Why an advocate program makes sense…

When I was asked to join the ArtiSans Label and manage the R.A.D.A.R. program I asked myself a lot of questions. Why not just use traditional means of advertising? Why do we want advocates marketing for us? Why does an advocate program make sense?

Americans are bombarded by thousands of advertisements a day. Advertising is a 130 Billion dollar a year industry and advertisements are no longer limited to newspapers or the commercials between television shows. We now experience advertisements everywhere we look: on restaurant menus, at the check-out stand at the grocery store, in bathroom stalls, on every inch of sports arenas, on buses and taxis, on the sides of buildings, built into the news, television shows and movies via product placement, in our email inbox, on every webpage we visit, and in thousands of other ways.

The more ads we are bombarded with, the more we become immune to their messages. The truth is that traditional marketing methods are beginning to be replaced by new marketing approaches, and companies - especially small businesses, need to adjust accordingly. The message is no longer controlled by the business or the ad agencies, but by the customers and how they experienced a product or service. Websites, such as consumerist.com, are designed to help the consumer by reporting about companies who have gone above and beyond to satisfy their consumers and those who have failed to live up to their promises, exposing scams and defective products, and advising the consumer on how to go about getting the customer service outcomes they desire and how to deal more effectively with companies. CNET.com reviews everything technological. Tripadvisor.com allows you to leave and read reviews for hotels, and other travel destinations. Most shopping websites allow you to leave feedback on the items you purchased for potential buyers to see. Hundreds of websites exist so that consumers can leave reviews (on shopping websites, service companies, restaurants, hotels, etc.) so that future customers can make better informed decisions on where to spend their money. Personally, I use all of the above sites, and more, to be sure I know what I am purchasing and that I am spending my money wisely.

Word –of-mouth marketing has become a valuable resource for any business and ArtiSans Label knows that the use of advocates to market our business is the best way to attract new clients. With the R.A.D.A.R. program and the advocates who are participating, we can directly target the correct audience for ArtiSans. Rather than launch a pricey ad campaign, which would likely blend into the thousands of ad’s consumers already ignore, we reward our advocates for finding us new customers. Advocates find new bands and artists, tell them about ArtiSans Label, refer them, follow up with them - and when the time comes, pass them over to a artist coordinator to sign them to the label. By using advocates to market our business, ArtiSans Label can concentrate on the artists, their needs, and providing knowledgeable, friendly and reliable customer service.

To me, that just makes sense.