• Forbes CMO Network, Wednesday, July 14, 2010 12 PM

Web customer strategist Jeremiah Owyang, a partner at Altimeter Group, offers a five-point plan for developing customer advocacy program that, he says, will yield a "low-cost trusted unpaid army" of folks promoting your brand. "Focus on building a long-term relationship with customer advocates who are an extension of your authentic brand," he writes.

Start by assigning a staff member to manage the program on a part-time basis. Then, find the right advocates to represent your brand. They're probably already out there; just look at existing blogs and Facebook pages.

Invite the people you find to your headquarters and start to build a relationship, as Wal-Mart has done with its Elevenmoms program. Enable and support your advocates with badges, T-shirts and business cards, but don't pay them. Finally, following the lead of Lego, integrate them into your existing events, product launches and even planning meetings.

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