Brand Ambassador Program | How can you start it from scratch?

The Internet has developed into a real-estate, opening avenues of opportunities, where trends are constantly changing. While there are tons of innovative things that can be experimented with here, for amplifying influence and impact, you don’t have to dig ‘hard’ to find an upcoming brand ambassador program on social media.

But what exactly is it? Why has it become so strong and impactful?

A brand ambassador program is a special kind of marketing campaign that puts the company’s message in the hands of influencers. The purpose of this is to increase sales and reach out to more people.

These programs that basically act as a liaison between brands and social media influencers, can lead to temporary or permanent partnerships.

Why have influencer marketing and brand ambassador programs become so popular?

With the increased use of social media and changing behavior patterns, people now feel more relatable to unfiltered, raw content. Rather than seeing flawless perfection, social media users are now more inclined to liking everyday influencers, who make them feel like their lives are somehow similar to them.

Hence, brands are now looking towards these influencers, who are also their customers, to increase their outreach to their potential audience.

If you are a brand that is looking to build strong relationships with social media influencers and increase sales, the brand ambassador program is the most systematic, result-oriented way to do that.

However, a successful program never happens by accident! There are certain organized and proven strategies that come into play.

Here, we will discuss how to build a successful brand ambassador program to give your brand the exposure it needs:

Who are your brand ambassadors?

As the name already speaks for itself, a brand ambassador is someone who will speak positively about your brand on social media. They give a shout-out to your business, post reviews, and encourage buying behavior in their viewers/followers.

Since these online bloggers and influencers have already established their credibility, it helps increase and strengthen a brand’s social media presence.

Typically, ambassadors affiliate themselves with brands for a long-term commitment. But in some cases, they can also post one-time for you, completely depending on your preference and the nature of your campaign.

What kind of relationship exists with brand ambassadors?

The relationship between a brand and influencer is generally ‘transactional’. It means that it involves some sort of financial compensation.

It is worth it because influencers can promote your product in a more natural and organic way, rather than making it sound too ‘promotional’.

What kind of business/brand can opt for the brand ambassador program?

What makes the brand ambassador program so beautiful, practical, and result-oriented is that they can work for brands of any nature. They are massive and impactful, considering how the internet and social media space is constantly developing and evolving.

One particular industry with the most robust brand ambassador program is the beauty industry.

How to find brand ambassadors?

The best and most reliable way to find ambassadors is to look into your existing clientele. They have already purchased from you, they trust your brand and already like it. You can engage your customers with a sustainable following and offer them financial compensation or discounts in return.

You can also look for potential brand advocates via tools like Sprout Social. It allows you to search for specific terms, hashtags, and labels that are more relatable for your brand.

Using certain tools, you can identify your biggest spenders to judge which customers have the highest inclination towards your brand. From there, you can see their social media following and consider if there is any potential for collaboration.

Create an application process

There is another reliable way to see which of your customers are interested to collaborate with you rather than reaching out to individuals. You can create an application process and then invite interested people to sign-up for it.

By using this method, you can see which influencers are naturally interested in your product and then short-list whom you want to collaborate with. This works like a traditional referral program, which will encourage a more natural and long-lasting partnership.

The only down-side to this method is it can be time-taking to create applications, then review them, and then check the responses.

5 Steps: How to set-up your own social media brand ambassador program

Having a clear game plan

Most social media brand ambassador plans are not that successful because brands start them ‘for the sake of it’. When starting your program, you should have a clear game plan and set priorities. You must be clear about what you are expecting to gain from it in the end.

Set criteria to choose your brand ambassadors

Engaging with the right people at the right time is the most effective strategy. While deciding who to collaborate with, you must have set criteria to judge who and how can they add value to your brand.

While short-listing influencers for possible collaborations, keep the following four things in mind:

• How long have they been buying from you?
• Have they engaged with your brand in the past?
• How many followers they have?
• How much engagement do their posts get?

Judging the influencers on the above-mentioned criteria will help decide whom you should reach out to, giving you the results you are looking for.

Create proper guidelines and policies

Always plan the brand ambassador program. Also, make sure you are doing it in a properly planned and systematic way. Having proper policies put in place will give your brand a professional outlook, conveying to people that you take your business seriously.

Convey your expectations clearly. Decide what hashtags to use and how your reviews should and shout outposts look like. Make sure that the ambassadors’ beliefs align with your brand philosophy, and they truly believe in what you stand for.

Incentivize your ambassadors

A very significant aspect of your program should be prioritizing how you can add value to the work the influencer you are connecting with is doing. Creating an atmosphere where, you and them, both can benefit. Such an atmosphere is what will keep them dedicated, focused, and loyal to you.

Make sure you are properly conveying what you have to offer them. It will increase your impact.

Track the progress

Stay updated and keep tracking the progress. Decide who you want to continue with based on the performance. If your engagement is growing, it is a direct indicator of the success of the campaign.

The more people talk about you on social media, the better it is for your brand. Taking care of these aspects can help you put in place a successful, result-oriented, and productive brand ambassador program.