Benefits of Using Customers for Influencer Marketing

It is important to remember that your “everyday” customers have a significant impact on your business. Not only do they spend their money buying your products, but they also influence who else will also buy from you. Customers are the most genuine and valuable influencers you’ll ever find! This article highlights the top three benefits of using customers for influencer marketing. 

Many brands effectively “cold call” influencers in hopes of collaborating. It’s hard work and expensive. Often, influencers never respond, even after they receive products. 

What if there was a different way?

If you have customers and an Instagram following, the reality is that you are already connected with the best brand influencers.

What if you could find influencers among your customers?

Or better yet, activate all of your customers as ambassadors, regardless of the size of their following?

It’s time to leverage your existing customers and turn them into your ambassadors and influencers! You need to set up a customer ambassador program.

Why are customers your best influencer marketers?

Recruiting customers for influencer programs is highly effective for a number of reasons. Here are the top five most exciting reasons why you should look to your customers for influencer marketing.

1️⃣ First-hand experience

Customers are often considered the best influencer marketers due to their unique and authentic perspective on a brand and its products or services. They have first-hand experience with the brand and can speak to the benefits and value of it. Their familiarity with the brand also means they have an existing relationship with it and can easily promote it to their followers.

2️⃣ Social proof

Your customers are like a seal of approval for your brand! They’ve already made a purchase, which means they trust and believe in what you’re offering. Their endorsement serves as social proof to others that your brand is credible and trustworthy, making it more likely for others to give it a try.

3️⃣ Vested in brand

Customers who love your brand make the best cheerleaders! They already know and love your products, and they probably have friends who would love them too. Plus, when customers promote your brand, it’s like a big stamp of approval that says “I bought this and it’s awesome!” That’s powerful stuff.

4️⃣ Similar target audience

Customers who are already fans of your brand make excellent influencer marketers. Not only do they already know and love your products, but they also probably have friends and followers who would love them too. And that’s the real beauty of it all.

Your customers and your target audience have a lot in common, which means that your customers can effectively promote your brand to their followers, who are most likely to be interested in it. So it makes perfect sense to empower your customers to be your marketers and influencers.

5️⃣ Sense of community

Your customers are like the glue that holds your brand’s community together! By using them as influencers, you’re promoting your brand and creating a sense of belonging among your customers. It makes them feel like they’re part of something bigger, and that’s the kind of feeling that leads to customer loyalty. It’s like creating a fan club, but better! So let your customers lead the way and watch your brand’s community grow.

When it comes to customer influencer marketing, it’s important to have the right team players on board. You want customers who are excited about representing your brand and align with your brand values and mission. Think of it like building a dream team, you want everyone to be on the same page and working towards the same goal. 

Turn customers into influencers

Existing brand enthusiasts and fans are the ideal candidates for influencers. The most significant benefit of turning customers into brand ambassadors is that these people are already talking about your products and sharing recommendations with their friends and family. You can spot these individuals on social media.

To get started, you want to discover who is creating conversation and who is actually listening. By focusing on your own customers, you already know that they care about your product. How do you know they care? Because they already bought products or services from you. Particularly on platforms like Instagram, where customer engagement is high, this approach can be incredibly fruitful. Check out our blog on recruiting brand ambassadors on Instagram for a deeper dive into this topic.

Mini-case study…

Woven Nook is one ecommerce company that has found much success working with customers instead of a pool of one-off influencers. The brand has found a way to increase sales by including its customers and capitalizing on its authentic influence.

The Woven Nook ambassador program generates over 100 pieces of user-generated content per month and a more than 900% return on the cost of their ambassadors. Learn more about how you can help customers become a brand ambassador.

Some brands try to find customers through social listening, but they only see the very few that mention their purchase. Instead of stalking people on social media, wouldn’t it be nice to know what products influential customers are buying from you, their affinity toward your brand, AND their social influence?

Drum roll please… Roster can give you all of that!

Now listen up. Forbes stated,

“Olapic conducted a study that found that 56% of respondents are more likely to purchase products after they’ve seen them featured in a relatable or positive photo from other customers.

This is probably why brands like Glossier have succeeded in promoting their brand by turning everyday consumers into valuable brand reps. Glossier is dedicated to creating advocates out of regular people who have interacted with the brand on social media.”

We all need to follow in the footsteps of  Glossier and recognize the influence of your “everyday” customers. They are the most genuine and valuable influencers you’ll ever find!

Benefits of customers for influencer marketing

customers for influencer marketing

Why spend all the time, energy and effort to turn your customers into brand ambassadors? Because word-of-mouth marketing is the most potent and effective form of advertising out there! Not only does it create awareness, but it also builds trust—a winning combination when it comes to helping brands grow larger, one conversion at a time.

Here’s a look at why more and more brands are looking at their own customers as a steadfast form of marketing:

Cost efficiency

Traditional marketing methods can be costly and may not always deliver the desired results. However, there is a more cost-effective way for brands to promote themselves and build a loyal customer base – by mobilizing an army of brand advocates. The strategy costs much less than spending on traditional marketing on every channel that might get a impression. Brands don’t necessarily need to turn off their marketing spigots entirely. However, devoting some funds to brand advocacy can create returns that lessen the need for more expensive channels.

Authenticity

Today’s customers are bombarded with advertisements from every angle, making them more wary of traditional marketing methods. They are less likely to believe something they know to be an advertisement and may actively avoid it. This is where customer advocates can make all the difference.

Customer advocates have a deep understanding of your products and services, which gives them an unmatched authenticity. They are real people who have had real experiences with your brand, and they are willing to share those experiences with others. This authenticity is the key to building trust with potential customers. When people see that others are genuinely enthusiastic about your brand, they are more likely to trust and consider it.

Moreover, customer advocates are often willing to go above and beyond in promoting your brand, because they believe in it. They are not just motivated by financial incentives or other rewards, but by a genuine love for your brand. This can lead to more effective and long-lasting promotion of your brand, and ultimately, a loyal customer base that can help sustain your business over time.

Versatility

There are many opportunities to deploy brand ambassadors in specific ways. 

Ask yourself how you want to use your customers turned influencers. 

• Do you want to focus on LinkedIn influencers? 
• Do you want to set up a referral marketing network? 
• Will you send out limited coupon codes? 

Brands are more in control of advocacy efforts than some traditional media channels, allowing for robust campaigns that beget large results.

These are just some of the many benefits of turning customers into ambassadors. For these reasons and more, companies big and small are looking for word-of-mouth marketing opportunities within their own customer base.

Recap

Ready to reap the benefits of turning customers into brand ambassadors? With Roster, we can help you efficiently amplify your existing customers!