A version of this post appeared over on the Upward Labs blog.

My startup, Upward Labs, creates software for brand ambassador programs, so we’re always interested in successful advocate programs that exist out there in the world, in any industry. I spoke with Evan Jacobs, the Customer Alignment & Experience Program Manager at Rapid7, who gave us an excellent overview of a successful and growing B2B program. Whether you’re B2C or B2B, there’s plenty to be learned from Evan’s take on the creation and growth of Rapid7’s program over the last couple of years.

Rapid7 is a rapidly growing IT security data and analytic solutions company that’s based here in our hometown of Boston. Today, the program is called Rapid7 Voice and encompasses approximately 400 advocates (and growing), with an emphasis on helping them become “security heroes.” Hey, who wouldn’t want to be a hero at work and in their own professional community?

The advocate program started at a time when the company was shifting from a 2 product company to a true portfolio company. Evan told me they are committed to “putting the customer at the center of what we do” and the advocate program is at the heart of this. The company already had lots of champions and advocates in its customer base, but the “engine” to help find, engage and develop these advocates was not yet in place. It needed to formalize mechanisms to continuously solicit and integrate customer feedback and create an even more customer-driven culture.

The team put together a Design Partner Program for a brand-new product they were planning to bring to market, comprised of early adopters and advocates. This Program was critically important, as it enabled the company to successfully pivot the product direction during its early days in development, heavily driven by real-world feedback from its advocates. They iterated with customers, had phone calls, white-boarded, and above all, they listened. This listening was key to ultimately being in a position to launch a product that directly met our customers’ needs.

The ideal advocate

Evan recognizes that no two customers use Rapid7’s solutions in exactly the same way, in exactly the same environment. Every customer is an amazing source of insight and a unique perspective that he wants to hear. So essentially every customer is the ideal advocate, and Evan welcomes the chance to work with them.

Be committed

As Evan said, “It takes commitment. This cannot just be the flavor of the month.” If you decide you’re going to run an advocate program, make sure that your company is truly committed to it. It cannot just be some big idea that people are excited about, but then no one is actually devoted to making it happen. It’s a great thing to invite feedback from your customers, but remember that you actually have to listen to them and be prepared to follow through on their ideas and suggestions.

Truly valuable product and marketing activities

In the Rapid7 programs, advocates get as involved as they want, and as their time allows, as these are busy security professionals with important jobs. Rapid7 is careful to not ask too much of customers and to escalate the asks only if it seems like a good fit. These asks could involve everything from:

• giving an hour phone call of feedback about a product
• offering several months of giving product feedback
• participating in on-site visits
• giving user experience feedback
• battle testing new marketing
• attending a roadshow
• helping to shape the agenda for a conference or summit
• speaking at a conference
• giving a video testimonial
• beta testing a new product certification program

So, the next time you’re stuck on ideas for how to engage your ambassadors, look no further than the list above. The right customers really will advocate on your behalf.

What’s the secret?

Program participants love the program. In fact, 92% of Rapid7 Voice participants plan to continue to actively engage in the program. When you have approximately 400 participants in the program (and growing) those are some pretty good and vocal numbers.

It sounds like Rapid7’s real key to success is its ability to really celebrate its customers. For a security analyst who’s stuck behind a desk dealing with critical company issues, being celebrated as a “security hero” within their company or their industry is an amazing thing. No matter what type of brand you are, making your customers feel appreciated is never a bad idea.

What’s next?

As we always hear, Evan indicated that being able to more effectively measure is key. Rapid7 has some great stats on Net Promoter Score and Customer Satisfaction Score, but they’re always looking for additional ways to determine how influential the program is for its business.

The company will also continue to expand and invest in the program, to make it more diverse and more international.

As Evan said, as a company, it’s either in your DNA or it’s not, but a program like this is not something you can fake.

Find out more about how Rapid7 structures its successful advocate program here.

If you’re interested in learning more about running a successful ambassador program, whether you’re B2B or B2c, reach out to @arrobbins or updates@upwardlabs.com.