Six degrees of separation is the idea that everyone on Earth is only six or fewer social connections from each other. 

The “friend of a friend” chain grows exponentially to reach the world’s population of 7.8 billion people.

In marketing, that could mean that if each of your employees, customers, and other stakeholders took part in promoting your brand on social media, you could reach an unimaginably huge audience. 

That’s the basic concept of social media advocacy and how it leverages the immense power of social media marketing. 

To learn what it is in practice, its benefits, and how to cultivate brand advocates on social media, read on to find out.

3. Build relationships with advocates

The third step is to nurture the brand advocates that you have identified. 

Marketing teams need to reach out to those advocates who engage with or share their content and thank them, which helps them create a one-on-one connection.

As the relationship blooms, brands can also consider giving or lending their products to the advocates to review for their own channels. 

This might be much more affordable in the long run than traditional advertising costs. 

Sometimes it’s easy to underestimate the ripple effect of a single advocate sharing honest feedback. Maybe it’s a well-timed Instagram post or a casual tweet about their experience—suddenly, that genuine slice of life starts reshaping how hundreds (or thousands) think about your brand. Real people talking always outshines a polished ad. Plus, there’s a weird comfort in seeing those little spontaneous moments pop up on your feed; it feels a whole lot less forced, which, let’s face it, is rare in 2025. So, if you notice someone already talking positively, even if their audience is small, it’s worth pausing to appreciate the organic magic at work.

What gets tricky, though, is not crossing that thin line between encouragement and, well, outright bribery. There’s nothing wrong with passing along a sample or inviting a loyal fan to try out a new service. But if every interaction feels transactional, you’re going to lose that sense of belonging—the unspoken agreement that everyone’s in on something good together. The best advocates don’t need a script or a checklist; they just need a gentle nudge and a bit of trust. Most people can sniff out what’s real a mile away anyway.

4. Craft consistent messaging for each brand advocate

Some brand advocates, such as employees, may be willing to promote a brand but not know how to do it. 

This fear or inaction can be overcome in these simple steps:

• Empowering employees by teaching them how to craft social media content and share it on their networks.
• Teaching employees how to grow their social networks and letting them know what benefits come from doing so.
• Creating a unique, memorable campaign that draws in advocates. It can be something they care about such as climate change, or a humorous story, or something special about a brand that they will be proud to share.
• Giving specific instructions on how to share a brand story or other content. That means telling them where, when, how, and why to share the story.

5. Reward advocates

It pays to give thoughtful rewards that lend to the overall authenticity of the advocacy campaign. 

Remember that paying advocates takes away the “peer” factor, but you can reward them in other creative ways. 

Examples include giving advocates free or heavily discounted products, branded merchandise, access to training or conferences, among others. 

In many cases, such rewards breed more social media attention. 

6. Keep the conversation going

Brands need to keep the flame of brand advocacy alive by reusing and reposting content by their advocates. 

This shows customers that their opinions and feedback are truly valued.

7. Use live video to share behind-the-scenes stories

One of the most authentic forms of content is behind-the-scenes videos showcasing actual employees or other brand advocates engaging with the product. 

Whether that’s a factory tour hosted by a brand ambassador or short bios by employees, live video is a powerful tool that helps build incredible relationships with customers.

Wrap Up

As we have seen, social media advocacy is a powerful tool for promoting brands because it leverages existing networks that people already trust. 

Authentic and genuine participation from the advocates is necessary to make this work which, in turn, requires a long-term effort.

However, building social media advocacy is not difficult. A good plan, consistent messaging, and rewarding relationships for all parties involved are all it takes to keep the ROI flowing in. 

One way to discover and nurture brand advocates is to use social media comments. Learn how to best respond to social media comments in this insightful guide!

}}