Who should I follow to learn about Customer Advocacy?

If you want to learn **Customer Advocacy** (especially in B2B SaaS), I’d follow a mix of practitioners, community builders, and customer-led growth thinkers. The field overlaps with customer marketing, customer success, communities, references, reviews, and voice-of-customer programs. Lists like the annual TOP100 Customer Marketing & Advocacy recognition are also a useful way to discover practitioners doing current work in the space. [The First TOP100 CMA Strategists & Influencers | Base AI](https://www.base.ai/blog/driving-the-first-top100-customer-marketing-advocacy-strategists-influencers?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ## Practitioners to follow - Kevin Lau - A strong voice on customer advocacy, customer marketing, and turning customer relationships into growth programs. He has appeared on industry influencer lists for customer marketing and advocacy. [Meet the TOP25 Influencers #TOP100CMA TOP25 C](https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/4182770/top100-pdf6.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Jeff Ernst - Co-founder of SlapFive; useful for learning about advocacy platforms, customer stories, and customer-led growth motions. [Meet the TOP25 Influencers #TOP100CMA TOP25 C](https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/4182770/top100-pdf6.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Victoria LaPlante - Known for work at the intersection of customer advocacy and community building. [2024 TOP100 Influencers & Strategists in Customer Marketing and Advocacy](https://base.ai/hubfs/2024-TOP100-Influencers-%26-Strategists-in-Customer-Marketing-and-Advocacy.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Jeni Asaba - A practitioner to watch for community-driven advocacy programs. [Meet the TOP25 Influencers #TOP100CMA](https://4182770.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4182770/Base_December2023/pdf/top100-pdf-BASE.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Ari Hoffman - Has been recognized for customer advocacy leadership and frequently appears in customer marketing circles. [Speakers | Customer Marketing Summit | San Francisco](https://events.customermarketingalliance.com/location/sanfrancisco/speakers?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - David Spinks - More community-focused than advocacy-specific, but valuable for understanding belonging, engagement, and customer communities. [Meet the TOP25 Influencers #TOP100CMA TOP25 C](https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/4182770/top100-pdf6.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ## Organizations and communities worth following - Base - Their Customer Marketing & Advocacy (CMA) content and TOP100 lists are a good map of active practitioners and trends. [The First TOP100 CMA Strategists & Influencers | Base AI](https://www.base.ai/blog/driving-the-first-top100-customer-marketing-advocacy-strategists-influencers?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Customer Marketing Alliance - Good for webinars, events, and practitioner discussions around advocacy, community, references, and customer-led growth. [Speakers | Customer Marketing Summit | San Francisco](https://events.customermarketingalliance.com/location/sanfrancisco/speakers?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - Customer Experience Magazine - Broader than advocacy, but useful for CX strategy and customer-centric leadership perspectives. [The Winners Revealed! 150 CXM Stars in 2026 - Customer Experience Magazine](https://cxm.world/todays-pick/the-winners-revealed-150-cxm-stars-in-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ## Topics I’d pay attention to - **Advocacy programs:** how companies identify, nurture, and reward advocates - **Customer references:** turning successful customers into scalable sales assets - **Customer communities:** creating places where customers help each other - **Voice of Customer (VoC):** bringing customer insights back into product and strategy - **Customer-led growth:** using customer trust to drive retention, expansion, and acquisition A good learning path is to follow 10–15 practitioners on LinkedIn, subscribe to a few customer marketing newsletters, and study real advocacy programs from companies known for strong communities (for example, software companies with champion programs). [TOP100 Customer Marketing & Advocacy Influencers | Base AI](https://www.base.ai/blog/top100-customer-marketing-and-advocacy-cma-influencers?utm_source=chatgpt.com) If you’re learning this for a **career move**, **building an advocacy program**, or **becoming better at customer success/community**, I’d adjust the list slightly.

