Brand ambassador is a term you’ve likely heard thrown around online, but you may not know exactly what it means.
With businesses moving the focus of their marketing and sales departments to various online platforms, this popular new marketing technique has become available. But what is a brand ambassador, and who can be one?
In simple terms, a brand ambassador is a person who positively influences a company or organization’s image and reputation. This is accomplished online, through the use of social media posts, blog posts, or emails that include photos depicting influencers interacting with the company’s products or testimonials from loyal customers. In essence, brand ambassador programs are word-of-mouth marketing on an internet-sized scale.
Right now, there are two main types of brand ambassadors:
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- Influencers
Influencers are probably the type of brand ambassador with which you are most familiar. These are representatives chosen by the company or organization because of their ability to reflect the brand and reach various audiences. Celebrities have been used in commercial advertising for decades and the same mentality now applies to online personalities with a large following. Influencers include YouTubers, bloggers, and Instagram models. Influencer incentives usually involve an affiliate reward system such as commission fees or free and reduced-price products and services from the company. - Fans
Companies and organizations choose these types of people as brand ambassadors because of their loyalty to their products or cause. Fans generally don’t reach the same size audience as an influencer might, but their content is more effective because it’s authentic, so hesitant customers trust them as a reliable source of information. You can see these brand ambassadors at work in the comments and reviews section on company websites and social media pages.
- Influencers
How can a brand ambassador help grow your business?
Identify profitable ambassadors
The first step is the most important when selecting the right ambassador for your brand. Do your homework, otherwise you could end up losing money.
- Your brand ambassador should be relevant. Don’t get lost in the numbers. Relevancy is far more important than following. Especially if you are a niche brand, your goal is to find a brand ambassador whose social following matches your target audience as closely as possible.
- Credibility is key. You thought first impressions in person were important? Online consumers will give you even less of a chance, so look for someone you respect. Your brand ambassador will be many potential future customers’ first impression of your brand and you don’t want to blow it.
- Don’t forget about budget. A brand ambassador program is a business negotiation like any other and it should be treated as such. Look for ambassadors within your price range who are willing to work for the perks you’re able to provide.
How do I choose the right type of ambassador for my brand?
If you’re thinking about starting a brand ambassador program for your company or organization, it’s important to ask yourself the question; what do I want to achieve? The answer to this question will help you determine the best brand ambassador program for you. There are approximately four identifiable types of brand ambassador programs with plenty of wiggle room in between to customize and suit your needs.
Affiliate marketing programs offer brand ambassadors commission for promoting products or services. One of the most well-known users of affiliate marketing is Amazon. Amazon popularized affiliate marketing by making it easy for bloggers and other content-based websites to earn passive income. All you have to do is drop your personal link in the copy of your page or post and any visitors to your site who complete a purchase using that unique link send a percentage of the sale your way.
For obvious reasons, this brand ambassador program is one of the most popular and widely used among e-commerce brands because it’s so effective. Brand ambassador Instagram accounts are also cropping up at an astounding rate. Instagram took Amazon’s model and applied it to social media. As a photo-sharing platform, brand ambassador Instagram accounts are extremely effective for selling clothing and accessories as well as beauty and healthcare products.
With an affiliate marketing program, you’re outsourcing your marketing department to the entire online community, while incentivizing their efforts with rewards. It’s a classic pay-for-performance brand ambassador program that serves up a win for both brand and affiliate if it’s done right.
Requirements-driven programs are brand ambassadors who work for your company for a set amount of time. These ambassadors are typically well-known online personalities who are rewarded with free products. Sounds like an influencer? The concept is similar, but the difference is the requirements-driven brand ambassador only interacts with your brand until the requirements are met. This makes the requirement-driven arrangement less of a celebrity partnership and more like a brief boost in online engagement.
One of the major benefits of this type of brand ambassador is that in a short amount of time you can drastically increase your ROI while spreading the word to your target audience. Yet another perk is this method also makes it easy to keep an eye on how much you’re spending. With a previously-agreed-upon requirements and reward structure set up, you can control exactly how and where you’re spending your marketing money.
