What is a Brand Ambassador?

What is a Brand Ambassador?

A brand ambassador is a person who promotes a small businesses’ goods and services.  They increase sales for small businesses by boosting brand awareness. They can either be people you hire, people you recruit or people who sign on voluntarily.

What Kinds are Available?

There are several different kinds of brand ambassadors that you can choose from.  Some small business owners prefer to be their own brand ambassadors while others hire professionals. More and more they are becoming unpaid customers and other connections like bloggers. These people are happy to spread the word after trying the product.

What, Exactly, Do They Do?

A brand ambassador’s job looks simple but there’s more to it than meets the eye.  Although paid and unpaid brand ambassadors all work to build a good company image by interacting with clients, the paid ones have other responsibilities as well. For example, they are often in charge of developing marketing ideas and gathering useful feedback from clients. These brand ambassadors are employees and attend meetings.

Some unpaid online brand ambassadors post about your goods and services. Some attend trade shows and other events to promote products.

Keep in mind a good brand ambassador will appeal to a specific target market. Some companies make the mistake of trying to select an ambassador who will appeal to as many people as possible. In the end, they wind up losing business because they haven’t narrowed their focus to a particular group.

Here’s a list of content types that brand ambassadors are particularly effective in creating and promoting:

• Social Media Posts: Regular updates, stories, and posts on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, showcasing the brand’s products or services in everyday use.
• Product Reviews and Demonstrations: Detailed reviews, unboxing videos, and demonstrations of how to use the product, highlighting its features and benefits.
• Blog Posts: Informative and engaging articles related to the brand’s industry, sharing personal experiences with the products or offering expert insights.
• Tutorials and How-to Guides: Step-by-step guides and tutorials demonstrating the practical applications of the brand’s offerings.
• Live Streams: Real-time interactions with followers during events, Q&A sessions, or casual chats, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the brand.
• Testimonials and Success Stories: Personal stories and testimonials about the positive impact of the brand’s products or services on the ambassador’s life or work.
• Influencer Collaborations: Collaborative content with other influencers or brand ambassadors, expanding reach and introducing the brand to new audiences.
• Event Coverage: Sharing experiences and insights from brand events, trade shows, or launches, either through live coverage or post-event summaries.
• User-Generated Content Campaigns: Encouraging followers to share their own content related to the brand, often facilitated by contests or hashtags.
• Exclusive Offers and Promotions: Promoting special deals, discount codes, or exclusive offers available through the ambassador, adding value to the audience’s experience with the brand.
• Behind-the-Brand Stories: Sharing personal stories or insights into the brand’s values, mission, and people, helping to build a deeper emotional connection with the audience.
• Visual Content: High-quality photos, infographics, and short video clips that visually represent the brand and its products in an appealing and engaging manner.

Leveraging brand ambassadors for these types of content can significantly enhance a brand’s visibility, credibility, and connection with its target audience, driving engagement and fostering loyalty.

Where Can Small Businesses Find Brand Ambassadors?

There are several places for small businesses to look for brand ambassadors. They can use students and their connections to promote their goods and services assuming their products are aimed at this demographic.

Small businesses can use bloggers and other digital influencers as affiliate marketers. Brands can also use celebrities with massive internet followings — though these kinds of ambassadors tend to be priced out of range of all but big corporations. Finally, small business owners can look for influence marketers who happen to have a smaller but substantial following among their potential target customers.

Companies can also simply hire a brand ambassador like a regular employee but here the key is to identify the right candidate through the interview process with the right expertise and industry connections to do the job effectively.

How Do Small Businesses Measure Brand Ambassador’s Effectiveness?

There are a few ways for a small business to measure how effective one of these brand ambassadors are. Gauging your brand ambassador’s effectiveness is about gauging some key metrics. One of the most important is how many people actually view their posts and engage with their content.

Another is to look at sales numbers before and after your brand ambassador came aboard and determine whether those sales are occurring in the segments of your market your brand ambassador was intended to target.

What are the Advantages to Hiring a Brand Ambassador?

It’s a Great Way to Humanize your Brand: When you pick the right one, a brand ambassador brings a media following and a solid reputation. He or she offers your brand online word of mouth and puts a face to your product or service that drives sales.

They Provide a Larger Social Reach that’s Positive: A recent Hootsuite blog points out what happens if you get number of brand ambassadors working with you to spread a positive message about your brand. If they each have 12,000 followers and you land 12 brand ambassadors, you increase your reach by 144,000 prospects.

What are the Disadvantages?

They Aren’t Always Easy to Controlled: If they’re not an employee, small businesses really don’t have complete control over brand ambassadors. It’s always a leap of faith to place your trust in someone else when it comes to your brand.

