People use sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to find out about new products or services and hear first-hand accounts about the quality of those offerings – and it works. According to the American Marketing Association, word of mouth advertising is 2.5 times more impactful than traditional advertising – and brand ambassadors are a big part of that. However, gaining traction in this type of marketing takes planning.
Here is what companies need to know about recruiting brand ambassadors.
Check out our ambassador program template playbook to learn how brands scale their ambassador program to hundreds of participants generating thousands of new customers and putting them on track to $100,000/month in measurable referral revenue in the next 12 months.
Recruit Your Customers
When looking for brand ambassadors, companies can also target past customers by sending out an email newsletter that invites them to join the ambassador program. This is a great way to recruit people that really love your brand and will promote it in an absolutely authentic way. Plus, it will likely increase the lifetime value of each customer because they have a deeper relationship with the brand. Finally, the cost of rewarding participants in such a program is minimal. Most past customers will participate in exchange for free products, discounts or exclusive deals.
Brand Ambassador Recruitment With Social Media Posts
Social media is another avenue. By posting about their brand ambassador programs, companies are able to get their audiences and customers involved. This level of involvement can start with a company posting on its own account, but it is best to not stop there. Companies can reach out to other industry or niche accounts to get help in promoting their brand ambassador program, by posting on those pages and commenting.
Ambassador Recruitment With Social Ads
One option is for a company to run ads on social media asking for brand ambassadors. Using these social ads target exactly whom the company wants to join their brand ambassador programs. With social ads, a company can specify the demographics that will work best for them. For instance, companies can target people on Facebook who are yoga instructors and have a Facebook page. There are companies that have seen $100 in social media ads generate almost 400 signups over just two days.
Use Direct Messages To Recruit Brand Ambassadors
Direct messages are a great way to recruit very specific people to your brand ambassadors program. This method is a bit more labor intensive because it requires a lot of research and time to message back and forth, but it can earn you high-value ambassadors. Here is how it works. A company identifies people who are a good fit for its brand. Then, it reaches out to start a conversation with a personalized message about participating in the brand ambassador program.
Ambassador Recruitment With Guest Posts
Many companies get additional exposure via guest posts on blogs. They reach out to influential blogs and online magazines with the offer to do a guest post that highlights your brand ambassador program. Offer to host a giveaway or other incentive to help sponsor the post. This approach helps companies reach new audiences of potential customers that they may not have encountered otherwise.
Recruiting Brand Ambassadors By Asking For Referrals
Ask customers and posting on social media for suggestions for brand ambassadors to invite to the program. Companies can invite their customers and followers to name people who exemplify the brand and discover people who can promote the company, its brand, and its products. Alternatively, companies can ask their followers to share information about their brand ambassador programs on their personal channels. Either way, asking for referrals works.
Recruiting brand ambassadors helps companies reach customers and target new people who they wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise, and all with the brand ambassador’s seal of approval. The best part? It really is not hard to recruit ambassadors. It just takes a little time and energy.
Don’t have a program yet? Learn how top brands have started their brand ambassador programs.
Learn more about BrandChamp’s Ambassador Software enabling brands to recruit and scale their program to thousands of participants with less time and effort.
Are you a fashion brand looking to start a clothing brand ambassador program? Check out these examples of awesome fashion ambassador programs.
