This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Brenda Barron
You can never discount the importance of a good brand. After all, branding is what makes your business identifiable to the general public. It separates your design studio from every other design studio.
Branding is a lot like window dressing, but substantive aspects of your company factor into what makes up your brand, too. Like a good product. Or a reputation for delivering awesome customer service.
But how can you get the word out about your company's brand in such a way that actually resonates with your target audience? The answer is by using brand ambassadors.
But what is a brand ambassador? This tutorial will give you all the information and resources you need to start a brand ambassador program in your company.
Now, let's begin!
What is a brand ambassador?
A brand ambassador is, basically, the ultimate form of "word of mouth" advertising. It's a person who represents your company in public and talks about your products or services in such a way that it makes other people want to be customers.
Those in this role are product experts and act as the go-to resource within companies for information and outreach. When executed well, a brand ambassador program can dramatically increase brand awareness and help increase your customer base.
Brand ambassadors often take on a variety of tasks. These will vary depending on if they are officially on staff or members of your enthusiastic fan base.
Typically, you can find brand ambassadors:
- actively promoting your products or services to their friends and family
- building a relatable "face" for your company
- serving as an extension of customer service
- developing creative ways to expand company outreach
- engaging and boosting your social media profiles
Are these programs effective?
On the whole? Yes. Brand ambassadors are definitely effective at building interest in your company.
And sure, a standard marketing campaign could do this as well, but having real-life humans advocating on your company's behalf yields a unique set of benefits. A brand ambassador program is effective because:
1. It comes across as more genuine than traditional marketing
It all comes down to the human face element. The best marketing plan in the world can fall flat if it doesn't appeal to people and doesn't feel genuine.
According to Matter Communications' research, 69% of consumers are likely to trust recommendations from friends, family, or influencers over the information coming directly from a brand.
Authenticity is everything, so using brand ambassadors gives your company a definite edge in that regard.
2. Your target market doesn't feel talked at (or down to)
Brand ambassadors humanize your company. Giving a literal human face to your brand means prospective customers can relate with you on a more personal level and that can drive sales.
3. Younger generations know when they're being marketed to
Millennials and Gen-Z customers have a keen eye for marketing tactics. After all, they either grew up in the mid-80s to early 90s or in the booming era of digitalization. They can rattle off advertising jingles like it's nothing.
That familiarity with marketing means the old tricks don't work anymore. Companies have to get very creative to stay competitive. That's why brand ambassadors can help your business talk to a public that finds them appealing.
4. It expands your company's reach
Social media is a major player in the modern online marketing strategy. In fact, according to the 5WPR 2024 Consumer Culture Report, 67% of Gen-Z shoppers say that being informed by user-generated content on social media is what they most associate with word-of-mouth marketing.
Having dedicated advocates consistently engaging in these networks means your brand gets a wider audience and you stand to expand reach.
Brand ambassador programs in action
One of the best ways to understand the role brand ambassadors play in marketing strategy is by example. So before we talk about strategy integration specifics, let's look at a brand ambassadorship program in the wild.
A great example is Sony, specifically the Sony Alpha camera brand. The photography giant embraces social media, its customers, and photography professionals to create an environment that promotes building of community through the love for the craft.
These efforts turn customers and seasoned photographers into brand ambassadors at the same time.
Both beginners and experienced photographers are encouraged to be creative and show off exactly what role their Sony Alpha cameras play in their creative processes. Sony Alpha fosters an environment that creates advocates who in turn create customers, who then become advocates, and so on.
The brand ambassador's role in a marketing strategy
Brand ambassadors can play a major role in marketing strategy. And when a program works well, it can just about take over the strategy as a whole. Here's a brief summary of brand ambassadors' primary responsibilities:
1. Acts as a spokesperson (but not really)
Some companies hire professional brand ambassadors, which are really just glorified spokespeople. And while part of the ambassador's job is to act as spokesperson, there is more to it than that.
2. Offers a chance to connect directly with potential customers
Brand advocates are down on the ground with customers and can engage with them one-on-one. And while some adherence to a set of brand guidelines is essential, the majority of the conversations can be informal and authentic.
3. Works as a social media power user
Some brand ambassadors spread the word about a company face-to-face at events. However, more often than not, the day-to-day hustle of brand ambassador programs happens online.
