Most people are familiar with influencer marketing—the concept of using popular social media influencers to help promote your business. Working with influencers can sometimes be beyond a small business’s budget. That’s where brand advocates come in. What are brand advocates? Brand advocates differ from influencers in several important ways. The influencer’s goal in promoting your product or service is to make money for themselves or grow their follower/fan base. The relationship is transactional: If you stop paying them, they stop promoting you—it’s that simple. Brand advocates, however, aren’t in it for the money. They’re regular customers who want to tell