Why Use Brand Ambassadors?
Many businesses are now turning to brand ambassadors to help them market their services and products – but perhaps you’re wondering why businesses should use a brand ambassador as part of their digital marketing strategy? Our newest recruit Nicola looks at what brand ambassadorship is and how it can drive a huge ROI for your company.
What is a Brand Ambassador?
When you think about what a brand ambassador is, it is easy to get it confused with influencer marketing. Brand ambassadors are distinctly different from influencers. Whereas influencers post only once and are generally guided by what they say with a script, brand ambassadors are people who have a genuine love for the brand they are promoting and will have actively used the product for many months or years.
When searching for the perfect brand ambassador, it is important to target people who live and breathe the brand in question, whilst being hugely authoritative on exactly what products the brand has and how they work.
What does a Brand Ambassador do?
Unlike influencers, brand ambassadors tend to post over a set number of months and years, actively promoting the brand across their social media channels. Brand ambassadors will tend to have a large following who they can promote the brand to, although this isn’t always necessary if they are in a niche market – providing their engagement is good.
As well as actively talking about and promoting your product online, it is great to use brand ambassadors when launching a new product. Brand ambassadors can test the product and provide valuable feedback before the launch, which can help you iron out any negative aspects.
In return for promoting your brand, brand ambassadors may accept payment in product gifting, income from affiliate sales, or sometimes they prefer a fixed fee over the duration of the ambassadorship.
How can a Brand Ambassador help your business to grow?
Research shows that consumers are more likely to pay attention to their social circle than they are to paid advertising and this social circle, of course, includes people they follow online. People tend not to follow brands online, but a whopping 72% of consumers decide what they want to buy based on social media posts.
How can you sell to these people if they’re not even following you? This is where a brand ambassador comes in.
They can humanise your brand
When consumers think of brands, they see a business and not the humans behind it. Brand ambassadors can help humanise your brand by showing how the product works in real life, using their genuine love for the brand to shine through. When someone is legitimately engaged with a brand, consumers notice and this authentic passion is highly contagious, which can then drive sales of your product.
They help build trust in your brand
One-third of consumers do not trust traditional advertising and will refuse to follow or engage with your brand online. So, how do you reach this huge number of customers?
You could try paid advertising across social media channels, but this can be costly and, for those who really do not like ads, annoying. A brand ambassador can build trust in your brand by showing their genuine love for your product across their social media channels. People are way more likely to pay attention to these sorts of posts as opposed to paid for ads and the best bit? They are cost effective too!
They help build trust in your brand
Many brand ambassadors are happy to promote your product in return for a free sample, affiliate income, a discount code, or even just because they love your product so much! They already have an engaged following of people who have chosen to stick with them, so their messaging will come across as authentic and genuine, meaning their posts are more likely to convert into sales compared to paid ads.
Who can you target to be a Brand Ambassador for your business?
Many businesses like to target huge names on social media, such as celebrities or influencers with large followings to be their brand ambassadors, but is this really necessary? Our research shows that die-hard fans of your brand can be equally as successful in promoting your product to their engaged followers, thanks to the authentic passion they show for your product.
This type of brand ambassador more often than not will promote your brand on a cash-free basis and we often find audiences are more likely to believe ambassadors who are not being paid for their work as their posts are usually more natural, resulting in a hugely positive ROI.
Should your business use a brand ambassador?
We think the answer is an emphatic YES!
Brand ambassadors are a cost effective way to help your business grow that provide an excellent ROI. You will find that the high returns they provide are well worth the investment – providing of course, you know exactly the right people to pick.
This is where we come in. House Digital has vast experience in finding the perfect brand ambassadors and monitoring their results, ensuring your business will always get the best return for their investment. Here at House Digital, everything we do is rooted in data and insights so we like to ensure we can provide strong, tangible results for all of our services.
