Introduction
In the fiercely competitive business landscape, it takes more than just a superior product or service to capture the hearts and minds of customers. Today, businesses need a powerful force that goes beyond traditional marketing and advertising – a force that inspires true passion and unwavering loyalty.
This force can be – business evangelism.
The term evangelism simply means – “to proclaim good news”. In the context of business, it is the process of promotion of the “good news” or positive attributes of a business to increase a business’s customer base.
Though the term Evangelism entered business lingo in the 1990s, the concept of evangelism has been around for a very long time. In fact, evangelism is the oldest form of marketing which is – marketing by word-of-mouth.
With startups and social media marketing on the rise, a new business role has come to the forefront, that of the Chief Evangelist.
But let’s understand the concept first.
Chief Evangelist- the face of your business
A Chief Evangelist is an ambassador for your product, service or business. A person who actively promulgates positive attributes of the product, service or business and convinces others to buy or use the product/service. A chief evangelist is an influencer in the true sense of the word as it is the chief evangelist who influences how the world sees a business, product or service.
“Today’s brands are built on what people are saying about them on social media-not what companies are saying about themselves.”
Guy Kawasaki
These words of Guy Kawasaki ring true for all businesses today. Guy Kawasaki, the name synonymous with Evangelism can be credited with popularizing the term in the 1990s. He is a well-known technology evangelist, author, former chief evangelist of Apple and Chief Evangelist for Canva. He revolutionized how marketing was done in his role as chief evangelist for Macintosh.
One of his biggest successes at Apple was the creation of the Mac EvangeList in July 1996.
The list with over 45,000 subscribers at its peak became a success story and created a new form of marketing which was completely different from the way businesses handled their PR and communications at the time. At the time Apple’s image was faltering and Kawasaki launched EvangeList, a mailing list that brought together all Apple fans around the world to provide a daily stream of support to counter the bad press Apple was receiving.
Guy has been so successful in gaining the trust of the customers that people believe in “Guy’s Golden Touch”- whatever is gold, Guy touches. His advice “If you don’t love it, don’t evangelize it”– is a mantra to live by for budding evangelists.
Why your business could benefit from a Chief Evangelist
Author Daniel Priestly in his book Oversubscribed: How to Get People Lining Up to do Business with You, has stated the importance of creating a team with the following 4 people:
- A sales and marketing head – to generate leads and make sales;
- A finance head – to manage the business’ funds;
- A product and operations head – to manage the working of the organization and creation of the product; and
- A Key Person of Influence – to make deals happen.
Today, the importance of the Key Person of Influence more commonly known as an Evangelist is on the rise, with businesses hiring evangelists who people recognize and respect to be the voice of their brand.
Every business whether big or small can benefit from getting Evangelists on board because they:
1. Believe in the product:
A chief evangelist believes in the product being promoted. The chief evangelist encourages customers to try the goods or services being offered by the business because they impress the chief evangelist.
Unlike influencers who are paid for promotion of the products/services, a chief evangelist promotes them simply because of the belief that the products/services are worth sharing with the people. A chief evangelist is usually a user of the product/service being promoted and stands by it and plays an important role in converting first time customers into loyal customers and finally maybe into evangelists themselves.
For example: Elon Musk, the CEO of companies like Tesla and SpaceX, passionately promotes and believes in his ventures. His unwavering dedication and advocacy have helped generate widespread interest and support for his companies.
2. Highlight product specialty:
The chief evangelist highlights how the products or services solve a customer problem and improve the customer’s life. The chief evangelist promotes the USPs of the products/services, their uniqueness, their superiority over similar products/services in the market and what makes them the perfect choice for the customers.
For example: Sangram Vajre the Chief Evangelist and Co-founder of Terminus, a leading ABM (Account-Based Marketing) platform, played a crucial role in popularizing and advocating for the adoption of ABM strategies and has been recognized as a thought leader in the field.
3. Create a relatable pitch:
The chief evangelist creates a pitch for the product which is easily understandable and tailor-made for the customers being addressed, thus making the product more appealing to the customers. Being a user of the product the evangelist is able to understand why the product is important.
