Brand evangelism: The holy grail for companies

This phenomenon of conversion activity is known as brand evangelism - and it is something of a Holy Grail for companies. But how is it possible to achieve this form of customer loyalty in today's extremely networked world? I think the answer lies in developing a marketing strategy that takes advantage of data analytics. In this way, the customer experience can be personalized and brand evangelism can be generated on a large scale.Many-to-many marketingIf you work in marketing, you've probably heard of the concepts of one-to-one and one-to-many marketing. Countless articles have been written about why one approach is better than the other. I believe that modern marketing strategists need to add another layer: many-to-many communication. And by successfully combining the three approaches, marketers can build a lasting following of brand ambassadors.360-degree customer viewOne-to-many marketing is the first phase of the strategy. Here you try to draw the attention of as many people as possible to your product or service - usually through advertising. Once you have presented your offer and identified potential customers, you can move on to one-to-one marketing. This is a much more individualized approach that uses comprehensive data to create a 360-degree customer view. A personalized customer relationship is then built on this basis.Customer wants to be part of a familyWe know from research and experience that customers want a Smooth, personalized experience across different channels and devices. They want to be noticed and appreciated, and when they follow a brand's newsletter or social networks, they expect personalized marketing content. One-to-one marketing is all about creating an atmosphere in which every customer feels personally addressed and part of a large family.Customer becomes ambassadorThis is how brand loyalty is created, and many companies believe that they have implemented a successful strategy here. That may have been the case so far - but to stay ahead of the competition, brands need to go one step further and turn their loyal fans into ambassadors. And this is where many-to-many marketing comes in: customers share positive information and content with other users in their community. Essentially, they talk to others about the company - and in times when more and more customers use social networks and are guided by personal recommendations, this fact is becoming increasingly important.User experienceBuilding and maintaining a growing community of brand ambassadors is no easy task, as it requires personalization on a large scale. This is where cloud technology can help. Mattel is a good example, as the toy manufacturer's customers have a strong emotional connection to the products they buy - and therefore expect a flawless customer experience. The challenge for Mattel, however, is to win over the children of its customers to the brand. Mattel now has access to a large customer database and can therefore offer an exciting user experience on all devices and using its many product names - exactly what consumers want.brand evangelism also plays an important role in B2B relationships. Let's take a look at Salesforce, for example. The big international events such as Dreamforce or the World Tour are real examples of how Salesforce is using its Bringing community and customers together. The incredible thing is that customers can spontaneously speak up for Salesforce on social networks.Harnessing the enthusiasm of customersBy sharing their experiences with other customers, prospects and partners, they can achieve an impact that their own marketing work would never achieve. It is also this passion that makes the products and events so unique. This is then transferred to social networks, where participants enthusiastically report on what they saw and experienced on site. In this way, they allow the virtual community to participate in the event, regardless of where the individual users happen to be.

For Salesforce, the most important thing is that they provide the right platform for customers to tell their personal stories - and for prospects to connect with those customers to ask their own personal questions. Salesforce uses data analytics to ensure that events fully meet attendee expectations, from registration to beyond the conclusion of the event. This allows the most appropriate content, sessions and stories to be offered to attendees. And, once the connection is made, the entire Salesforce family - including its customers - takes care of the rest.maintaining such relationships goes back to a fundamental marketing principle: putting the customer at the center of everything you do. With modern technological capabilities, customer experiences can be connected and enhanced more effectively than ever before. Data analytics and key insights ensure that customer data is constantly being turned into new personalized experiences and special offers, and that an exceptional level of service can be provided. *Guillaume Roques is EMEA CMO, Salesforce