion, or
bigger and better challenges.
“Theirindustryisextremelycompetitive,so
havingthelatestknowledgeisthegreatest
benefitforMarketers.Educationandongoing
trainingplaysavitalroleinkeepingour
advocateprogramengaging.”
-Candice Charleton, Senior Manager, Global Social + Community
at Hootsuite

7. Engaging Marketing Advocates
7
KEYCHALLENGES& How To Address Them
Invitation to connect
While they desire every opportunity to meet others, because they are always
“go, go, go,” it’s hard for Marketers to find the time to network. In 2010, 20% of
advertising promotion and marketing managers in the U.S. were working upwards
of 50 hours per week on average, and constantly traveling both nationally and
internationally. They appreciate ways to meet and connect with others any way
they can—including digitally.
What does he do all day, anyway?
Chances are, every Marketer has felt at one time or another like others don’t quite
understand—or appreciate—what they do. And sales are constantly coming down
on them for more leads. So it’s nice for them to have an outlet to vent, and talk with
others who are going through the same frustrations.
I’m on top of things
Because Marketers deal with so many aspects of the business, it’s hard to stay on
top of things like industry news, best practices and competitor campaigns. They
will appreciate valuable information and tips and tricks being gathered for them,
which they can then easily share with others. (They gotta keep those social media
accounts up to date!). They don’t always have the time to source it themselves.
Distractions wanted
With long work days and crazy travel schedules, sometimes all a Marketer
wants is a moment to breathe and not think about anything too heavy. But they
likely won’t take this break without a little encouragement. Presenting something
mindless and silly can help them unwind.
"They'rehungryforinformationandwillreada
lot,sotheyappreciateathoughtpiece.”
-Jillian Zacchia, Content Generation Specialist at Acquisio

8. Engaging Marketing Advocates
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"Marketershaveapassionforlearningabout
toolsthatcanhelptheirownmarketing
initiatives.They'recuriousaboutnewreleases,
bestpracticesandlearningfromotherexpertsto
stayonthecuttingedgeoftheirfield.”
-Candice Charleton, Senior Manager, Global Social + Community
at Hootsuite
POSITIONING
So how can you best position yourself to these types of customers?
They want to be experts
Marketers want to be seen as experts in their field, and they love to talk and
network. So they will appreciate receiving tips and tricks that they can use to
improve, and challenges that encourage them to voice their opinions or share
their ideas. It’s even better if these discussions tie directly back to their specific
marketing initiatives.
“They are eager and willing to share what they've learned or what has worked for
them with their broader network, which makes them amazing advocates for your
product and your company,” says Catie.
Help them become a valuable source of
useful information
Offer them useful links (think case studies and tips and tricks articles) that they can
share on their own social media networks, like LinkedIn or Twitter. It might be your
own content, or informative articles from other sources. Share as much as possible
so they can, in turn, appear to be that valuable resource to others, and promote
their expertise.

9. Engaging Marketing Advocates
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Help them meet others
Whether it’s through digital networking or an online community, Marketers like to
make connections. This means they’ll appreciate rewards like trade show passes,
access to your C-suite, or a speaking slot at your next conference. They’re always
eager to meet people they can learn from and opportunities to be put in the spotlight
in front of their peers.
Encourage community
Facilitate open-ended discussions that are both tied specifically to marketing
initiatives and are just simply informative, educational or entertaining. This might
include posing best practices or industry-specific questions that they can weigh in on.
For example, showcase a recent campaign from another company and ask them
to comment on what was good or bad about it, or ask them to share an interesting
article they recently read.
“Marketers are constantly expected to be at the forefront of almost every
technological advancement and have answers for everything. And the answers
aren't always easy to come by,” says Sam. “Think about how you can help Marketers
be better by providing them with a welcoming community where they can ask
questions and offer support.”
“Givethemopportunitiestospeakandsharetheir
expertise—especiallyastheytrytogrow
theircareer.”
-Kevin Lau, Senior Customer Retention Marketing Manager at Netbase

10. Engaging Marketing Advocates
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Show your personality
Don’t be afraid to let your brand’s personality shine through. As a group that thrives
on showcasing their personalities, this will help Marketers feel more comfortable
interacting and opening up to you.
That being said, the quickest way to turn them off is to try to mislead them. “Marketers
don't buy into fluffy buzzwords and can see through veiled promises a mile away. Be
honest, be genuine and be interesting. Authenticity is king,” says Catie.
“Never pretend you are asking for certain things for altruistic reasons—they will see
right through it,” says Mychelle. “If you want help getting the word out on social media,
just directly ask for it.”
Have fun!
After a grueling day of non-stop creative thinking and number crunching, sometimes
it’s nice for Marketers to just shut off their brains for a few minutes and unwind. Cater
to this desire by offering some fun content. “They love answering surveys and
sharing inspirational quotes," says Jillian. GIFs, memes and humorous videos won’t
hurt either.
It’s likely that once they’ve had a chance to decompress, they’ll be ready to interact
with you in others ways, like checking out your blog or online community.
“Funchallengesdon'talwaysprovidethesame
valuetoourteamasreferralsorreference
challenges,buttheydoafantasticjobofpriming
ouradvocatessothey'reinapositiontomakehigher
valuecontributionsinthefuture.”
-Sam Brennand, Director of Customer Success at Uberflip

11. Engaging Marketing Advocates
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CHALLENGES
The contrast between being an extroverted, fun-loving and creative personality
that often also feels under-appreciated and overwhelmed makes Marketers an
interesting group to market to. “Marketers are so darn smart these days. They're
creative, technologically savvy, focused on the bottom line, and can easily see
through marketing bulls*#@. They expect a lot,” says Sam.
Arm them with as much information as possible to help them secure their reputations
as experts among colleagues and peers. Let them share ideas and vent frustrations
with others in the field who are going through the same thing. And last—but not least—
help them unwind when they need a breather.
“Marketers are very responsive to challenges where they can voice their opinions
and demonstrate their work to the rest of the community,” says Mychelle.
They’ll always appreciate learning something new, and will look forward to the
interactions with your brand if they know that each one will add something of value
to their day.
“You must provide real value to Marketers in return for their time. The easiest way
to damage your relationship with Marketers is to make them feel used instead of
appreciated,” says Candice.
1. Help them stay on top of industry trends. 2. Ask them to contribute to conversations
they can learn from.
3. Marketers enjoy fun challenges that
inspire them.
4. Be direct when you ask for help. They
‘get’ advocacy and hate insincerity.

12. TRANSFORM CUSTOMER LOVE INTO BRAND
AWARENESS, ASSOCIATION AND ADVOCACY
Now that you know more about what motivates
marketers to advocate for your company, it’s
time to take action with Influitive’s powerful
advocate marketing software.
Influitive’s AdvocateHub software is a complete
advocate marketing management platform
that helps B2B marketers capture customer
enthusiasm, and use it to turbocharge marketing
and sales efforts. With AdvocateHub, B2B
marketers build advocate communities where
customers, fans and evangelists can complete
high-impact activities, such as referrals, product
reviews, social sharing and more.
Visit influitive.com to learn more.