Brand ambassadors are a powerful marketing channel for your brand. These online influencers use their digital clout and content skills to engage with their followers and to share relevant content that adds genuine value to their fans.
Brands work with bloggers through brand ambassador relationships. Bloggers choose brands that resonate with their own values and which will appeal to their followers. In this way, brands can connect with niche and highly relevant audiences via a trusted influencer. The model can be highly effective as the blogger, or influencer, will already have a strong standing with their follower base and will be respected for their views and insights.
If you build a relationship with a blogger and initiate a brand ambassador relationship, this can be invaluable for your brand, but there are important ways to go about this to get the maximum value. Here are some steps for success:
1. Find the right blogger to act as your brand ambassador
Do your research to ascertain which blogger or bloggers may be a good fit for your brand. Look at their followers, their content, their own brand and their purpose for blogging. Is there a potential crossover with your own brand, values and audience? Does your target blogger already have any branding relationships? Might there be any commercial crossover or issues to consider? Your research is the most important first step.
2. Approach target bloggers to become your brand ambassadors
Approach potential bloggers of interest and explore their interest in becoming a brand ambassador for you. This may mean approaching their representation. Have a clear offer in mind to explore and information that describes your brand, your own offer, and what you would hope to get from the arrangement. There may be a negotiation at this stage. Be open to ideas as to how your new brand ambassador might potentially work for you and in which scope. Check that there are no conflicts of interest.
3. Confirm your arrangement
Once agreed, confirm how your arrangement will work and the scope of the contract and payments. These commercial arrangements are important to get into place. You can then begin rolling out a programme of agreed content. This might include product placement opportunities, sponsorship arrangements with direct promotions, competition launches, explainer content, advertorial and so forth.
4. Measure the results of your work
It’s important to assess the results of your relationship against your original goals. Have a clear means of measuring the ROI and tracking which customers come via your social media brand ambassador relationships. This will tell you whether the relationship is financially worthwhile. Be clear on whether the ambassador relationship is there to build brand awareness and to begin a sales process, or whether you are expecting direct sales as a result.
With planning and a focused approach, you can enjoy excellent results from a blogger relationship with your brand. Assess potential bloggers with their target audience and reach to help you achieve your mutual goals in the digital space.
