How a Brand Ambassador Can Boost Your Small Business
Think brand ambassadors are only for huge corporate companies and internationally recognizable brands? Think again. Hiring a brand ambassador can prove to be massively beneficial for businesses of all sizes — even small local or online businesses. If you operate a small business and have been curious about the many benefits that come with having a brand ambassador represent your product or service, look no further. Below, we have outlined a few key ways a brand ambassador can serve as a tremendous asset to your business.
Brand Ambassadors Humanize a Brand
When people are looking for a new product or business to fill a need, they typically don’t want to buy from a “faceless” brand. Personalizing the shopping and buying experience for your customers creates warmth, relatability, and trust. Show potential customers that you’re not just interested in having them buy from you over your competitors, but that your brand has a truly personal element to it. One of the most effective ways to do this is by hiring a brand ambassador (or several) to be the face of your brand. Brand ambassadors will play an active role in the marketing and sales of your business, working to strengthen your brand identity by humanizing the brand itself and the shopping process your customers experience.
Brand Ambassadors Give You Access to an Untapped Market
Working with a brand ambassador opens up the potential for tapping into a market you may not have otherwise had access to. Effective brand ambassadors usually have sizable online followings on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. In some cases, the followers may actually be looking to these brand ambassadors to influence their decision-making process when it comes to shopping. You may be able to have a brand ambassador promote your product or service on their Instagram page, thus gaining access to all of their followers, who are watching a reputable public figure promote your product. When they see someone they trust promoting your product or service, those followers will be more likely to choose your product or service.
Brand Ambassadors Can Be an Affordable Investment
Brand ambassadors should not be expected to do any work for free, but that doesn’t mean hiring one has to cost you an arm and a leg. Consider different trade-off opportunities, such as offering brand ambassadors a commission, which gives your brand ambassador the opportunity to make more money than from a flat fee. Additionally, if your brand ambassador is an existing customer who already loves your brand, you can gift them with free products in exchange for their role as a brand ambassador.
Brand Ambassadors Draw More Traffic to Your Business Website and Social Media Platforms
A brand ambassador will post engaging content on their social media platforms about your brand. This will create the potential for even more traffic directed to your business’s social media pages and website. A brand ambassador can post direct links not only to your business website, but to a specific product you may be selling at the time and want to promote.
Reap The Benefits of Positive Word of Mouth
You could spend tens of thousands of dollars on marketing, but few things are as effective as good old-fashioned word of mouth. Think about it. Would you buy a product for a business you’ve never heard of, or would you buy a product from a business several people you trust have talked about? The latter, of course! When a brand ambassador promotes your product, they are spreading the word about something to people who trust their opinion. Provided you are selling a quality product, this can have a ripple effect in which their followers buy your product and, in turn, speak positively of it to their own friends.
Be Your Own Brand Ambassador
If you run a small business with only a few employees or you run one entirely by yourself, you can be your own brand ambassador. No matter how small your business might be, customers like seeing the face behind the brand. People want to see the behind-the-scenes elements of a company. People are innately curious, and they have a natural desire to feel included. Use your social media platforms to make videos or blogs about your product or service.
Do ask-me-anything threads online and respond to people’s comments on your business social media pages. Encourage customers to participate by hosting contests and rewarding them with custom corporate gifts likebranded face masks,uniform jackets, orcustom logo mugs. Use this opportunity to establish trust with your current and potential customers and cement yourself as a respected expert in your field.
With your new knowledge of the beneficial impact brand ambassadors can have on your small business, consider working with one to reach your business’s branding goals.