Evangelists

Evangelists are a trusted source to spread the word

There have  been many articles on working to create a sort of super customer or evangelist to promote your efforts.  I view evangelists as slightly different, though there is no bright, clear line. I view the traditional evangelist as a word of mouth effort, and for the sake of this blog, define evangelist as someone who is outside of your organization, who has a large following, and is excited about your product.  The person could be a blogger, writer, reporter, athlete, actor, politician etc... inside or out of your industry, who genuinely feels passionate about your offering.

Three reasons to develop evangelists:


1. Exposure to large existing audiences

The first reason to develop evangelists is because they have developed large existing audiences already so the exposure they bring to you and your company is immediately heard by many people who already have an affinity for you through the evangelist.  This is no small feat, consider what we are talking about: The ability to address hundreds, thousands, even millions of people who are interested in you for almost no cost.  There are not many advertising sources that have a profile like that.
 
2. Trusted source gets quick buy in from their audience

Because the evangelist has developed followers apart from you their opinions and endorsements are trusted and achieve quick buy in from their audience. It should be organic and quite apart from traditional advertising. There is a place for endorsement deals, but it should be understood that the effectiveness of the endorsement will be determined by how genuine it feels. 

3. Experts bring expert knowledge

A great benefit is that experts bring expert knowledge in their field and can a great source of input and ideas.