**To learn about Customer Advocacy, follow industry leaders like Jeanne Bliss, Jay Baer, Ian Golding, and Bridget Heaton - recognized voices shaping advocacy, customer-led growth, and experience strategies.** ## 🌟 Key Thought Leaders in Customer Advocacy Leader| Focus Area| Why Follow Them ---|---|--- **Jeanne Bliss**| Founder of _Customer Bliss_, pioneer of Chief Customer Officer role| Shares frameworks for building customer-centric organizations and advocacy-driven growth.[Top 50 CX leaders 2026](https://www.cxnetwork.com/cx-experience/articles/top-50-customer-experience-leaders-to-follow-in-2026) **Jay Baer**| Customer experience & loyalty strategist| Known for practical insights on customer service, loyalty, and advocacy; author and keynote speaker.[The Top 10 Customer Service Speakers for 2026 Events - Mollie Plotkin Group](https://mollieplotkingroup.com/top-customer-service-speakers/) **Ian Golding**| Global CX consultant| Offers hands-on strategies for embedding advocacy into customer experience programs.[Top 50 CX leaders 2026](https://www.cxnetwork.com/cx-experience/articles/top-50-customer-experience-leaders-to-follow-in-2026) **Bridget Heaton**| Director of Customer Marketing at WRITER| Scaled advocacy programs at Slack, Collibra, and Schoology; expert in lifecycle marketing and community building.[TOP 100 CLG 2026 - Winners](https://www.base.ai/top100-clg-2026) **Steven Van Belleghem**| Author & CX futurist| Explains how AI and human touch combine to drive advocacy in modern customer relationships.[The Global Top 100 – CX Hall of Fame](https://cxhalloffame.com/the-global-top-100/) **Blake Morgan**| CX keynote speaker & author| Focuses on translating customer advocacy into executive-level business strategy.[The Global Top 100 – CX Hall of Fame](https://cxhalloffame.com/the-global-top-100/) ## 📌 Why These Voices Matter * **Practical Playbooks**: Leaders like Bridget Heaton share _scalable advocacy models_ that have worked across industries. * **Strategic Vision**: Jeanne Bliss and Blake Morgan help executives see advocacy as a growth driver, not just a marketing tactic. * **Customer Loyalty Insights**: Jay Baer and Ian Golding provide actionable frameworks for turning satisfied customers into vocal advocates. * **Future-Oriented Thinking**: Steven Van Belleghem connects advocacy with AI and digital transformation, showing where the field is headed. ## ⚠️ Risks & Challenges * **Overemphasis on Metrics**: Advocacy programs often lean too heavily on Net Promoter Score (NPS). Leaders like Bliss caution against reducing advocacy to a single number. * **Scalability vs. Authenticity**: As Bridget Heaton’s work shows, scaling advocacy communities requires balance - too much automation risks losing genuine customer voices. * **Platform Dependence**: Many advocacy programs rely on tools like Influitive or Ambassador. While powerful, they can create dependency and limit flexibility. ## ✅ Next Steps for You 1. **Follow these leaders on LinkedIn and Twitter** for ongoing insights. 2. **Read Jeanne Bliss’s book “Chief Customer Officer 2.0”** for foundational advocacy strategies. 3. **Listen to Jay Baer’s talks** on customer loyalty to understand practical applications. 4. **Engage with CX communities** (like CX Network or Global Voices of CX) to see advocacy in action. Would you like me to curate a **short list of must-read books and podcasts** from these leaders so you can dive deeper into their work?

