When customers genuinely love your product, they talk. And when they talk, people listen. That’s the heart of customer advocacy.
For SaaS companies navigating competitive waters and long sales cycles, turning loyal users into vocal advocates isn’t just nice. It’s essential. Customer advocacy fuels growth, slashes churn, and brings in leads that convert faster and stick around longer.
Building an advocacy engine takes more than wishful thinking. This guide walks you through what customer advocacy really means, how to find your champions, and how to empower them to spread the word.
Part 1: What Is Customer Advocacy?
Customer advocacy means your customers aren’t just satisfied. It means they’re actively promoting your brand. In SaaS, this looks like users who share success stories, recommend your product to peers, and defend your brand in online spaces. They’re not on your payroll, but they might as well be.
It’s a trust-based relationship, built on real value and mutual respect. Advocacy isn’t transactional. It’s emotional.
The Benefits of Customer Advocacy
Customer advocacy delivers some important concepts:
- Stronger referrals: Your advocates are a walking sales force.
- Product feedback gold: They speak up when something’s broken or when it’s brilliant.
- Loyalty that sticks: Advocates believe in what you’re building, so there is typically less churn.
- Marketing firepower: Testimonials, user generated content and case studies all start with advocacy.
The Different Types of Customer Advocacy
Testimonials
Short-form social proof. These are quotes or reviews that showcase satisfaction and results.
Case Studies
Longer, data-rich stories showing how a customer overcame real challenges with your product.
Social Media Advocacy
Users tagging your brand, sharing wins, or praising your support team. It’s organic, visible, and persuasive.
Referral Programs
Incentivized word-of-mouth. A good one makes it easy for advocates to refer friends and colleagues.
Why It Matters (Especially in SaaS)
Subscriptions rely on long-term satisfaction. Advocacy reinforces that “stickiness”. Plus, the cost of acquiring new customers keeps rising. Customer advocacy offsets that by turning your best users into your best marketers.
Part 2: Identifying and Nurturing Customer Advocates
You already have advocates, you just might not be activating them yet.
How to Spot a Potential Advocate
Here’s what to look for:
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) promoters
- Repeat users with high engagement
- Customers giving unsolicited praise
- Power users active in your community
Lean on usage data, customer success insights, and social listening tools.
How to Build Relationships with Advocates
It’s not about giveaways or rewards. It’s about connection. Here's a few personal touches that can strengthen your relationships:
- Personalized emails thanking them for support.
- Early access to features or beta programs.
- Customer spotlights in newsletters or social media.
- Private user groups or “advocate councils.”
Make them feel seen and appreciated. Make it personal.
Using Social Media Listening to Fuel Advocacy
People talk about your product even if they don’t tag you. Tools like Brand24 or Sprout Social help you catch those conversations. Jump in, celebrate wins, and offer support. That’s how you turn passive praise into active advocacy.
👉 Check out PIC’s social media services to learn how to amplify those moments.
Tools That Make Advocacy Easier
You don’t have to do this all manually. Platforms like:
- Influitive – builds full-scale advocate communities.
- Ambassador – handles referral programs and tracking.
- ReferralCandy – great for simple, plug-and-play incentives.
Choose tools that integrate with your CRM and support automation without killing the human touch.
Part 3: Creating Effective Advocacy Content
You’ve got advocates. Now you need to amplify their voice.
Telling Great Customer Stories
A good story connects with readers while still conveying a clear message. Use the Hero Mission Strategy: your customer is the hero, your product is the guide. Tell the story through their eyes, with real stakes, challenges and wins.
👉 Learn more about crafting powerful stories here
Producing Quality Advocacy Content
Mix up the formats:
- Video testimonials for authenticity
- Written case studies with metrics
- Social graphics or quotes for bite-sized impact
Aim for clarity over polish. Let the customer’s voice shine through.
Getting It in Front of the Right People
Distribution matters. Don't just post it once and forget it. Share across:
- Email campaigns
- LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter)
- Sales decks
- Website landing pages
- Partner newsletters
👉 Need help? PIC can help develop your marketing plan
Examples That Work
- Slack leans on user-generated content—tweets, team photos, integrations.
- Dropbox drove massive growth through a clean, no-nonsense referral program.
- Notion highlights power users across their website and community hub.
Take notes from these but customize for your audience.
Part 4: Measuring and Scaling Your Advocacy Efforts
If you can’t measure it, you can’t grow it. Track the impact of advocacy on your bottom line:
- Referral conversions
- Social engagement from advocacy content
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) of referred customers
- NPS trend over time
Dig into what’s working. Which campaigns drive referrals? Which advocates bring the most leads? Double down on what resonates. Retire what doesn’t.
Advocacy’s Hidden Benefit: Lower Turnover
When customers love your brand, they energize your team. Sales has better leads. Support deals with fewer complaints. Morale rises. It’s a loop of positivity that cuts churn for customers and employees alike.
Building Customer Advocacy as a SaaS Growth Strategy
Customer advocacy isn’t a checkbox. It's a long term growth channel that requires nurturing and strategy. When you identify your biggest fans, nurture them with intention, and empower them to share their stories, everything else gets easier.
Referrals go up. Churn goes down. Teams get energized. Growth feels organic instead of forced.
So start small. Reach out to one power user today. Build from there.
Need a partner who gets this stuff?
PIC utilizes a variety of growth marketing strategies to grow your business.