Informal brand ambassador programs, also known as referral marketing, takes one of the oldest marketing methods; word of mouth, and applies it to the wide world of online sales.
Have you ever been offered a percentage off your purchase if you refer a customer? That’s referral marketing at work. Studies have found that referred customers are not only more profitable, they’re also more loyal than non-referred customers. Google Reviews, Amazon, Yelp, and TripAdvisor are among the top business review websites. Facebook and Instagram check-in features allow patrons and their social networks an inside look at a consumer’s experience at various restaurants and event venues through the use of photos and reviews in social media post format.
Are you worried about your company or organization’s online reputation? It can be overwhelming to think about managing your online reputation which is why referral marketing software could be a valuable tool for your business.
Online referral marketing software allows companies to track customer behavior online. Many platforms track a wide variety of online review websites and allow you to respond to your audience not only via your business, but also through direct messaging. Analyze your return on investment and optimize your campaign as needed.
Informal brand ambassadors can use online referral marketing software to provide their family members and friends with customized links, referral codes, and advertisements using e-mails, blogs, and messages. The company then rewards the advocates when a purchase is made using the link.
College campus ambassador programs are an effective way for brands to cut through the noise and target a very specific audience. Building an effective college campus ambassador program is an involved process. For that reason, it’s not as popular as affiliate or informal brand ambassador programs. But a well-planned and organized campus ambassador program creates the potential for great financial success within your business. Here are four tips for starting your own program.
- Choose a campus that fits your brand
If you find a university that receives your brand’s message well, successfully launching your ambassador program will be that much easier. Do your research early. Applicant tracking systems will help you understand where you’re receiving a majority of your ambassador position applications from, then you can focus your efforts accordingly. - Select your subgroup
Finding the right college campus for your ambassador program is only the tip of the iceberg. Look for the students on that campus who embody your company or organization’s vision. Make sure to select students capable of delivering that message. Students active in both academics and extracurricular activities make great brand ambassadors because they have large circles. Consider targeting influential students like club leaders, sorority and fraternity members, and student government participants. - Establish your reputation
Nobody wants to jump on board with a company they’ve never heard of. Most public universities as well as many private colleges put on career and campus activity fairs at the beginning of the fall semester. Reach out early and often to the career development and student advancement office at the college or university you have chosen to pursue. Bring branded materials to events, organize competitions and activities, and advertise brand ambassador positions in various student news outlets. - Use referral marketing
Once you’ve got a few active brand ambassadors, grow your presence on campus by incentivizing others to join. Use your website and social media to make the referral process as user-friendly and painless as possible. Then make sure to reward both parties for their efforts.
Motivate and Empower Your Ambassadors
Regardless of which type of brand ambassador program your business or organization decides to pursue, your ambassador does not work for free.
Incentivize engagement with rewards like free products, tickets to a local event, or free attendance to the next business conference you’re attending. Rewards not only give your brand ambassador something to chase after, it makes them feel like less of an outsider.
The more connected your brand ambassador is with your company or organization, the harder they will work for you.
Watch their engagement and measure effectiveness
Finally, make sure you are accomplishing your goals with your campaign.
A brand ambassador program is not a get rich quick scheme. If you try to treat it as a set-it-and-forget-it marketing solution, you will pay dearly.
Using various forms of ROI software, you can send your ambassador discount codes or referral codes to include in their blog posts, social media posts, and emails. These codes not only steer consumers directly to a purchase point, they provide you and your marketing department with valuable insight. You can measure exactly how much you’re spending versus what you’re earning as a result of your marketing campaign and make adjustments where they’re needed.
According to a Nielsen study conducted in 2015, 84 percent of people trust recommendations from friends, family, and colleagues over any other form of marketing. Brand ambassador programs wield the power of authenticity, so they’re sure to remain a relevant form of product marketing for the foreseeable future.
If it’s done right, your brand ambassador program will be an exciting new way for you to spread the word about your organization or business, boost revenue, and manage your reputation all at once.
