A brand ambassador program is an exemplary way for e-commerce businesses to reach their target audience. They can also use this to build a loyal customer base. It also helps attract potential customers by providing them access to your products. However, this could be challenging without the help of an ambassador.
The main goal of the brand ambassador program is to create brand awareness among consumers by using influential individuals with large social followings. The latter can share information about your products with their followers on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
These ambassadors can be employees passionate about your business or customers who have enjoyed their experience with your company. They usually share how they are with others online through photos, videos, blog posts, or other social media content.
What Is a Brand Ambassador Program?
This marketing strategy uses a team of people to promote your company and its products. Brands choose their ambassadors based on a passion for the brand, the ability to communicate its value, and the ability to interact with customers.
This program is also a way to build relationships with your customers by engaging them more personally. People will be more likely to trust a friend’s recommendations than an advertisement. And when they feel they have a personal relationship with the brand, they'll be more likely to try it out.
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How To Run a Brand Ambassador Program Successfully?
A brand ambassador program can be a great way to build up your business. You'll have the opportunity to reach out and connect with potential customers, who may later become loyal customers. But you need to set up the program correctly if you want it to be successful.
Identify Immediate Goals
Who do you want to reach? What are the problems that your product can solve for them? How will it make their lives better?
You can use this information to create a list of people who would be ideal ambassadors for your brand. This list lets you know who will most likely share your content and spread the word about your brand.
This information is also helpful when choosing potential brand ambassadors, especially if you have specific goals. Suppose you want to increase sales in certain areas or demographics. In that case, you should focus on finding ambassadors located near those places or influencing those demographics.
Draft a Plan
This plan must provide clear guidelines for you and your team to follow. It's crucial to remember that your brand ambassadors will be representing your company in public. You want to ensure that everything about them aligns with your overall campaign goals.
To start, make sure you have a list of all the brand ambassadors participating in the program. This will include their names, contact information, and other relevant details. Determine when they joined or how long they've been working with your company.
You should also note each individual’s relationships with other companies or brands. This ensures that your ambassadors won’t breach their contracts with other brands. Through this, there won’t be any misunderstandings or miscommunications between the parties involved.
Determine Ideal Ambassadors
This means that you need to identify your target audience and select ambassadors who will be able to reach them. You can do this by running focus groups or surveys with people who fit into your target demographic, asking them questions like:
- What kind of products do you buy?
- How often do you buy them?
- Who do you buy them from?
When selecting your ambassadors, look for people who have the following characteristics:
- They are reliable and trustworthy
- They are enthusiastic about your product or service
- They are active on social media and have a wide audience of followers
Gain Feedback / Make Connections
Feedback is essential because it will help you understand what your customers are looking for and ensure that you meet their needs. You can also use this feedback to determine which marketing tactics work best with your audience. Connections are also important because they allow you to get involved in your community and build trust among potential customers.
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Inspiring Examples of Successful Brand Ambassador Programs
The best brand ambassador programs are not just promos and giving free products, gift cards, and other grand giveaways. It’s built on trust, outreach, belief in the brand’s advocacy, loyalty, and mutual respect. The brands that can make that happen are the ones that win long-term business.
Xbox
Xbox is a leading video game brand created by Microsoft. As of today, the company has already released several games and five video gaming consoles. Its ambassador program focuses on community-building and inclusion. The company’s ambassadors are out on a mission to make video gaming fun for all users. They level up by being welcoming and positive Xbox gamers.
The said brand ambassador’s role is to connect with other gamers. They should be assisting and welcoming those who are new to the community. Each ambassador bags points by completing such special missions as the following:
- Start conversations around Xbox games on various social media platforms
- Send motivating messages
- Make friends with Live members
As they raise their points, these ambassadors move through the ambassadorship’s lifetime and seasonal levels. This makes the program like a game of its own. They can use these acquired points to claim exclusive sweepstakes entries, show off physical swag, and display digital badges. If the company chooses you as the most active or best ambassador, Xbox will feature you in its periodic spotlights.
Xbox’s program works because its ambassadors effectively serve as the Live community’s support staff and moderators. With them around, the said community is more inclusive and way safer. You can check out the brand’s website for the affiliate marketing and brand ambassador application process.
Bumble
When its developers released Bumble in 1994, it was a dating app empowering women to make the first move. Now, it still retained this mission. However, the company expanded its operations to include networking and meetups.
