Do you have the basics of activating your advocates on Facebook down pat? Graduating from 101 to 201 may seem a little daunting, but with a little insight and prep work, any brand (regardless of budget) can take their advocacy marketing efforts to the next level!

Even after all this time, Facebook continues to be the dominant social media platform, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Hence, Facebook continues to be an anchor point for many brand advocacy marketing and content amplification efforts, and why we’re focusing on Facebook in this playbook post.

When discussing Facebook, it’s important to keep the following points in mind:

• Per post, your brand page’s organic reach is nowhere near as high as an individual person’s
• Consumers are more likely to trust a message shared by a social connection than to trust the same message shared by a brand
• Facebook’s algorithm favors certain types of content over other types of content

Now on to the good stuff – advanced Facebook advocacy marketing tactics!

Three Advanced Tactics for Activating Your Advocates on Facebook

1) Tap Specific Advocates to Create User Generated Content

Perhaps the holy grail of content marketing, user generated content (UGC, for those that don’t know) is when your advocates take it upon themselves to create content on your behalf. They do the filming or photography, they invest their time, and they make you look good.

Typically, UGC takes the form of a group of users posting a picture or a post alongside a specific hashtag or comment; however, for brands looking to have a bit more control over the quality and content of the UGC being created, consider reaching out to specific, high-value advocates on a one-to-one basis.

Your advocacy marketing platform has a ton of data on your advocates, including their sharing habits and their engagement rates. Don your virtual magnifying glass and analyze the data to identify your most active advocates.

Once you have a list in hand, reach out to these people on an individual basis to see if they would be interested in posting photos, recording videos, writing product reviews or creating other content on your behalf. Then support them as best you can to bring that uber-UGC to life.

Not everyone you reach out to will be interested in taking this extra step, but for those that do, it can mean powerful gains for your social media presence.

2) Encourage All Your Advocates to Go Live

Brands that have embraced the Facebook Live platform are seeing significant social ROI. Facebook notes that it’s users spend “3x more time watching a Facebook Live video on average compared to a video that’s no longer live” and that its because “Facebook Live videos are more interesting in the moment than after the fact.”

In an embrace of that statistic, Facebook has revised their feed algorithm “so that Facebook Live videos are more likely to appear higher in News Feed when those videos are actually live, compared to after they are no longer live.” This algorithm shift prioritizes live Facebook Live videos over other Facebook content and ultimately rewards brands that are able to encourage advocates to Go Live on their behalf.

With that in mind, if you’re looking for new ways (or your first way) to utilize Facebook Live, look no further than your advocacy program. Encouraging your advocates to Go Live on your behalf takes some serious prep work, but the results for brands can be astounding. Just be sure to keep these best practices in mind:

• Be specific in what you want the subject matter of the Live video to be
• Determine if you want advocates to Go Live en masse or ad hoc
• Make the ask to your advocates clear, concise, and simple
• Be sure to give them a legit reason to Go Live
• Thank and reward those advocates that answer the call to Go Live

Make sure the reward is worth the work – especially if you want to make Facebook Live requests an ongoing part of your advocacy efforts.

3) Get Your Advocates to Close the Sale

Mama always said, “Content distribution is great, but driving sales is better!” For your advocacy program to be successful, it must move the needle.

Modern consumers average 7 or more brand touchpoints before they make a conversion. When your advocates share your branded content, they are playing a vital role in moving someone further along the conversion path. But your advocates are more than just content pushers. They can also be your secret sales-driving weapon – that is, if you set them up for success:

• Ask your advocates to share offers and promotions multiple times during their lifecycle – not just at the beginning of a new program
• Keep evergreen discount or promo codes live for advocates to share with their friends and family when asked
• Consider launching and supporting an opt-in referral program to further reward advocates that drive in sales

Your advocates are more than just a content amplifier. Tap into their creativity and internal motivations to help take your advocacy program to new heights.

Fan Advocacy With SocialToaster

Ready to up-level your advocacy marketing program? SocialToaster can help. Call or email us today and one of our advocacy strategists can help create a strategy to activate your fans on Facebook!