The Power of Advocacy: How Relationships Built the Foundation of Link Creative
By Lorenzo Costa, CEO of Link Creative
When we first launched Link Creative, we didn’t have a massive ad budget or a viral campaign ready to go. What we had was trust.
Trust from friends. Trust from clients. Trust from people who believed in what we were building before it even had a name.
In the early days of any business, your most powerful marketing tool isn’t a social post or a Google ad—it’s people. Your network. Your advocates. The ones who share your work, speak your name in rooms you haven’t entered, and bet on your vision before the world sees its value.
And for us at Link Creative, those advocates didn’t just support our launch—they were our growth strategy.
Advocacy Is the Foundation, Not the Add-On
Many companies treat advocacy like a bonus—something that might happen if everything else goes well. We flipped that thinking on its head. From day one, we treated advocacy as our core engine.
We asked:
- Who already believes in what we do?
- How can we empower them to share our story?
- What can we do to show appreciation for their referrals and loyalty?
This mindset turned into momentum. Internal relationships within our network led to creative collaborations, warm introductions, and long-term retainer clients. That trust, built over time, was more effective than any cold campaign we could have run.
Referrals Are a Strategy—Not a Fluke
Too many agencies wait for referrals to “just happen.” But if you want advocacy to scale with you, you have to design for it. Here’s how we approached it:
- Make it easy to refer you — Give your network the language to describe what you do. Equip them with clear outcomes, case studies, and social proof they can pass along.
- Deliver results that inspire sharing — When your work overdelivers, people want to talk about it. Build processes that make excellence repeatable.
- Show gratitude consistently — Whether through thank-you notes, revenue share, or public appreciation, rewarding your advocates makes the relationship feel mutual and valued.
At Link Creative, we didn’t see referrals as favors. We saw them as earned trust.
The Brand Is Bigger Than the Logo
When people refer to Link Creative, they’re not just promoting a service—they’re advocating for an ecosystem. A way of working. A set of standards. That’s where brand becomes so much more than visuals—it becomes reputation.
Our team obsesses over clarity, creativity, and care. That consistency has become recognizable, even when our logo isn’t in the room.
What This Means for Founders Building Now
If you’re building something new, start with who’s already in your corner. Build for them. Empower them to spread your message. Don’t underestimate the long-term value of relationships you may already have access to.
In a world of infinite ads, automation, and AI, human trust is still the most powerful form of distribution.
So if you’re launching, scaling, or even rebranding—ask yourself:
Who believes in me right now, and how can I build momentum with them?
