When brands want to build authentic relationships with their customers, a brand ambassador program makes a lot of sense. 74% of consumers believe that word-of-mouth influences their purchasing decision, which is why they want recommendations from people they know and trust. Marketing and brand-building efforts will be more successful for companies that enable and reward people for sharing and evangelizing their brands.
Brand ambassadors are essential to a business's success. They help build credibility and trust while increasing visibility and engagement with customers. Plus, they can be a great way to reach out to influencers and potential customers. But how do you start a brand ambassador program in 2023? Beginning a brand ambassador program is easier than it may seem. However, there are specific steps you should take to ensure that your program is successful.
What is a Brand Ambassador Program?
A brand ambassador program is a marketing campaign consisting of people who speak positively about your company. They can be entrepreneurs, influencers, or the entire agency. Ambassador programs on social media give a shout-out to your online business, display the latest purchases, and recommend your platform to the target audience.
Brand ambassador programs are a great way to increase brand awareness and loyalty among your customers. By pairing your brand with a passionate individual or group of individuals, you can create a continuous dialogue between the brand and its followers. As a result, customers are more likely to associate your product or service with positive sentiment, which can lead to increased sales.
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To get started, you'll need to identify your ideal ambassadors. These people should be passionate about your brand and have plenty of followers interested in hearing what they have to say. Next, create a plan for how you'll communicate with these ambassadors. You can send them regular updates, offer exclusive content, or even give them preferential treatment when buying products or services from your brand.
Finally, make sure that you reward your ambassadors for their hard work. It could include giving them free products or discounts on future purchases. You can boost customer engagement and drive higher sales by implementing a well-crafted brand ambassador program.
Difference Between Influencer and Brand Ambassador
Although many think an influencer and a brand ambassador are the same, they are different. Unlike brand ambassadors, who are long-term relationships that can last for months or years, influencers are typically hired for a single social campaign to drive awareness.
Unlike brand ambassadors, who might be paid financially, ambassador programs aim to harness people who love your company, product, and service organically. The best brand ambassadors are your customers and employees, those who have a more direct connection to the organization and want to share it with the rest of the world.
Types of Brand Ambassador Programs
The type of brand ambassador program you choose will depend on your established goals and audience. Here are some of the standard brand ambassador programs to consider:
- Customers: It is the most common type of program since it encourages real customers to interact directly with the brand.
- Employees: Employee advocacy programs, another name for this program type, encourage and reward employees for sharing their experiences and company news.
- College: Students can act as brand ambassadors on campus for companies looking to target specific markets and college-aged demographics.
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- Affiliate-Based: Usually, brands give ambassadors discount codes to promote their products and services on their sites and accounts using affiliate links.
Role of a Brand Ambassador
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An authentic and consistent brand ambassador represents your company positively. You can do this by sharing or creating content, leaving online reviews, engaging on social media and in their networks, and contributing value that extends your word-of-mouth marketing efforts.
Tips to Build a Brand Ambassador Program
1) Define Your Goals
Since you are a business owner, you likely have several goals you hope to achieve with your ambassador program. Increase brand awareness or drive new product sales. Whatever your goals may be, it's essential to define them early on so that you can measure the success of your program.
Before creating policies and guidelines for your brand ambassador programs, you must define your goals. What are your objectives after attaining brand ambassadors? Once you know your goals, you can better develop policies and guidelines to help you achieve them. Some goals you may want to consider for your ambassador program include the following
- Generating leads
- Building customer loyalty
- Securing user-generated content (UGC)
- Increasing social media engagement
A vital purpose of any ambassador program is to increase brand awareness and loyalty. Once you have determined these two objectives, determine which areas of your business will benefit the most from more enthusiastic customer ambassadors.
2) Establish Your Criteria
Your brand ambassadors should be chosen based on several criteria that fit your company's culture and values. Below are a few key considerations to keep in mind when making your selection:
- Are they passionate about your brand and product?
- Do they have a solid social media following?
- Are they well-connected within their networks?
- Are they active and engaged within their communities?
- Do they possess excellent communication skills?
Take the time to consider all of these factors when making your selections for your brand ambassador programs. Doing so will ensure that you have a group of people who are genuinely invested in promoting your brand and helping it grow.
3) Create Brand Ambassador Policies and Guidelines
Since you are a business owner, you know the importance of building a solid relationship with your customers. You also understand the value of customer loyalty and customer referrals. Creating a brand ambassador program is one way to make these critical relationships.
A brand ambassador is a customer or client who agrees to promote your company or product through word-of-mouth marketing. In other words, brand ambassadors are like walking, talking billboards for your business. But before you can start reaping the benefits of having brand ambassadors, you must create policies and guidelines for your program. Here are some tips to help you create a successful brand ambassador program:
- Define Your Target Audience
Who do you want to be your brand ambassador? Ideally, they should be members of your target audience. This way, they can more effectively promote your company or product to people who are likely to be interested in it. To identify potential brand ambassadors in your target audience, look at your current customers and see if they're happy with your products or services. If they are, reach out to them and understand their queries before identifying solutions.
