The Advocacy Channel: A Customer Marketing Podcast

Building High-Impact Customer Advisory Boards with Cate Vanasse

Want to build a customer advisory board that actually drives business value? Struggling to figure out where to start or how to prove the ROI? To help, we welcome Cate Vanasse to The Advocacy Channel. Cate leads customer marketing at TalkDesk, where her team's mission is "igniting raving fans, driving growth, and building customers for life."  With extensive experience building and scaling customer advisory boards across multiple companies, Cate shares her practical framework for creating CABs that strengthen relationships, influence revenue, and create real brand advocates. In this episode, Cate walks us through: * How to identify the right CAB members by balancing ideal account logos with the right human personalities in the room * The art of balancing "give vs get" so it doesn't feel transactional * Why in-person meetings matter for executive CABs versus when virtual works better for technical advisory boards Cate also shares insights from TalkDesk's CX Innovators Awards program, including how industry recognition has helped customers get promoted and secure internal resources.  Her closing advice? The best customer marketing programs don't start with a spreadsheet. They start with empathy. Connect with Cate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catevanasse/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/catevanasse/]  Connect with us:  * Get more customer marketing insights and strategies at impact.com/blog/  * Connect with host Will on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wifraser/  * Have a question? Suggestion? Email us at advocacychannel@impact.com  Loving this show? Explore impact.com's other podcasts packed with insights: * The Partnership Economy [https://impact.com/podcasts/the-partnership-economy-podcast/] * The Publisher's Playbook [https://impact.com/podcasts/the-publishers-playbook/]

Product-Led Advocacy with Ashley Stead

Want your referral program to succeed?  Start with the foundation first. Make sure your product infrastructure is solid and can handle growth before you launch. In this episode, we're excited to welcome Ashley Stead, Director, Growth Product at Nesto Group, a leading Canadian tech company building the mortgage ecosystem of the future. With over 15 years of experience spanning product management, UX research, marketing, and operations, Ashley brings a unique full-stack perspective to customer marketing and advocacy initiatives. In this episode, Ashley and our host Will Fraser dive into what it means to think about advocacy as infrastructure rather than one-off campaigns. Ashley shares her framework for creating product-led advocacy programs that integrate seamlessly into the customer journey.  From understanding the "micro-yeses" approach to breaking down complex customer paths, to navigating build vs. buy decisions and fostering collaboration between marketing and development teams, this conversation is packed with practical insights. In this episode, you'll discover: How to map customer journeys and identify the right moments for advocacy messaging without competing with other business priorities.  * The framework for deciding when to build custom solutions versus buying existing platforms, and how to create hybrid approaches.  * Strategies for empowering marketing teams to move quickly while keeping technical infrastructure robust and scalable.  * The importance of breaking down big conversions into micro-yeses and understanding the data behind each step.  * How to use AI tools and prompts to become more full-stack in your marketing role, even without technical resources. Listen to this episode to hear more about how infrastructure thinking can transform your advocacy programs and help you avoid the common mistakes marketers make with referral programs.  Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-stead/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-stead/] AI prompt from Ashley: The Advocacy Channel | Season 2 Episode 9 AI Prompt [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z5pnJJTBbRiK9952q67UdczLoeaeEOXG5BP93_QcX40/edit?tab=t.0] Connect with us:  * Get more customer marketing insights and strategies at impact.com/blog/  * Connect with host Will on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wifraser/  * Have a question? Suggestion? Email us at advocacychannel@impact.com  Loving this show? Explore impact.com's other podcasts packed with insights: * The Partnership Economy [https://impact.com/podcasts/the-partnership-economy-podcast/] * The Publisher's Playbook [https://impact.com/podcasts/the-publishers-playbook/]

