A brand ambassador has the power to elevate a brand across multiple social channels. They do this through the genuine endorsement of a company's services or products. By talking about brands on their socials, an ambassador amplifies word-of-mouth marketing.
In 2023, it's easier than ever to build an influential online persona. TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube provide anyone with the tools to become an international celebrity. And we're at an all-time high for people partnering with their favourite brands to create promotional content. Today, everyone can be a brand ambassador.
But the fact that everyone can create content for brands doesn't mean everyone is good at it. Sometimes it’s not easy to get the word out about an upcoming or established brand. Especially today. In our oversaturated market, new brands and products are debuting daily.
That's why it's crucial to find the right people for your brand ambassador program. But what makes a good brand ambassador? It turns out, there is a slight science behind finding these ideal representatives.
6 Identifiers of a Successful Brand Ambassador
1. Basic Comprehension of Marketing
Your brand ambassadors don’t need a formal qualification. But they should grasp the basics of marketing, especially digital marketing for businesses, including strategies and campaigns. This knowledge will equip them with the tools to enhance their role in your business - a marketing role at its core. The better they understand what it is to advocate for a brand, the greater their success.
2. Gathers Insights and Reports Back
The ideal brand ambassadors already love what a brand stands for. They’ll be willing to try out new products and provide honest feedback based on their experience. This is an important feature of ambassador marketing. Companies have the chance to gather valuable critiques and insights into new products or services. By reporting their thoughts, ambassadors can improve the quality of a brand’s output.
3. Engaging Online Presence
It’s essential for brand ambassadors to have an established online presence. But this doesn't mean they need to have millions of followers. Naturally, the more followers an ambassador has, the larger their online reach will be. But follower count isn’t as important as the level of engagement with their following. Brand ambassadors that actively connect with their followers are more trusted. This, in turn, makes their recommendations of a brand more appealing and interesting.
4. Keep it Professional
A brand ambassador’s online personality and lifestyle should reflect the same ethos of the brand they’re representing. Once someone is an ambassador for your brand, all their posts reflect on you. Even those not promoting your products.
For example, an ambassador for a sustainable, slow fashion brand shouldn't also post massive haul videos from fast fashion companies notorious for waste and unethical practices.
Avoid this disconnect at all costs. It's unprofessional and could tarnish your brand as people stop trusting your ambassadors.
5. Lead Your Community
Word-of-mouth recommendations often come from people we trust, like our friends and family members. We’d seek advice about products or services from people we associate those products with. This could be because they’ve mentioned it to us before, or it’s something we know they’re knowledgeable about.
In the same way, ambassadors should have a particular niche that displays what they’re most knowledgeable about. This could be anything from fashion and photography to DIY renovation projects or sporting equipment. Select an online personality that could actually lead their followers to your brand. Consumers won’t seek advice on photography products from a food blogger.
6. Be Excited the Authentic Way
Consumers are savvying up to posed digital marketing campaigns. They're often aware when creators aren't genuinely interested in what they’re selling. Fake authenticity isn’t a difficult thing to spot. In fact, it’s super easy to tell when a digital creator isn’t invested in the brand or products they’re plugging.
That’s why choosing a brand ambassador who truly wants to support you is vital. If they’re familiar with your company and products, they’ll be able to answer questions from their followers. They can provide content about your brand that feels authentic and genuine. This authenticity builds brand identity and has shown that it elevates sales growth.
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