For the last five years or so, marketers have talked endlessly about the power of influencers. And sure, influencers have their place. But how many times have you found your bespoke influencer campaign has actually become more about the influencer than your brand? Not to mention the time it takes to find influencers, engage with them, negotiate a contract, negotiate content creation, negotiate usage rights, chase for content, then chase for content again. We’ve all been there, right? Setting up influencer campaigns can take a huge amount of time and energy, and sometimes the payoff just isn’t there. So, how can you leverage the power of third-party digital audiences without losing control of your brand?
Well, there is a better way. We recommend a tried and true strategy for driving engagement and sales: customer loyalty programs. Yes, loyalty programs, but not as you may know them. Gone are the days of cardboard loyalty cards, or points cards that get lost in your customer’s handbag or thrown in a closet. With BrandChamp’s ambassador software platform, brands create, manage and scale ambassador programs using simple automation across the entire campaign lifecycle, from recruitment to activity verification, reward distribution, and communication. You can leave our AI-powered platform to do all the heavy-lifting of a traditional influencer strategy — and much, much more.
Accessories brands are having a moment right now when it comes to customer loyalty programs. They really seem to have it down.
We’ve pulled together a handpicked selection of the best brand ambassador marketing and customer loyalty programs around for accessory brands. Take a look and see for yourself how they drive deep customer engagement and loyalty.
1. Pura Vida
Pura Vida is a beautiful brand. They sell responsibly-made fashion accessories that inspire positivity and give back to the community. They utilize both an ambassador program and an affiliate program.
As a Pure Vida Brand Ambassador, you’ll enjoy a range of perks, free products, and a 10% cash commission on every qualifying purchase. Friends, family, and followers get 20% off their purchase, too. You’ll get access to sneak peeks of new lines, and exclusive content just for ambassadors, and may find yourself on the receiving end of a VIP giveaway or two.
The Pura Vida Bracelets Affiliate Program exists because of the company’s strong belief that business success is tied to the success of affiliates. They treat their affiliates with as much care as their direct customers. Highlights of their affiliate program include:
- Up to 12% commission on all sales
- Credit for any orders within 30 days of the original click placed by the customer
- Average order size of nearly $40
They also have an exclusive monthly newsletter with special promotions, content, and codes that marketers can adapt for their own marketing campaigns. Find out more about the program here.
2. Bombas
Bombas is a business that started with a mission to donate essential and comfortable clothing to homeless shelters. It’s quite unusual for a brand like this to have both an affiliate program and referral program, but they do! For the affiliate program, all purchases made through site banners and affiliate links accrue earnings through commission on net sales (excluding shipping, taxes, and returns). Plus, you’ll be the first to know about new styles and product launches.And of course, you’ll also enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you have helped donate essential clothing to someone in need with each item you help sell.
We love their simple but effective referral program too – just share this link with a friend, to give them 25% off their first purchase, and you pocket $20 for yourself.
3. DIFF Eyewear
Now DIFF Charitable Eyewear, championed by celebs like Dan Levy, has a couple of programs we really love.
First, their ambassador program offers a bunch of great perks:
- The chance to be featured across DIFF social media accounts
- Being first to know about our new products
- The chance to Win FREE DIFF swag!
- Earning credits that can be redeemed for DIFF Eyewear products
- Being part of a community of change-makers
- Helping make a DIFFerence in the lives of others
In return, DIFF Ambassadors have responsibilities. These include:
- Sharing DIFF adventures on social media
- Spreading the word about the DIFF Eyewear brand and its charitable initiatives
- Sharing the ambassador code widely
- Demonstrating kindness
What’s not to love about that? We appreciate the way these responsibilities reinforce the purpose and positive positioning of the DIFF brand while controlling the brand messaging and influencer activity.
Their affiliate program is pretty straightforward too, with an 8% commission on all tracked sales. While there’s a wordy contract to read through when you sign up, it’s a pretty quick process to get started. Find out more about it here.
To date, DIFF has donated 1.5 million pairs of reading glasses to people in need worldwide.
4. Tote Savvy
Who doesn’t love a tote? Especially one you can fit your whole life into and still look great. It’s little wonder that the Tote Savvy ambassador program is such a hit. Tote Savvy is looking for a specific kind of ambassador, so their recruitment process reflects that. Their approach makes sense when you consider their target audience is principally mothers with babies and small children.
Tote Savvy wants to work with ambassadors who can show how they pack their organizer and can describe how Tote Savvy has helped transform their lives. Chosen ambassadors go on to create authentic styled images and videos to showcase the brand.
The process to sign up is two-step. You need to open their ambassador page, then enter your email to receive an ambassador application form. The application itself is an easy online form. All up, Tote Savvy is a great example of an ambassador program for a niche product or business.
5. Ana Luisa Jewelry
Ana Luisa is a jewelry brand with a simple but clear idea: high-quality jewelry shouldn’t cost the planet. Their loyalty program is called the Ana Luisa Club and involves a points-based system of accruing points for spending. There are various tiers and incentives to increase your points and move up the reward levels. The online login interface for members is simple, clear, and pleasurable to navigate through.
The brand also runs a more traditional influencer program, but the difference here is that the brand controls the collaborations. It has an application process similar to Tote Savvy, but it positions itself as a true brand ambassador program. They talk about long-term relationships, fair compensation, and authentic collaborations. We think this is a great example of next-generation customer loyalty programs, and we won’t be surprised to see other brands adopting this model soon.
Keen To Start Your Own Customer Loyalty Program?
Clearly, customer loyalty programs and brand ambassador marketing have come a long way. If you are keen to try it for yourself, our brand ambassador management software automates your entire program development, from recruitment to activity verification, reward distribution, and communication. We also integrate with Shopify, Amazon, and WooCommerce to allow you to pull your loyalty programs through to point-of-sale conversions.
BrandChamp’s platform is easy to navigate and simple to use, saving you hours compared to the traditionally labor-intensive process of identifying, engaging, and recruiting influencers, then managing contracts and deliverables. Not to mention the negotiation of content creation and usage rights. Most importantly, we give you the ability to create programs that leverage all the value of third-party audiences, while still controlling your brand narrative and activation.
Here are just a few of the ways we support our clients:
Increase sales with referral tracking
The platform makes it easy to set up and track and manage referral sales using simple links and discount codes either on your own on a website store or Amazon.
Drive engagement & reach on social media
The platform allows you to mobilize your ambassadors to tag your brand and products to participate in marketing campaigns across a range of social channels.
Stand out with social proof
One of the hardest things to do with influencers is to encourage, then control and share user-generated content. Our software allows you easily generate valuable user-generated content with the help of ambassadors to increase conversions and even automate it.
Build a better customer experience
Happy ambassadors are high-performing ambassadors. Our platform allows you to reward your ambassadors with a collection of offers that can combine free products, discounts, gift cards, and cash payments.
In other words, BrandChamp is an easy, all-in-one solution.
The good news is that customer loyalty programs, including brand ambassador programs, that use program management software are quite new on the scene. This provides you with a great opportunity to get your brand ahead of the curve with this new wave in marketing strategy.
To find out more about BrandChamp, to launch a brand ambassador marketing program for your brand, or to upgrade existing customer loyalty programs, get in touch!
