What is a brand ambassador program and why do you need it?

A brand ambassador program is the best way to sustainably and organically grow your brand’s online presence. Brand ambassadors strengthen the relationship between the brand and your ideal customers. They help to build a strong community, which will boost your conversions.

What is a brand ambassador program

With a brand ambassador program, you select certain people to represent your brand. These people are called brand ambassadors. Often, these are customers who are already fans of the brand. They promote your products or services on their own social media. In return, you can give them regular pay-checks or give them free products/services. 

The benefits

There are three main benefits of a brand ambassador program:

  • You increase your online presence, especially on social media
  • You receive original content from the ambassadors that you can use on your own social media
  • You build a strong community with your brand ambassadors and their followers

What’s the best way to set up a brand ambassador program?

The relationship between a brand ambassador and your brand is the most important thing. The brand ambassador (or influencer) needs to be genuinely excited about your product or service. Authenticity is the key to success. Don’t just go for the celebrities, but use influencers who have a strong personal brand, loyal followers and share the same values your company has.

How do you find the right influencers for your brand ambassador program?

Your program should focus on people who influence your ideal clients. To identify those influencers, you can use your buyer personas:

  • Who do your ideal customers listen to when they need advice?
  • Are any of your employees, fans or ideal customers popular on social media?
  • Where can you find them online? Is that Instagram (B2C companies)? Or LinkedIn (B2B companies)?

Use Join to quickly find the right influencers for your program. Contact them, follow them on their social media and find out if they are the right match for your brand.

Once you’ve found the right brand ambassadors, you can reuse their content and share it on your own social media. Build a relationship with them and get to know them better. This way, you ensure the continuity of your brand ambassador program.

Remember, it’s all about authenticity. People no longer believe in traditional marketing and advertising. According to the ‘2018 Edelman Trust Barometer – Global Report’, confidence in the media has decreased significantly in 22 countries from 2017 to 2018.

At the same time, influencer marketing grew by 198% in 2017 and that percentage continues to grow. What is important in marketing is reliability. This ensures the growth of your organic reach. That’s why influencer marketing is so crucial to the success of your business.

Conclusion

A brand ambassador program helps your brand to build up a strong online presence. It strengthens the reliability of your brand and builds a tight community with your ideal customers. Now global trust in media is decreasing, authentic influencers and brand ambassadors are more important than ever.