Announcing the Board Advocacy Program
We’re excited to announce the new Board Advocacy Program: community.board.com/advocacy
There’s nothing we love more than hearing from our customers about how Board is impacting their business decisions, so we designed a program to highlight your Board stories and reward you in return. We aim to inspire others through your ideas, promote your brands, and connect you with peers in our growing network.
*Please note that the Advocacy Program is built into the Board Community, so you need to be signed in as a community member to join the program and participate in activities. If you’re not already a member, sign up today *
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
- How do I participate? We have a variety of volunteer opportunities that you can choose from to showcase your Board story; apply for the one(s) that you’re most interested in and we’ll get in touch to discuss next steps for participating.
- How am I rewarded? You are rewarded an amount of points depending on the time and effort that the activity entails. Once you’ve completed the activity, you’ll earn points on your profile which you can redeem for rewards. When you’re interested in redeeming your points for a reward, check your balance to see what you qualify for and submit the reward request from the activity list.
- Is there a limit to my participation? You may participate in multiple activities and repeat your favorites, but please note that your company may only participate in one video case study and one written case study.
- Do my points expire? Your points do not expire. We invite you to redeem your points when you have acquired an amount that you are ready to cash in.
Ready to join? Sign up to become a member today and receive an instant 200 points.
Apply here under the activity called “Apply for the Advocacy Program.
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Within the program we offer a variety of advocacy activities that you can volunteer for. Activities range from things you can do at any time, like sharing a social media post about Board, to things that are set up on a specific day and involve more effort, like a webinar speaking engagement. The opportunities fall into three time commitment categories:
- Under 60 minutes
- Between 1 and 2 hours
- Over 2 hours
The following are the list of activities types that are available for you to apply to at any given time. We’d like to clarify what they entail so you understand what is being asked of you to complete.
- Share on social media (25 points) - If you’re active on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, we encourage you to share a post that mentions your experiences or ideas related to Board software. For example, talk about how Board is being used at your organization and share a specific success story. Make sure to tag Board to get credit for your post. We also encourage you to share the post in your local language; the social platforms will take care of translating it for readers.
- Share a quote about Board (33 points) - Whether you have 5 or 50 words to say about Board, we want to hear them. Your perspective and testimonial of Board is valuable for helping others to gain an understanding of what the Board solution is. We’d like to share your impactful words as a quote on our social channels, website, in presentations, and other public spaces where Board customers engage with us. The quote can capture any moment during your Board journey, from the selection process to benefits realized.
- Leave a review about Board (50 points) - Board is fortunate to have opportunities to be featured on third-party analyst sites (like Gartner) where customers can leave feedback to help prospective customers make purchasing decisions based on real experiences. Each review site collects different information a customer’s experience with the software. If you are interested in leaving a review, the Board team will recommend a specific site to you based on your company’s use case and how it aligns with the site’s content.
- Take a survey about Board (75 points) - Industry analysts host surveys that ask software users to answer questions based on their experience with a specific solution. Surveys vary in terms of the questions and time & effort required, but usually take somewhere between 10 and 40 minutes to complete. The Board team will invite you to participate in a survey that matches your company’s use case and experience.
- Make an internal referral (75 points) - If you know someone inside of your company that works in a different department from you that is not using Board but could benefit from it, we’d love to meet them. By making an internal referral, you will share with Board staff the name and contact information of someone inside of your organization in a different department that doesn't already use Board and could benefit from using the solution. This could be someone that has specifically shared with you that they struggle in their role with things that Board can address and are in search of a solution, or someone that may not even realize they need to make a change but are clearly working in an environment that could be improved with Board. Ask that person if they are comfortable with someone at Board reaching out to them and we'll coordinate the conversation.
- Speak with an analyst (100 points) - Board connects industry analysts with customers to participate in interviews to share about their experience with Board software. The interviews, which usually last no more than 1 hour, are held either at in-person events or over the phone. Customers are matched up with analysts based on criteria such as customer industry and use case. The analyst asks a variety of questions about your experience with Board, and you may answer all that are relevant to your company. Your answers could be anonymously included in analyst reports.
- Be a sales reference (100 points) - In the late stages of an evaluation, a prospective Board customer benefits from having a private conversation with an active Board customer, to learn about the journey in selecting and implementing Board. The Board team will work behind the scenes to match your company and use case to that of a prospective customer, and then we will make an introduction so you and the customer can schedule a time to talk that works for you. Reference calls last between 30 and 60 minutes, in which the prospect will ask several questions to help them decide if Board is the right solution for them.
