Who are your company’s best advocates? 6 traits to seek out
I was fortunate to hear a presentation this week about building and motivating advocates, given by Terrie Glover Ard, senior vice president of Moore Consulting Group. Important not only to non-profits, advocates are individuals who care enough for an issue, cause, policy or product to influence others to support it. Her company has mobilized advocates in support of everything from Florida tourism to a brand of beer, using social media as the central communication platform.
So how do you leverage advocates, and find those who can help to expand your organization’s of influence? Ard says the first step is to identify the right people to become your advocates, and there are 6 attributes to look for:
1. They have a track record of contributing—they’ve influenced others with past boards, associations and networking circles
2. They are well respected and influential.
3. They are helpful, passionate and trustworthy.
4. They possess strong communication skills.
5. They have existing communication platforms (e-newsletter, blog).
6. They are committed to your program.
Ard says to select your advocates carefully, give them a plan, build two-way trust, provide a platform in which to use their voices (blog, Facebook, etc.) and integrate them with your business by involving them in planning, special events, launches and communication efforts. The result can be an “army of influencers” who can take your message out to a broad circle of potential clients, donors and volunteers.