The company calls its ambassador programs "The Beehive". It runs two customized sub-ambassador programs: Bumble Honeys and Queen Bees. While the former is for college women, the latter is for women who are young professionals with networking prowess.
The tasks of the Queen Bees and Honeys include the following:
- Coordinate directly with the company headquarters
- Work with influencers and opinion leaders
- Negotiate partnerships
- Organize guerilla pop-ups
- Host events
- Reach out to the brand’s audience
The company’s goal is to build its presence and let its mission be in a manner that resonates with the community and its target consumer. The program works because the company is clear about who they want to be a part of their ambassador program.
The company’s investment in women's empowerment is closely tied to its ambassador programs. Bumble positioned them as a way to improve their resumes and forge relationships that would make their careers more lucrative.
The company aims to connect like-minded hustlers while building a network and growing as leaders. In the process, they aim to take advantage of the fun and unique opportunities. Through this program, the brand raised its engagement rates.
GoPro
GoPro users vary from casual users to athletes, hobbyists, travel enthusiasts, and professional photographers. GoPro has different affiliate programs, but one of the more recent events is the new wave of Adventure Ambassadors with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
It worked because of the simplicity of the program. All you have to do is to:
- Capture at least 30 to 60-second video of your BSA-inspired outdoor adventure.
- Ensure that you followed the Safe Scouting Guidelines
- Edit your video and make it stand out
- Submit the said video by sharing it on social media and using the #GoProBSAcontest hashtag or uploading your video on the official contest entry page
GoPro selected five winners whom they dubbed the official GoPro BSA Adventure Ambassadors. These winners also received the HERO7 Black Ultimate Adventure Kit with a GoPro product worth $650. Aside from this, GoPro also celebrated the stories of these winners on the official Instagram account of BSA.
Sephora
Sephora is a well-known beauty product retailer and beauty expert service provider. It also offers an interactive and unique shopping experience to its users.
In 2019, the brand launched its ambassador program dubbed “The Sephora Squad”. They call their ambassadors influencers. The brand actively and indiscriminately recruits influencers, trailblazers, and beauty lovers every year. These people must share the brand’s values of acceptance, belonging, and beauty of all kinds. As part of the squad, these ambassadors must craft inspiring and unique Sephora content, which they should post on their respective marketing channels.
If you’re part of the squad, you’ll enjoy trying out new and sought-after products before everyone else. You may also network with industry leaders and members, collaborate and connect with the Sephora team, and receive professional coaching. The contents posted by these ambassadors are the basis of the company’s campaigns, making the latter’s marketing efforts more authentic.
The program works because it’s inclusive. Its Sephora Squad represents all facets of the brand’s customer base. The said group is so diverse that every expression, sexual orientation, gender, body type, and race is represented. With this, people feel that they can truly trust the brand.
Red Bull
Red Bull's Ambassador program is an excellent way for the company to connect with its customers. It allows them to develop relationships with individuals who are passionate about the brand. It will also enable them to learn more about their target market and what they are doing with Red Bull.
Red Bull's Student Marketeers Program is an opportunity for students to learn how to be influential marketing professionals. The company designed the program to teach students how to create successful marketing campaigns. It allows them to practice their skills by working on real-world projects.
The student marketeer can give or share wiiings to their fellow athletes or students and give them an energy boost. This program works because it mobilized Red Bull’s target audience -- college students. Apart from that, the brand also helped these students jumpstart their respective brand ambassador careers.
Lululemon
Lululemon is best known for yoga pants. However, the brand expanded, and now, they’re a global brand selling all types of lifestyle apparel and athletic wear. They want their users to enjoy their “daily sweat” by providing them with the gear for the experience.
Lululemon has two kinds of brand ambassadors: Store and Global Ambassadors. The former is for smaller influencers, not-so-well-known fitness experts, and local yoga instructors partnering with their local Lululemon outlets. On the other hand, the latter is for elite fitness gurus and athletes.
These ambassadors hold classes at selected community locations, online, and at Lululemon stores. These classes will show how to use Lululemon gears in actual practice properly.
This program works because the brand turns the ambassadors into reliable partners. The latter receives mentorship opportunities and increased exposure. You can host classes in larger venues and join multi-day summits if you're one of the brand's top ambassadors. You can also try Lululemon products before anyone else.
