Brand Ambassadorship is the key to streamlining marketing strategies. B2C wise, is that true or false?
At this point, no clue, but I bet that if we stick together you’ll have a pretty accurate idea by the end of the article.
It’s been some time since we adopted causes just for the sake of our vision, without any side gain. And it’s somewhat natural. We’ve been changing game rules and evolving light speed fast to the least. There’s no more place for the prosaic and we’ve no more resources to spend on daydreaming. For online professionals, conversion is the new paradigm.
To best explain and showcase the opportunistic trend, we’ll focus on two main happenings. First, we’ll take a look at brand ambassadorship evolution and impact on marketing efforts. Second, we’ll analyze the connection between brand affiliation and conversion. So, upon reading the last line you’ll:
- Be aware of the 3 most important elements that comprise corporate identity
- Welcome and accept brand conversion as the new mantra
- Figure out how Brand Ambassadors do a better job than Social Influencers
- Be able to explain to yourself how brands prefer their customers
- Find out everything there is to know about Brand Ambassadorship from a B2C perspective:
- We do it because people care and trust their friends more than our ads. [That was harsh, I know. But, when it comes to conversions, we’re ruthless. *wink]
- We’re acting on the 3 main parts of the inbound sales funnel: Close, Buy, and Follow-Up
- Have a 4 step outline of how to build a Brand Ambassadorship System
Brand Ambassadorship Essentials
These days, all we have to flash around online are our brands. You’d think it’s our products or services. But guess again, it’s about the experiences we create.
We’re social beings living for social media experiences. We need to interact and we fancy some relationships over others on the principle of how they make us feel. As long as they meet our needs in the most basic way, the features of what we’re offered are less important. Customer preferences and decisions become about the connection and who’s establishing it.
Based on that, the links we build reflect who we are and what we stand for. Together, what we’re good at, potentiality and what customers value define our corporate identity. Rephrase.
Together, behavior, label/meaning, and communication define our corporate identity. These are the elements we promise by and take responsibility for in front of our audiences.
For marketers, reaching people meant increasing masses’ brand awareness. Currently, though, as we confirm individuality more and more, brand familiarity becomes old school. We value dynamic networking. Now, there’s a new concept. *wink
Brands are getting closer and more personal. And we appreciate their efforts because they feed our egos. We feel important and like we matter. But do we, I wonder?
Interactivity is the new norm, indeed. At the same time, brand conversion is the new mantra and it seems to be fueling each activity we perform! For instance, as we speak, I’m using an app to make my writing more readable. (*wink) More readable should translate in more readers, which should lead to more conversions. See where I’m going, here? *smile
So, how do corporate identity, dynamic networking, and brand conversion connect? In short, corporate identities reflect in actions and aim to convert within dynamic networks. We’ll provide the thorough explanation in the following part.
Why do we resort to Brand Ambassadorship?
“Shocking” news: Because people care for and trust their friends’ opinions more than they do your ads.
When entrepreneur-kind had discovered social media networking they thought they had struck gold.
All those people in one place, grouping themselves into tribes and niche, interest groups? Oh, but we must reach them (read advertise there). Muhahaha! – they thought.
But, people would group there to communicate and interact, not buy. At the same time, they were voicing more of their concerns, opinions, and expectations. They were demanding and looking for customized products and services.
74% of consumers name word-of-mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decision – AdWeek
So, marketers came up with working smarter, instead of harder. This meant reaching the people that would reach the other people. Social Influencers were born that day.
Brand Ambassadorship kicks more ass than Social Influence
But then, they couldn’t control (read track and measure) these new communities. Influencers had appealed to large audiences and generated a lot of exposure. In professional language, exposure stands for traffic.
Social Influencers
- Leverage their own image and build credibility
- Are somewhat static in their recommendations and relationships building, due to not knowing buyers
- Are effective in bringing new customers, but their impact fades in time
- Make use of their already owned media – their own social networks, YouTube channels, etc.
- Use tactics such as Content Marketing, Search Engine Ads, etc.
- Receive Incentives, such as money
- E.g.: Celebrities
But times changed and traffic never meant revenue. Social influencers didn’t know their audiences, so they were too impersonal to convert. DesignTaxi reports that in 2009 there was 21 million ad blocking users. In 2015, their number grew 9.4 times, reaching 198 million. With that barrier in place, brands still needed to get closer. Closer to themselves, as well. They figured that inside their yard was closer.
Another influencer breed was born that day. Customers talking about the products or services they use? Who would’ve thought of that? Their job was somewhat complex, though, so they named them Brand Ambassadors.
According to Business2Community, 80% of today’s marketing campaigns reach comes from amplification through advocacy. They’re about less exposure, but a more one-on-one, engaging and trustworthy approach.
