That recent Forrester study showing companies with great customer experience grow revenue 5.7 times faster isn’t a surprise. It’s a wake-up call. CMOs who are still just chasing brand awareness are getting left behind. The real work is turning customers into genuine fans who will go to bat for you, what we call brand advocacy. So, how do you get from a customer’s fleeting attention to their unwavering loyalty?
Key Takeaways
- You need to collect and analyze your own first-party data to actually understand the paths customers take, not just lump them into basic demographic buckets.
- Personalize everything. 71% of consumers now flat-out expect it, and getting it right is what builds loyalty and turns people into advocates.
- Give your customer service teams the tools and authority to solve problems before they even escalate. That’s how you turn a complaint into a win.
- Ask for feedback everywhere you can and actually respond. People need to see that their complaints and suggestions are making your products and services better.
71% of Consumers Expect Personalization (Salesforce, 2025)
When Salesforce dropped its “State of the Connected Customer” report, that 71% figure wasn’t just a data point. It’s a direct order from your customers. For any CMO, this means the era of mass-market, one-size-fits-all messaging is completely over. Think about it: a customer sees you on Instagram, clicks to your site, then gets an email an hour later. If those three touchpoints don’t feel like they’re part of the same conversation, you’re breaking the spell. I’ve seen so many brands operate their channels in total isolation, and the result is a choppy, frustrating experience that just kills trust. And I’m not talking about just dropping a first name into an email subject line. You need to know their purchase history, what they’ve been browsing, and the preferences they’ve explicitly given you. If someone keeps looking at your sustainable product line, don’t hit them with retargeting ads for your generic bestsellers. Ignoring this stuff is how you get customer churn. You have to build a dialogue, not just shout into the void with a megaphone.
Customers Who Feel Appreciated Are 8 Times More Likely to Advocate (Qualtrics, 2024)
The “Global Consumer Trends” report from Qualtrics keeps proving that emotional connection drives business. This has nothing to do with expensive gifts or grand gestures. It’s about small, consistent acts of genuine recognition. Every brand sends a generic “thank you” email after a purchase. But what about the brand that follows up a week later with a genuinely useful tip for that product, or offers early access to a new accessory that complements what you just bought? That’s what appreciation feels like in practice. It tells the customer you see them as a person, not just a line item in your sales report. I always push brands to set up actual appreciation programs that go beyond collecting points. Give your best customers exclusive content, a first look at new inventory, or even a small, unexpected gift once in a while. Measuring the immediate ROI can be tricky, but the long-term lift you get in brand advocacy is massive. When people feel seen and valued, they become your most passionate salespeople. They’ll tell their friends, defend you online, and bring you new business for free. That’s the goal.
“When brand teams don’t have visibility into AI-generated descriptions, they can’t respond to inaccuracies or gaps until a stakeholder notices them in the wild. That wait-and-see approach comes at a cost, because by the time you’re correcting the record, the description has already shaped buyer perception.”
84% of Consumers Trust Online Reviews as Much as Personal Recommendations (BrightLocal, 2025)
That 84% number from BrightLocal’s latest survey shows you exactly how much power has shifted. For a CMO, this means your online reputation isn’t some side project for the comms team. It’s now the core of your brand’s credibility. You have to be actively managing your presence on Google Business Profile, Yelp, and whatever industry-specific sites matter to you. It’s not optional. And you can’t just collect reviews. You have to be in there responding to them, the good and the bad. A thoughtful, human response to a negative review can sometimes do more for your brand than ten positive ones, because it shows everyone else watching that you care and you’re willing to fix things. On the flip side, ignoring your fans is a huge missed opportunity to thank them and amplify their good experience. I’ve seen marketing leaders who are afraid to ask for reviews because they might get a bad one. Big mistake. Most people are fair, and their constructive criticism is free consulting. Besides, a perfect 5.0-star rating looks fake. A 4.7 with some detailed, resolved complaints looks real.
Brands With Strong Customer Engagement See a 23% Higher Share of Wallet (Gallup, 2026)
Gallup’s “State of the American Consumer” report draws a straight line from customer engagement to how much they spend with you. As a CMO, you have to look past vanity metrics like likes and shares. You need to build real connections that result in repeat business and bigger cart sizes. So what’s real engagement? It’s giving people value outside of the transaction. You can do this with great educational content, a thriving community forum, exclusive online events, or just amazing customer support that solves problems on the first try. I think about a software company that doesn’t just sell a license, but also runs weekly webinars on advanced techniques, hosts a user group where customers help each other, and has lightning-fast in-app support. That kind of investment keeps customers from even thinking about shopping around. Building a community where your customers feel like they belong is a seriously underrated strategy for driving both engagement and, in the end, customer loyalty. You’re creating an environment that competitors will find almost impossible to copy.
Challenging the Conventional Wisdom: “The Customer is Always Right”
That old saying, “the customer is always right,” can be a real trap for CMOs trying to build lasting brand advocacy. From what I’ve seen, following it blindly leads to bad policies, burnt-out employees, and a brand that doesn’t stand for anything. Let’s be real: sometimes the customer is misinformed, having a bad day, or is just not the right fit for what you sell. A much better operating principle is “the customer always deserves to be heard and understood.” It’s a small change in wording but a huge change in practice. It lets you stand by your policies and protect your team while still providing great service. For instance, if a customer is demanding a full refund on a final sale item, you can listen, empathize with their frustration, and explain the policy clearly, maybe even offering a 10% discount on their next purchase as a goodwill gesture. You don’t have to break your own rules. Real advocacy comes from customers who respect your brand and its values, not from people who learned they can get anything by yelling. If you prioritize your employees’ well-being and give them clear guidelines, they’ll provide a more authentic, positive service, which directly improves the customer experience. A brand that’s willing to politely say “no” when it needs to often earns more long-term respect than one that just caves to every demand.
Getting from basic brand awareness to passionate brand advocacy is tough. It requires a data-heavy strategy that puts the customer’s experience and a genuine connection first. The job for CMOs has changed: stop just trying to get eyeballs and start building real relationships that turn customers into your biggest fans.
What is the difference between brand awareness and brand advocacy?
Brand awareness is simply that people have heard of your brand. Brand advocacy is when your own customers actively recommend you to others, through word-of-mouth, social posts, or reviews, because they’re genuinely happy with their experience.
How can a CMO measure brand advocacy effectively?
You can track it through metrics like your Net Promoter Score (NPS), the volume and sentiment of your reviews on sites like Google and Yelp, how often your brand is mentioned positively on social media, how many people use your referral program, and by reading the direct feedback you get from surveys.
What role does personalization play in building customer loyalty?
Personalization is critical for customer loyalty. It shows people you’re paying attention to who they are and what they need. When you tailor your messages, product suggestions, and offers based on their past actions, it creates a much more relevant experience and a stronger emotional connection to your brand.
Can negative customer feedback actually help build brand advocacy?
Yes, absolutely. How you handle a complaint is a huge opportunity. If you can quickly and empathetically solve a customer’s problem, you can turn a bad experience into a shockingly good one. That person often becomes even more loyal because you proved you’re a company that takes responsibility.
What are some practical steps to encourage customers to become brand advocates?
To create brand advocacy, you have to consistently deliver a great experience. Then, actively ask for and respond to their feedback. Build things like referral programs and customer communities. Give your best customers perks like early access to products or exclusive content. And when they do something great for you, find a way to acknowledge and reward them.