The success of your marketing campaign depends on the authenticity and value your content offers to the target audience. To be like these brands, you need to leverage the content you share on your social platforms. Learn more about user-generated content in this blog.
Pro Tip: Choose ambassadors whose values match with yours and whose audience demographics match your brand’s target audience the most.
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Common Forms of Failure in Brand Ambassador Programs To Avoid
A brand ambassador program is a marketing tactic designed to generate more sales and increase brand awareness. You can achieve these by using passionate people about your company and its products. These ambassadors act as spokespeople for your company, representing you in various situations -- from trade shows to social media posts.
While some people think of the word "ambassador" as synonymous with "success," this isn't always the case. There are many common forms of failure in brand ambassador programs.
Some brands are not giving employees enough time off: This is one of the most common forms of failure in brand ambassador programs because it can cause burnout. It can also lead to an overall decrease in employee engagement. An excellent way to avoid this failure is to ensure that employees have plenty of time scheduled off, so they don't feel overwhelmed with work.
Here are some more specific mistakes brands make when designing their brand ambassador programs:
Thinking That Your Brand Doesn’t Need It
If you think a brand ambassador program is unnecessary, think again. Brand ambassador programs are an essential part of your overall marketing strategy. You can use it to reach new markets, increase sales, and build brand awareness.
Brand ambassador programs allow you to reach new audiences, build brand loyalty, drive sales, and increase customer retention. They are also an effective way to collect data from potential customers to help you better understand your target audience.
The benefits of a brand ambassador program go far beyond just raising awareness about your company or product. It's focused on building relationships with your customers and developing a sense of community around your brand.
Believing That It’s All Just Sharing Digital Content
You’re in the business of content marketing and digital marketing. But that doesn't mean your brand ambassadors should focus on social media. It's essential to think of brand ambassador programs as a way to engage with customers offline and online.
Suppose you're considering starting a brand ambassador program. You might wonder what you can accomplish with one. There are many reasons to consider it, from increasing your reach to improving customer loyalty. However, if you don't have the right approach, you might end up with something that doesn't work for your business.
One common mistake is believing that brand ambassadors should only be responsible for sharing digital content. In reality, they should be responsible for creating valuable customer experiences in person and online. This means being able to communicate through email, face-to-face, social media posts, or other forms of digital engagement.
Poor Selection Criteria
Selecting the wrong people to be brand ambassadors is a common failure in brand ambassador programs. You can avoid this pitfall by clearly understanding what makes a good brand ambassador. Use that knowledge to develop selection criteria to help you find the right people for your program.
Selecting brand ambassadors only based on their social media following is a no-no. While this may sound like a good idea, it's the opposite of what you want to do. A brand ambassador should have an authentic connection with your product or service. You don’t want someone who will promote your product simply because they have a large social media following.
To optimize your brand ambassador and digital marketing campaigns, know the difference between user-generated content and influencer marketing in this post. This can help you strategize better.
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Marketing is a complicated business. It could be hard to know where to start and identify what you need. And it can be even harder to understand how to get the most out of your marketing efforts. Businesses can ensure they're getting the best results from their marketing by creating a brand ambassador program.
With so many options available, a solid brand reputation is more important than ever. An effective brand ambassador program is essential to reach new audiences or keep existing ones engaged.
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FAQs on Successful Brand Ambassador Program Examples
What is the responsibility of a brand ambassador?
The brand ambassador represents the company they are working for and lets people see them in a positive light. They can do this through social media posts, attending events and press releases, or emailing. They also need to interact with customers, answer their questions, and promote their products and services. People trust the recommendations of real people; that’s why most ambassador program works.
Why do people join ambassador programs?
People have different motivations for joining a company’s ambassador programs. For some, it could be a genuine passion for the brand, its products and services, and its people. For other individuals, it may be as simple as enjoying the incentives and perks and getting the chance to try out new products.
How do small businesses get the right brand ambassadors?
If you’re a brand looking for ambassadors to work with, consider the following criteria:
- A natural passion for the product or service being represented
- A strong social media presence
- An outgoing personality and ability to speak clearly and persuasively
- Exemplary leadership skills and an ability to motivate others through their example
- A willingness to learn, which means they will take feedback well and put it into practice quickly