4) Promote, Urge, and Incentivize Your Brand Ambassadors
As a brand, one of the most important things you can do to ensure the success of your ambassador program is to promote, empower and incentivize your ambassadors. By doing so, you'll not only be able to attract more high-quality ambassadors but also keep them engaged and motivated to continue promoting your brand. Here are some tips on encouraging, empowering and incentivizing your brand ambassadors:
- Make sure your ambassador program is well publicized and potential ambassadors know it. Use social media, your website, and other channels to spread the word about your program.
- Give ambassadors the tools they need to be successful. It includes helpful resources, training, and support.
- Create incentives that will motivate ambassadors to promote your brand. These can be monetary rewards, exclusive product discounts, or other perks.
- Recognize and show appreciation for ambassador achievements. It can be done through public shout-outs, social media posts, or other forms of recognition.
5) Track the Progress of Your Ambassador Programs
Starting a brand ambassador program can significantly increase brand awareness and loyalty among your customers. Here are important tips to help you track the progress of your business:
- Choose a strategy for recruiting ambassadors: There are several ways you can recruit ambassadors, such as online platforms, in-person events, or as part of a marketing campaign. Make sure you choose a strategy that will allow you to identify and select the best candidates.
- Train and manage your ambassadors effectively: Once you have selected your ambassadors, you must train them effectively, so they know how to promote your brand successfully. Also, ensure you keep track of their progress and provide feedback so they can continue improving their skills.
- Reward outstanding performance by your ambassadors: A successful ambassador program requires ongoing dedication from all involved, from recruitment through training and management. Therefore, rewarding exceptional performance with awards or other incentives is essential to inspire others to join in the effort.
Benefits of Ambassador Programs to Your Business
A brand ambassador program can be a great way to connect with customers and promote your brand. Here are some of the benefits of a brand ambassador program
- Increased Loyalty: A well-executed ambassador program can increase customer loyalty and engagement. Engaging with your ambassadors will create a sense of connection and ownership within the customer base. It can lead to increased sales and better customer relations overall. When customers know and trust the people representing your brand, they are more likely to return and recommend your product to friends and family. Additionally, a well-run ambassador program can help increase the visibility of your business among critical audiences. It can lead to increased sales and greater recognition in the marketplace.
- More Engaged Customers: As mentioned earlier, an ambassador program can help build customer loyalty, leading to more engaged followers. When customers feel like they're part of something special, they're more likely to take action, whether buying products or recommending your brand to friends.
- Greater Awareness: One of the main goals of any brand ambassador program is increasing awareness for your product or service. It can be done through social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter) and offline venues (such as trade shows, local events, etc.). By working with a team of ambassadors, you'll be able to target specific demographics and reach new people who may not have heard about you before.
- Increased Conversions: In addition to boosting awareness and engagement, a good ambassador program can also result in increased conversions (i.e., website visitors who convert into sales). You can boost conversions instantly by providing valuable content and promoting your products fun and engagingly.
- Improved PR: By enlisting the help of influential individuals passionate about your product or service, you can create buzz around your company before anything even happens. It will put you in a better position when negotiations with journalists or other representatives from the media come up. Overall, a well-executed brand ambassador program can positively impact business operations.
Start a Brand Ambassador Program on Strikingly
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The best thing about creating a website on Strikingly is that it is easy to make and yet gets you a professional and beautiful website. You don't need a web developer to create a website on our platform. It is possible to create a website yourself using one of our ready-made templates. Use the drag-and-drop feature to place your content anywhere on the web page you want.
Our customer support team can answer technical questions using our live chat feature. You will have more time to run a brand ambassador program when your website is error-free, allowing you to focus more on other marketing activities.
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Your ambassadors can share your website’s URL with their social media following, where your target audience can get in-depth information about your products and services. They can also contact you through your website to get more personalized information. You can set up a contact form on Strikingly by adding a new section called 'Contact Form' and customizing the ready-made templates.
Conclusion
A brand ambassador program can be a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. By working with a well-established and reputable company, you can gain access to various resources and support to help your business grow. As an ambassador, you'll have the opportunity to share your company's message with a broader audience, increasing brand awareness and ultimately generating more revenue.
Ambassador programs will be more effective when your audience sees that your brand has a professionally built, easy-to-navigate website. If you want to sell your products and services, do not be afraid to showcase your capabilities and business. If you want to learn how to launch a brand ambassador program, you can head over to Strikingly and create a free account. Most of our website features fall in our free plan category, which is essential in attracting more customers to your business.