Brand Ambassadors
- Leverage their relationships, know-how and experience with product
- Are dynamic in their networking and active on online platforms
- Are effective in consolidating relationships
- Make use of dedicated platforms, forums, etc.
- Use tactics such as Social Media, Email Marketing, texts, WOM
- Receive Incentives such as money, % off, gift cards, etc.
- E.g.: Fans, Employees, Niche Experts, etc.
Brands prefer their customers loud and loyal. Brand Ambassadors are more effective in doing that and easier to reach and incentivize.
Brand Ambassadorship boosts Sales for your Online Shop
1. The Buying Process
Being insiders, Brand Ambassadors are quite hard to recognize. What separates them, though, is their advocacy. Niche experts or just extremely passionate about the experience, they offer high-quality help.
ConvinceAndConvert states that your average consumer spends 2 hours/week hunting for deals.
Brand Ambassadors support sales boost by:
- Having a solid impact on your customers’ documentation and product comparison process
2. The Sale
Brand Ambassadors make up in knowledge and dedication what they lack in reputation. They follow market trends and your competitors.
91% of consumers feel an ‘in the moment’ offer might influence their purchase. – KiteWheel
Brand Ambassadors boost sales by:
- Recommend tools to use together with your products and services
- Clarify and explain price differences
3. The Follow-Up
When sharing brand content, it is said that employees develop 7 times more leads than conventional marketing.
Brand Ambassadors are active on more websites. Since they’re driven by loyalty, they’ll continue providing information even after the buy.
Brand Ambassadors support sales boost by:
- Becoming your experienced Customer Service Representatives
4 Steps to Building a Brand Ambassadorship Outline (with examples)
Putting your own Brand Ambassadorship System in place means creating an entire context. In it, advocates ought to be free to:
- Strategize on their own or together
- Develop and assume your brand voice
- Give back to the brand
1. DELL created an Effective Advocacy Program for its employees. Be like DELL!
DELL‘s Advocacy Program aims to change employees’ behavior according to a uniform, qualitative profile. It’s important that they all send the same concepts, use the same voice and stand for the same ideas.
The employee training program:
- Teaches Social Media skills, such as effective listening, social platforms management, blog writing, etc.
- Equips them with the best practices to build influencer relationship
- Offers a place where they can practice
- Rewards them
- Tracks performance so they can, later on, automate it
2. ASOS gave their Brand Ambassadors direct access to the brand. Be like ASOS!
ASOS is a British clothing retail company. Using an individual account, their personal stylists act as fashion bloggers/lifestyle ambassadors on Instagram.
The ASOS main Instagram account then posts their pictures to suit customer interests.
3. Fiskars connected all their Brand Ambassadors. Be like Fiskars.
A few years ago, BrainsOnFire increased brand loyalty for Fiskars Brands’ craft division. They brought crafting ambassadors together and allowed them to post on a dedicated blog. Their posts were about their lives and had nothing to do with selling.
Ambassadors hosted online chats, build relationships with store owners or organized physical crafting events.
Fiskars achieved a 600% increase in online conversion, says BrainsOnFire.
4. This one’s general: Ease Feedback Loops
Automation drives Systems Success. To automate systems we need to track performance. In the words of wise Noah Kagan, “If you didn’t measure it, it didn’t happen”.
Ambassadors need a go-to person where to register progress and results. Otherwise, everything is in vain. So, make sure the feedback loop is fast, proactive and easy to complete.
#NowYouKnow
A few years back we would work to increase brand awareness. Today’s social strategies, of which we talk more here, focus on how to convert more. In this context, Brand Ambassadorship is about advocacy and individual customization. As shop owners, we aim to reach masses one customer at a time.
But there’s quite a difference between social influencing and brand ambassadorship. The first category taps into an impersonal relationship and leverages a public figures’ audience. The goal here is to increase brand familiarity. The second category dives into a more personal and dynamic kind of networking. They value knowledge and personal experience, accompanying and helping customers through the sales funnel. As shop owners, it’s important to decide whether we want traffic, conversions or both. After having the end in mind, we can choose between influencers or brand ambassadors.
To put an Effective Brand Ambassadorship System in place, you could follow 4 easy steps:
- Design a Clear and Effective Advocacy Program
- Give Brand Ambassadors access to your brand
- Make sure Brand Ambassadors can connect with each other
- Ease a Feedback Loop so you could, later on, automate the entire process
These are the basics of Brand Ambassadorship. Now, let shyness here and tell us how do you reach out to brand ambassadors in the comment section below. We’d love to chat and exchange all sorts of ideas on the subject.
