Digital Strategy and Enablement
- 92% of people trust word of mouth marketing. (Source)
- 79% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. (Source)
- Offers shared by trusted advocates convert at 4-10x higher rate than offers sent by brands. (Source)
An advocate is a person who speaks or writes in support of a cause or in behalf of another.
In social media, advocates are more than just fans or followers; they go beyond being active and engaged to supporting others in a community or forum. They answer questions and share their relevant experiences and thoughts while at the same time, provide valuable feedback.
Cisco has a group of such advocates – called Cisco Champions.
Cisco Champions are advocates who don’t work for Cisco, they are typically customers, partners, and independent expert influencers who share Cisco’s message and thought leadership. They have a passion, plus a desire, to share their expertise and technical knowledge in blogging, social sharing, executive engagement, twitter chats, think tank sessions, design sessions, events, best practice forums and more.
Cisco Champion Highlights:
- 226 members worldwide in 33 countries
- Representing 5 major architectures (Data Center, Collaboration, Enterprise Networks, Security, Internet of Things)
- 5,400 tweets per week on average from the Champions
- Champions drive more than 3M reach/month through initiatives like feedback sessions with Cisco SMEs, podcasts, and blogs
- Cisco Champions have also appeared on many of the Cisco Engineers Unplugged videos
- 48 Cisco Champion Radio episodes to date
- The Champions received a 2013 BAMMIES award for “best content and social engagement in an advocacy program”
Learn more about the Cisco Champions program.