Customer advocacy has never been more important – or more complex. In an era where trust drives decisions and peer validation outweighs polished marketing, turning happy customers into active brand champions is a business imperative.
Enter artificial intelligence (AI): the technology transforming how we identify, engage, and scale customer advocacy like never before.
But as AI reshapes the way we work, it’s not about replacing human connection – it’s about amplifying it.
Because the truth is, advocacy isn't built on automation alone. It’s built on relationships, relevance, and the right story (told at the right time).
Turning customer engagement into advocacy with AI
Picture this: A customer purchases your product. Instantly, AI begins tracking their journey – understanding their preferences, interests, and how they interact with your brand. But instead of just firing off generic automated emails, AI builds a fully personalized advocacy journey tailored specifically to that individual.
It’s more than just personalization. AI can craft detailed content that aligns precisely with each customer's interests. It can invite them to events that resonate with their needs, identify which social media platforms they’re most active on, and nudge them to share their experiences authentically.
And it doesn’t stop there.
AI that learns, adapts, and engages
AI is constantly learning. It continuously tracks customer engagement, refines its understanding of their behavior, and adapts your engagement strategies in real-time.
Imagine knowing the exact moment a customer is ready to become an advocate – and then sending them a perfectly timed email asking for a testimonial, review, or even a piece of user-generated content.
Even more powerful? AI can highlight which customers are engaging the most, identify which stories are resonating best, and help you reward your most active advocates. Whether it's personalized gifts or early access to new products, AI ensures recognition is both meaningful and timely.
It may sound like a dream, but AI is the secret weapon that makes this vision a reality. It’s where human connection meets machine intelligence.
Why customer advocacy matters at every stage
At Workday, we often say what our CEO has long believed: customers are your best sales team. That philosophy drives everything we do in our customer advocacy program.
We’re intentional about identifying our most loyal and satisfied customers and turning them into brand ambassadors – people who genuinely want to share how they’ve partnered with Workday and the impact it’s had on their organizations.
Mapping advocacy to the buyer journey
We’ve all seen the typical buyer journey: awareness, education, consideration, conversion, and community. What’s often overlooked is how customer advocacy plays a powerful role at every single stage.
Let me walk you through how we align advocacy to each part of this journey:
1. Awareness
At the top of the funnel, it’s about visibility. Think press releases, social media cards, and announcements about customer go-lives or new deals. These moments, paired with authentic customer quotes, help generate buzz and credibility.
2. Education
Here, we tap into third-party validation – analyst reviews, Gartner reports, TrustRadius rankings. When customers leave reviews that land us in a top quadrant or rating, it’s their voice doing the talking, not ours.
3. Consideration
This is where advocacy shines brightest. We lean heavily on in-depth case studies, video testimonials, real-world use cases, and value-driven infographics. It’s about showing – not telling – how our solutions deliver measurable results.
4. Conversion
When a prospect is almost ready to commit, that’s when we bring in peer-to-peer engagement. We offer one-on-one customer reference calls to address specific concerns and share direct experiences.
Lately, we’ve taken this a step further with customer reference roundtables – a single customer speaking to a group of prospects. These sessions are incredibly impactful, offering honest, unscripted insights that help move deals across the finish line.
5. Community
Beyond the purchase, we nurture a thriving customer community. It’s a space where our customers connect, collaborate, and share their stories with one another. That sense of connection reinforces their loyalty and builds even more advocates organically.
