Find a Brand Ambassador

Intuitive marketers and e-tailers are shifting their approach and focus from traditional traffic sources to brand ambassadors. This is in larger part due to the fact that the majority of content portals (Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo) that could drive significant traffic to your website, are becoming ever more increasingly brand centric, and focusing on the top 100 brand advertisers. So what does that mean for the other millions of websites out there? How will they be able to compete for eyeballs?

We think the answer is in brand ambassadors. They have always existed, this is not a new avenue. But they are becoming ever more increasingly important if you're trying to get your message out there and your product sold. Here are five reasons why we think brand ambassadors are crucial to the survival of e-commerce beyond the top 100 brand advertisers.

1. Brand ambassadors allow you to use the viral nature of the internet deliberately, without having to get lucky. The tools are already in place. Anyone can share anything with their entire circle of social media friends with just one click. Enlisting brand ambassadors exposes your company’s brand to multiple social circles made up of people who want what you have, and who already trust the messenger.


2. Trust - Consumer skepticism is growing about advertising, and trust in them is eroding. At the same time, mass paid for advertising no longer reaches as many people as cost effectively as it did previously. This is due to both the fragmentation of media (due to greater choice of channels), and also due to the growth of online and social media. In a recent Nielson survey, only 33% of consumers said they trust paid advertisements, but a 92% trust peer recommendations.


3. Cost Effective - There’s tons of research out there showing that word-of-mouth is the most impactful and trusted form of marketing around. Most brand ambassadors are happy to be compensated with perks, swag, and discounts, and some will even do it for free, just because they truly enjoy what your business has to offer.


4. Degrees of Separation -  People pay more attention to their friends than they do your advertisements. The effective way for your business to “break through the marketing clutter” is to work through people’s social networks online and off. Traditional media advertisements is being tuned out. Think about whether you are really reaching people and if they are really listening. Often with Google or Facebook advertising takes thousands of ad impressions before you get just one click.


5. Brand ambassadors humanize your product. People like to buy from people. Although organizations traditionally brand themselves through logos and symbols, social media offers an opportunity to do much more. Ambassadors are emotionally engaged with your company’s brand and they expose the brand value you promise to deliver to your customer. If you can positively engage someone with your brand, they could be your greatest sales person.

Social Horse Power (n.d.). 12 Reasons You Need Brand Ambassadors Now [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://blog.socialhp.com/12-reasons-you-need-brand-ambassadors-now/