Ziggy’s Naturals went from zero to 87 ambassadors

Overview

Ziggy’s Naturals is a family-owned CBD brand based in Austin, Texas. Brothers Jordyn and Jake Pollack co-founded the company with their father, Marc, in 2018 after exploring possibilities in the marijuana industry and deciding that CBD was the better option for them.

“We wanted to be able to sell these products to everyone, at least everyone in the United States, and we knew if we were doing a marijuana product, we couldn’t reach as many people,” Jordyn explains.

If you are new to CBD, aka cannabidiol, it is an active ingredient in the hemp plant associated with anxiety relief, improved mood, and more. CBD’s psychoactive effects differ from those of THC, the compound responsible for a marijuana high. It’s this distinction that makes CBD legal in many places where THC is not, which is why the Pollacks chose to focus on CBD.

Today, Ziggy’s Naturals’ offerings include salve, face and body lotions, muscle gel, and tinctures.

“We’ve gone from zero to 87 ambassadors. Now we have all these people who have been wanting to work with us and a way for them to do it.”

Embracing an LGBTQ+ Niche

As a transgender man, Jordyn is an active influencer in Austin’s LGBTQ-flux community, making Ziggy’s decision to embrace this niche market a natural one (we couldn’t resist). It’s a strategy that integrates Jordyn’s family and the flux community.

Jake adds, “We branded our whole website. It’s got the rainbow logo on the top. All of our brand ambassadors are in branches of the (LGBTQ+) community and most of them are trans men.”

“We love BrandChamp, We use it all the time and it is still growing“

We’ve gone from zero to 87 ambassadors. Now we have all these people who have been wanting to work with us and a way for them to do it. To encourage ambassadors and other Ziggy’s fans in the community to share their stories, Jordyn developed a challenge for ambassadors to introduce themselves, tell their stories and share their pronouns.

Building an Ambassador Program

Before signing on with BrandChamp a year ago, the brothers admit their influencer outreach was hit or miss. BrandChamp added much-needed structure, facilitated outreach, and made it easy to engage ambassadors in activities.

“I love the feature of being able to easily email all my ambassadors.”

“We’ve gone from zero to 87 ambassadors. Now we have all these people who have been wanting to work with us and a way for them to do it,” Jordyn says.

Like most small business owners, Jordyn juggles a range of tasks including marketing, invoices, payments, shipping orders, collaborating with influencers, and managing his ambassador program through BrandChamp.

His response to the platform’s functionality was immediately positive. He says, “I thought, ‘Wow, this is awesome.’ We can get a lot more people involved, and it’s a great way to communicate with them and keep them involved. We love it, we use it all the time and it is still growing.”

Jordyn shares that, as an active influencer for other companies, he sees first-hand how poorly managed some programs are. He says, “I personally do influencer work, and I’ve worked with other companies that have had me go on to their programs. Some were very confusing. I was lost.”

In contrast, all Ziggy’s Naturals ambassadors have found the BrandChamp platform easy-to-use. “It’s very straightforward. Everyone has had such an easy time applying and being part of the program. And I love the feature of being able to easily email all my ambassadors.”

Noting that over 500 activities have already been completed by ambassadors, Jordyn says the platform is building community, brand identity, and revenue. “About 5% of our sales come from BrandChamp referrals. We definitely make back way more than we spend on it every month.”

“It’s very straightforward. Everyone has had such an easy time applying and being part of the program.”