Advocates must be well-versed in all the major social networks if they're going to be effective at promoting your business.
How to create a brand ambassador program
Should you decide using brand ambassadors is a good idea for your brand, you can implement a program fairly simply. Here's how:
1. Ask for customer feedback
Ambassadors are all about the customer, so why leave this to guesswork? Ask your current customers what they want to see more of in terms of content and interaction.
With this information in mind, you can custom-build a brand ambassador program that suits the needs of your customers while boosting your reputation at the same time.
2. Develop a must-have list
If you're aiming to use professional ambassadors, make sure you put together a list of attributes all potential candidates must possess before you begin the hiring process.
This list will vary by brand, of course, but it can include things like the number of social media followers each candidate has, previous experience managing brand identities, and reputation.
3. Tap into your staff first
Do you have a larger business with hired employees? More often than not, the best brand ambassador programs are born out of a company's existing employees and collaborators.
If you have a great company culture and encourage creativity, you can get a lot out of a staff-based ambassador program. Your employees have a vested interest in your brand doing well, first of all. And second, they are going to be the most familiar with your products or services.
But it's not enough to just expect your staff to start posting about how awesome your company is and to expect results. You need to offer structure.
The process of creating this structure for employee brand ambassadors is twofold:
Step 1. Build a set of brand guidelines
I've already touched on this above, but it bears repeating. Creating guidelines for how you expect your employee brand ambassadors to act online is essential for maintaining consistency across all platforms in voice, style, and content.
Step 2. Incentivize your employees' efforts
Even though many enthusiastic employees will likely advocate on your behalf for free, it's always a good idea to offer some kind of incentive for their hard work. Think of them as potential employee influencers.
They can benefit in many forms from assuming this role: from free products and discounts to unique perks.
Keep in mind, though, that while employee brand ambassadors are great, not all of your advocates work for your business. In fact, it's a good idea to tap into your fanbase as well to round out your representation.
4. Create brand advocates from fans
Now it's time to tap into your fan base. This customer advocacy will naturally occur to an extent.
Think about how when you use a product in your own life. When you like it, it's only natural for you to share your love for it with your friends and family, right? You might snap a photo of a product you like to share it on your story or text it to your friends.
The key to harnessing the power of your biggest fans and leveling up the results of your brand ambassador program is to incentivize their efforts through free products, perks, and other benefits.
Finding advocates isn't all that difficult. You just need to know where to look, so try adding a section on your website where your customers can register. Spread the word in your marketing newsletters, or post about it on social media.
Then, it's time to put an actual plan in place.
Give them incentives and, again, guidelines
Brand advocates who are fans should be provided with a set of guidelines, too, since how they conduct themselves online will be a direct representation of your brand.
For instance, you might not want an ambassador to throw expletives around when referring to your company—even if what they're saying is positive. Set some ground rules upfront so everyone knows what to expect and you don't do any accidental damage to your company's reputation.
You also need to show you value them. Offer your product for free and include perks whenever possible. Treat them as good as—and in some cases, even better than—your very best customers.
Another great way to ensure brand ambassador programs gain traction quickly is to ask fans to contribute to your blog and social feeds. Real voices resonate.
You can see examples of our very own featured Envato Authors on our Author Stories Archive. One of them is Kait Kenobi, a brand strategist and designer who has built a passive income stream and owned her creative freedom by becoming an Author on Envato.
Giving fans a place to share their stories with your products or services lends authenticity to your website and helps prospects put themselves in the ambassador's shoes. And that, in turn, increases sales.
Start your brand ambassador program
After reading this tutorial, you now have a clear idea of what brand ambassadors are. You know how you can utilize them as an integral part of your marketing strategy, and you're armed with a path to getting started.
Begin with small steps and incrementally improve your program over time. Though setup might appear daunting, just remember: ambassadors are really just your most loyal employees and customers. They want to get the word out about you, so isn't it time you empower them?
This content originally appeared on Envato Tuts+ Tutorials and was authored by Brenda Barron
Brenda Barron | Sciencx (2016-02-24T00:55:46+00:00) What is a brand ambassador? (Tips + real-life examples). Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2016/02/24/what-is-a-brand-ambassador-tips-real-life-examples/
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