For example: Steve Jobs, the late co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc. was renowned for his ability to understand the desires and needs of customers and deliver compelling pitches that resonated with them. He was a master at creating a seamless connection between Apple’s products and the customers.
4. Support marketing:
The Chief Evangelist helps to support other marketing initiatives like advertising, PR marketing, direct email, etc. A Chief Evangelist helps to garner attention for the products/services being offered by the business through word-of-mouth and constant promotion. Word-of-mouth marketing can prove to be very successful especially when being spearheaded by a person trusted by the customers. Constant promotion by a chief evangelist helps to attract customers who believe in and value the reviews and experiences about the products/services shared by the chief evangelist.
For example: Randy Frisch, Chief Brand Officer & Co-Founder at Uberflip is the biggest Evangelist for Uberflip’s “content experience” services. His customer-first approach has prompted marketers to think beyond content creation and truly put their customers first by focusing on the buyer’s experience at every stage. He has been a proponent of the idea that content should be used strategically to drive engagement, generate leads, increase sales and ultimately contribute to business growth. He brilliantly used his book “f#ck content marketing: focus on content experience to drive demand” to promote Uberflip by generating interest of the readers in the “content experience” services of the company.
The positive reviews from Uberflip users and the awards and accolades received by the company only further prove that Tandy Frisch’s continued evangelistic work has helped the company move ahead of many competitors.
5. Build new customer base:
Customers are more likely to try new products that have positive customer reviews. The Chief Evangelist serves as an embodiment of positive reviews for the business and can help create a buzz for the business which attracts new customers because it is considered to be more trustworthy by customers.
For example: In his role as the Chief Evangelist for Amazon Alexa and Echo devices at Amazon, Dave Isbitski advocated and promoted the use of voice-based technology and helped developers build voice experiences for Alexa. He played a key role in driving the adoption of Amazon Alexa by the consumers thus supporting its growth.
6. Provide support to startups:
Startups are new to the market and are working on building their reputation. Having the support and backing of a publicly known chief evangelist can help pitch the products or services of the startup to potential stakeholders, investors and customers. Businesses being propagated by well-known personalities helps build trust in the new business.
For Example: Jeff Hoffman the chief evangelist and chairman of the board for the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) has in his long illustrious career been involved in the promotion of multiple businesses like well-known successful startups, including Priceline.com/Booking.com, uBid.com.
7. Are masters of Networking:
A Chief Evangelist understands the importance of networking in creating a brand image and plays with the power of community by creating a buzz around the product through mediums like social media, webinars, email lists, etc. By consistently engaging with followers a Chief Evangelist directly attracts new customers while retaining the old.
For Example: A name synonymous with networking is that of Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group. He is well-known for his exceptional networking skills and his ability to forge valuable connections that have contributed to the growth and success of his company.
8. Create a bridge between the company and the customer:
The Chief Evangelist acts as the link between the business and the customers. The unique position of the Chief Evangelist helps provide the business honest customer feedback and review. A Chief Evangelist can study customer reaction to new products and services and adjust the promotion strategy to alter any negative customer perception to the product or service.
For Example: Jeff Barr, VP and Chief Evangelist at Amazon Web Services, an Amazon subsidiary providing on-demand cloud computing platforms, is well known for distilling complex technical product capabilities into crisp, clear, and accessible prose that resonates with customers. His customer-centric philosophy, and his efforts to bridge the gap between the company and its customers is evident from his weekly What’s New videos for the customers and his regular interactions with customers in the company’s Seattle Executive Briefing Center (EBC).
To conclude
The business world has always been a place of cut-throat competition. With the growing influence of social media, businesses looking to win the rat-race for customers must incorporate evangelistic marketing in their businesses.
With in-depth knowledge and driving passion for the product or service, a chief evangelist can not only successfully adapt to the changing market scenario but also convert non-believers into believers.
And it never hurts to have your very own personal cheerleader!
Do you think your business needs a chief evangelist or do you already have one?
Share your experiences with us in the comment section below.