They can Become bigger than Your Product: A famous brand ambassador or one that’s got a huge online following can dwarf your brand. This is especially true when they become involved in a scandal.

Selecting the Right Brand Ambassador for Your Small Business

Choosing a brand ambassador can be a game-changer for small businesses looking to boost brand awareness and increase sales. However, the process of selecting the right ambassador is crucial. Here are some key considerations to help you make the best choice:

1. Define Your Target Audience: Your brand ambassador should resonate with your target market. Don’t aim for a broad appeal; instead, narrow down your focus to a specific group that aligns with your product or service.

2. Professional vs. Unpaid Ambassadors: Decide whether you want to hire a professional brand ambassador or explore unpaid options like enthusiastic customers or bloggers. Each has its advantages and cost implications.

3. Roles and Responsibilities: Clarify the roles and responsibilities of your brand ambassador. While their primary task is to boost brand awareness, paid ambassadors may also play a role in marketing strategy and client feedback collection.

4. Online vs. Offline Promotion: Determine whether your brand ambassador will primarily operate online through social media and blogs or engage in offline promotion through events and trade shows.

5. Identify Potential Candidates: Look for potential brand ambassadors among your existing customer base, digital influencers, industry-specific bloggers, or individuals with a substantial following in your target market.

6. Measure Effectiveness: Once you have a brand ambassador in place, track their effectiveness through key metrics. Monitor the reach and engagement of their content and analyze sales data before and after their involvement.

While hiring a brand ambassador can humanize your brand and provide a wider positive social reach, it’s essential to consider potential drawbacks, such as limited control over non-employee ambassadors and the risk of them overshadowing your brand if they become too prominent.

Building a Strong Brand Ambassador Partnership

Creating a successful partnership with your chosen brand ambassador is crucial for maximizing the benefits to your small business. Here are some key steps to build a strong and fruitful relationship:

• Clear Expectations: Clearly define the ambassador’s role, responsibilities, and goals. Ensure they understand your brand’s values and mission.
• Open Communication: Maintain open lines of communication. Regularly update the ambassador on product developments, campaigns, and company news.
• Authenticity: Encourage the ambassador to stay authentic in their interactions with their audience. Authenticity builds trust and credibility.
• Collaborative Content Creation: Collaborate on content creation. Involve the ambassador in generating ideas, creating engaging content, and planning promotions.
• Feedback Loop: Create a feedback loop for both parties to share insights and suggestions. This helps in refining strategies and improving outcomes.
• Recognition and Rewards: Recognize and reward the ambassador’s efforts. This can include financial compensation, free products, or exclusive access to company events.
• Legal Agreements: Consider formalizing the partnership with legal agreements that outline terms, expectations, and compensation, ensuring clarity and protection for both sides.
• Consistency: Maintain consistency in messaging and branding across all ambassador-related activities to reinforce brand identity.
• Long-Term Relationship: Aim for a long-term partnership. Building a strong, ongoing relationship can lead to greater trust and sustained benefits.

The Impact of Brand Ambassadors on Consumer Trust and Loyalty

Brand ambassadors play a crucial role in building consumer trust and loyalty, which are essential components of a successful marketing strategy. By representing the brand’s values and sharing their authentic experiences, ambassadors can influence consumer perceptions and foster a sense of trust.

This trust translates into loyalty, as consumers are more likely to remain committed to brands that they perceive as genuine and reliable. Brand ambassadors act as the human face of the brand, making it more approachable and relatable to the target audience.

Their endorsements and recommendations carry significant weight, especially when they come from individuals whom consumers admire or relate to.

Through consistent engagement and positive representation, brand ambassadors can significantly enhance brand loyalty, encouraging repeat purchases and long-term customer relationships.

Challenges and Considerations in Managing Brand Ambassador Programs

While brand ambassador programs offer numerous benefits, managing them effectively poses certain challenges and considerations.

One of the key challenges is maintaining brand consistency across all ambassador activities, ensuring that the messaging and representation align with the brand’s values and identity.

Brands must also navigate the delicate balance between providing ambassadors with creative freedom and ensuring that their content meets the brand’s standards. Establishing clear guidelines and open communication is essential for a successful partnership.

Additionally, measuring the ROI of brand ambassador programs requires careful analysis and the right metrics to evaluate their impact on brand awareness, engagement, and sales.

Brands must be prepared to invest time and resources into training, supporting, and monitoring their ambassadors to maximize the program’s effectiveness.

Ambassador Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "What is a Brand Ambassador?" was first published on Small Business Trends