Scaling Customer Advocacy with the Right Support

Customer advocacy program launch and scalability concept with rocket and team support.

With so many customer marketing-focused conferences just around the corner, we thought it would be a perfect time to share a conversation we had at a recent gathering with a client of ours! At a recent customer marketing conference, advocacy leaders addressed one of the biggest challenges in the field: scaling programs without simply adding more headcount. One advocacy manager shared how their team managed 70–80 reference requests per month and why bringing in outside expertise was a turning point.

What challenges led you to seek customer marketing support?

"Our team was handling a high volume of reference requests, and we needed a way to scale efficiently. We couldn’t just keep adding people to manage demand—we needed a smarter way to structure our program."

How did external customer marketing support from Referential help?

"Expert guidance provided a roadmap for sustainable growth, helping us implement processes that reduced our operational burden while improving efficiency. The additional resources also allowed us to focus on more strategic initiatives."

What improvements have you seen?

"We reduced our workload by 15%, which freed up time for proactive customer engagement. The program also became more scalable and data-driven."

What advice would you give to others considering a customer marketing agency?

"Define success metrics upfront. Even a short-term engagement can provide the data you need to justify long-term investment in advocacy."

Final Thoughts

This story is a reminder that scaling advocacy isn’t just about doing more, but instead is about doing it smarter. With the right strategy, even a high-demand program can be optimized for long-term growth.


Ryan Quackenbush, Principal

Ryan is a Principal at Referential Inc., where he helps organizations design and scale customer advocacy/marketing and reference-management programs. With experience spanning VC-backed tech startups, open-source communities and enterprise advocacy agencies, Ryan brings strategic insight and operational smarts to the customer-led-growth space. Recognised as a Top 100 CMA Influencer & Strategist, he holds certifications including CCAP II, Certified AdvocateHub Associate andAdvocate Marketing Certification.

Ryan has been published in academic and creative venues, is a BAMMIE finalist for overall advocate experience, and even has credits on 12+ music albums.

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryansquackenbush/
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