Breaking Marketing Silos with Yulia Shilkina

In this episode of The Advocacy Channel, we're excited to welcome Yulia Shilkina from Gen3 Marketing, a leading performance marketing agency in the affiliate marketing space.   In this episode, Yulia reveals how the lines between customers, influencers, and affiliates are blurring—and why that's creating unprecedented opportunities for authentic advocacy. You'll discover:   * How to identify and activate customers who are already creating organic content about your brand * The hidden metrics like saves and shares that reveal which customers are your true brand champions * Why treating influencer and affiliate as one connected ecosystem captures more value than managing them as separate channels   Yulia shares insights on creating a unified partner ecosystem where customer advocacy fuels creator content, influencer partnerships drive discovery, and affiliate programs capture conversions. Learn why the most successful brands treat these channels as interconnected parts of the modern buyer journey rather than isolated channels.   Connect with us: * Send us an email at advocacychannel@impact.com * Visit us at impact.com/blog/ [http://impact.com/blog/]   Connect with Yulia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yulia-shilkina/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yulia-shilkina/]  Learn more about Gen3 Marketing: https://gen3marketing.com/ [https://gen3marketing.com/]    Loving this show? Explore impact.com's other podcasts packed with insights: * The Partnership Economy [https://impact.com/podcasts/the-partnership-economy-podcast/] * The Publisher's Playbook [https://impact.com/podcasts/the-publishers-playbook/]

Air Canada Aeroplan Insights with Andrew Noonan

In this episode of The Advocacy Channel, we're excited to welcome Andrew Noonan, who oversees Aeroplan's e-store, partnerships, and gift card programs at Air Canada. With over 15 years of experience in loyalty and payments, Andrew brings unique insights into creating meaningful customer engagement beyond traditional points collection. Join us as we dive deep into the evolving world of loyalty programs and uncover strategies that transform how brands think about customer relationships. Andrew shares his expertise on: * Building trust through transparent tracking and clear communication with members * Creating "everyday relevancy" by integrating loyalty programs into customers' daily lives * Leveraging family sharing features to increase engagement and redemption rates Andrew emphasizes the importance of understanding your shared customer's entire journey: "If you're going to partner with a loyalty program, you need to understand the fundamentals because your customer is a part of that program." Connect with Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewnoonan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewnoonan/] Connect with us: * Send us an email at advocacychannel@impact.com [advocacychannel@impact.com] * Visit us at impact.com/blog/ [https://impact.com/blog/] Loving this show? Explore impact.com [http://impact.com/]'s other podcasts packed with insights: * The Partnership Economy [https://impact.com/podcasts/the-partnership-economy-podcast/] * The Publisher's Playbook [https://open.spotify.com/show/3k86drzAfplvXmXfvKlkZ3?si=da07d0045ff0444f]

Customer Feedback as Business Driver with Katlin Hess, Director of Customer Marketing at G2

In this episode of The Advocacy Channel, we're excited to welcome Katlin Hess, Director of Customer Marketing at G2, who brings a unique perspective from both sides of the customer relationship.   Join us as Katlin Hess, Director of Customer Marketing at G2, shares her journey from being a G2 customer to leading their customer marketing efforts. Discover how G2 has transformed customer feedback into a strategic business driver, with 90% of their revenue team actively using customer stories to drive deals forward. Katlin reveals powerful strategies for:   Building a searchable AI library of customer proof points that spans case studies, call recordings, and reviews Creating a unified customer communication strategy by auditing and aligning cross-functional touchpoints Measuring the real revenue impact of customer advocacy programs beyond activity metrics   Katlin emphasizes that successful customer marketing is all about relationships, both with your customers and internally across teams. Learn how to make customer voice truly heard throughout your organization and turn customer feedback into your most powerful business asset. Connect with us: Send us an email at advocacychannel@impact.com [advocacychannel@impact.com]  Visit us at impact.com/blog/ [http://impact.com/blog/]  Connect with Katlin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katlinhess/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katlinhess/]   Loving this show? Explore impact.com [http://impact.com/]'s other podcasts packed with insights: * The Partnership Economy [https://impact.com/podcasts/the-partnership-economy-podcast/] * The Publisher's Playbook [https://open.spotify.com/show/3k86drzAfplvXmXfvKlkZ3?si=da07d0045ff0444f]