- Make an external referral (150 points) - If you know someone outside of your company that could benefit from using Board, we’d love to meet them. By making an external referral, you will share with Board staff the name and contact information of someone outside of your organization, such as a professional peer or friend, that could benefit from using Board. This could be someone that has specifically shared with you that they struggle in their role with things that Board can address and are in search of a solution, or someone that may not even realize they need to make a change but are clearly working in an environment that could be improved with Board. Ask that person if they are comfortable with someone at Board reaching out to them and we'll coordinate the conversation.
- Participate as the customer spotlight speaker in a webinar (200 points) - Board hosts webinars regularly that are promoted to our customer base as well as wider community of prospective customers, partners, and industry experts. The customer spotlight speaker is featured on the webinar as a guest speaker and has about 10 minutes of speaking time. These webinars could be a quarterly Customer Connect webinar, a live panel webinar with multiple speakers, or a webinar on a specific topic or Board application in which a customer story is desired.
To prepare for the webinar, you will meet with the Board team to discuss your story where it fits into the agenda, as well as set a date for the webinar. Depending on the type of webinar, you may be asked to prepare a few presentation slides. Before the day of the live webinar, we will do a practice run-through together to ensure you are comfortable. As part of this opportunity, you will also be expected to serve as an available resource for questions at the end of the webinar.
- Collaborate on a press release (200 points) - Board shares different types of news on our website featuring customers, including new customer announcements, project go-live stories, or achievements that our customers have made using Board. We call these announcement press releases, and we invite you to collaborate with us on the release of news about your company. The Board team will reach out to you to learn more about the news, and often a questionnaire is shared with you to gather the necessary details and testimonial. The Board team will also write the press release and request approval from you before publishing to the Board website. You are encouraged to promote the news on your own channels, after it is shared on Board's.
- Participate in a written case study (300 points) - To share customer stories in an informative and interesting way, we collaborate with Board customers to create written case studies about their experiences and share them on our website. To start, you will participate in a virtual interview with Board staff and share details about your company's Board story. The interview typically lasts 60 minutes, during which we run through several questions to gather information about your company's Board story and use case(s). After the discussion, the Board team will use the interview transcription to write a case study that showcases your company and your testimonial. Your company will be asked to review and approve the case study before it is shared on the Board website and social channels. You are encouraged to promote the case study on your company's channels.
- Participate in a video case study (400 points) - To share customer stories in an informative and uniquely engaging way, we collaborate with customers to capture their story in a recorded interview and create a video case study that we share on our website. The recorded interview takes place either at your office or a Board event. In advance of the interview, the Board team will coordinate with you on the details of the interview, including questions to be asked, expectations for the video recording, and the anticipated time requirement. After the interview is complete, Board and the video team (which is usually a third-party company) will work together on producing the video case study. The finished product is usually no more than 5 minutes, and you and your company will be asked to review drafts and provide input. The video will be published on the Board website and promoted on social channels, which we encourage you to share.
- Participate as a lead speaker (400 points) - Board hosts webinars regularly that are promoted to our customer base as well as wider community of prospective customers, partners, and industry experts. The customer lead speaker is featured on a webinar as the primary speaker and leads the direction of the content. Customer-led webinars typically run from 30-60 minutes and focus on a specific topic (like Cloud), Board application, or customer success story.
To prepare for the webinar, you will meet with the Board team to discuss your story and proposed material for the webinar, as well as set a date for the webinar. You will prepare a presentation with slides, screenshots, and any additional visual elements to share. Before the day of the live webinar, we will do a practice run-through together to ensure you are comfortable. As part of this opportunity, you will also be expected to serve as an available resource for questions at the end of the webinar.
- Speak at an event (500 points) - Board hosts events, such as the annual user conference and other events interspersed throughout the year. We also attend third-party sponsored events that are focused on themes, such as IT, Fashion Retail, and more. As an event speaker, you attend either a Board event or third-party sponsored event and present your company's Board story during a designated speaking session. Speaking sessions typically range between 20 and 60 minutes. The theme of the event will inform the content for the presentation, which Board will help you in creating. Leading up to the event, you will meet several times with the Board team to discuss the presentation, review content, and practice for the live event. At the event, there is also usually designated time for live Q&A. Board will cover the event ticket, travel, and accommodation fees for all speakers.