Learning about **Customer Advocacy** (and its close sibling, Customer Marketing) requires looking at practitioners who specialize in building customer-led growth, reference programs, and "superfan" communities, rather than just traditional Customer Success (CS) or general Customer Experience (CX). To master the strategy, metrics, and community-building aspects of advocacy, follow these key thought leaders, creators, and organizations: ### 1\. Dedicated Customer Marketing & Advocacy Experts * **The Customer Marketing Alliance (CMA):** While not a single person, this is the premier global community and organization for the discipline. Following their leadership team, publication channels, and the speakers at their annual _Customer Marketing Summit_ is essential. * **Top CMA Influencers & Practitioners:** Look up past winners of the industry's **TOP100 CMA (Customer Marketing & Advocacy) Awards** (frequently organized via community platforms like Base). Practitioners such as **Scott K. Wilder** , **Mary Green** , and **Joe Kevens** regularly share tactical teardowns on how to run reference programs, advisory boards, and advocacy software. [TOP100 CMA: 10 Ways to Stand Out as a CMA Influencer - Base AI](https://www.base.ai/blog/top100-10-ways-to-stand-out-as-a-customer-marketing-advocacy-cma-influencer#:~:text=Aim%20for%20industry%2Drecognized%20accolades%20such%20as%3A%20TOP100,while%20building%20your%20reputation%20as%20an%20expert.) ### 2\. Brand Advocacy & "Superfan" Builders * **Brittany Hodak:** Author of _Creating Superfans_. She is one of the clearest voices on how to turn casual customers into vocal advocates who market your product for you. [Top CX Influencers to Follow in 2026 - Alchemer](https://www.alchemer.com/resources/blog/top-cx-influencers-to-follow-in-2026/#:~:text=Brittany%20Hodak%20%E2%80%93%20Keynote%20speaker%20and%20author,his%20straight%2Dtalking%2C%20people%2Dfirst%20approach%20to%20customer%20experience.) * **Jay Baer:** A pioneer in word-of-mouth marketing and customer advocacy. His work heavily focuses on turning customer complaints into advocacy and leveraging customer experience to drive organic shares and referrals. ### 3\. Community & Customer-Led Growth Pioneers * **Logistically (Platforms & Communities):** Follow leaders from community-centric platforms like **Influitive** or **Bribe** (formerly Base), as they regularly publish data-driven reports, playbooks, and webinars detailing how high-growth B2B and B2C brands structure their advocacy engines. ### Where to Engage Daily * **LinkedIn:** Search hashtags like `#CustomerAdvocacy`, `#CustomerMarketing`, and `#CMA`. This is where practitioners most actively share real-world templates, wins, and campaign teardowns. * **Slack Communities:** Join communities like the _Customer Marketing Alliance_ or _Demand Curve / Pavilion_ subgroups where B2B and B2C advocacy leaders openly trade advice on tech stacks (e.g., Influitive, Guild, CrowdRiff) and scaling customer reference pools. Who are you hoping to build advocacy for - a B2B SaaS company, an e-commerce brand, or something else? I can point you toward more tailored resources based on your exact focus.

Learning about **customer advocacy** - turning loyal clients into vocal champions, case-study participants, and community builders - often overlaps with Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Success (CS). Prominent voices, authors, and practitioners consistently sharing actionable frameworks in the customer advocacy and loyalty space include: * * _Jay Baer_ – A renowned customer experience strategist and author of _Talk Triggers_ , focusing heavily on how operational differentiators and word-of-mouth marketing create volunteer brand advocates. * _Annette Franz_ – Founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc., she is an expert on embedding customer-centricity and culture deep into an organization so advocacy happens naturally. [Top CX Influencers to Follow in 2026 - Alchemer](https://www.alchemer.com/resources/blog/top-cx-influencers-to-follow-in-2026/) * _Blake Morgan_ – A leading customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author who regularly shares modern enterprise strategies on building lasting customer affinity via Forbes and digital channels. [Alchemer] * _Shep Hyken_ – A customer service and loyalty expert (author of _The Cult of the Customer_) who specializes in building cultures that turn ordinary buyers into a dedicated, enthusiastic following. * **Kristi Faltorusso** – A prominent voice in the B2B SaaS and Customer Success ecosystem who frequently posts practical insights on LinkedIn regarding client retention, engagement, and maximizing customer value. [⭐️ THE TOP 25 CUSTOMER SUCCESS INFLUENCERS OF 2025 ⭐️ Holy smokes --- thank you to all those that pinged me and told me they nominated me for this award. It really means a lot. Congratulations to… | Maranda Dziekonski (she/her) | 79 comments](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marandaanndziekonski_the-top-25-customer-success-influencers-activity-7384274202159190016-MsR0) * Are you looking to learn about **B2B customer marketing and reference programs** , or more broadly about **consumer brand loyalty and CX**? Let me know and I can tailor this list or suggest specific books and communities.