should you have a brand ambassador

Should you Have a Brand Ambassador Contract?

Execute That Business Plan

Let’s talk business. You’ve probably had your business for a while, or maybe you are just starting out. Regardless, your goal is to provide a product or service to your customers, and in return, you get paid! Now, what’s a tactic every business uses to get people aware of their services? Everyone promotes. Every company you see has a marketing or business plan that entails promotional tactics. These tactics can include billboards, pamphlets, advertisements, and commercials. Using people or brand ambassadors are one of the newest growing ways of promotion to date.

Ambassadors, Who Need Them?

Social media made the concept of brand ambassadors or people who can promote your business online (and even offline) for a price or some incentives, popular. These days, there is no better way to support than through word of mouth. People trust other people more than what they would see in commercials, on billboards and even from well-known celebrities. People want to look at other people they can relate to, promoting your products. After all, you can never have too many people positively talking up your business, am I right? Brand ambassadors can appear at company events, promote your products online and much more. Depending on who you pick to be your brand ambassadors the price ranges from person to business. It’s crucial to choose brand ambassadors that will uphold the standards you set for them and your business.

What are Brand Ambassadors?

A brand ambassador has many roles, but he or she is a spokesperson for a company or brand. The company can be online or offline, and the marketing can happen at any time of the day and anywhere. A brand ambassador’s job should be to eat, sleep and breathe whatever company he or she represents. The brand ambassador should learn so much about the brand that information about it spits out in an instant.

What do Brand Ambassadors Do?

Now you may be sitting here wondering what exactly a brand ambassador does. The types of services brand ambassadors bring to the table range, especially in this social media age. Brand ambassadors can write blog posts about the brand they represent. The blog post can be product reviews, giveaway information, website or blog reviews, contests on Instagram, discounts and special offers. Brand ambassadors can also post on social media. The social media posts can be mentions or retweets on Twitter, and they can also be Instagram posts of the latest products or services. Brand ambassadors should utilize the effect of hashtags, whether they use existing popular ones or create their hashtags. Brand ambassadors can post on their social media platforms, or they can post on the company’s social media platform. Although, it’s more useful if the brand ambassadors posts on their platforms. That way, the business or company can reach a new and maybe even a broader audience. The idea is to get existing people excited about your product or service and new people curious about your product or service. Brand ambassadors participate in Google Hangouts, and Twitter chats about the brand. They stir up and continue the conversation regarding anything that has to do with the brand or company. The brand ambassador also does this as a tactic to let the general public know that they are real people with real opinions. The customers will feel a connection to the brand and brand ambassador in this way. As a result, the customers feel like they can trust the company and will be more willing to spend their money on the products. Brand ambassadors attend trade shows, conferences and conventions and press trips. Events such as these represent the brand. When going to these events, brand ambassadors talk up the brand and wear clothing with the brand’s logo. That adds a more personal feel when the general audience can see the interaction between the brand and the public. It builds trust.

Working with a Brand Ambassador

When with a brand ambassador or more, you must keep in mind that your business must still have a marketing plan involving the brand ambassador. Without a marketing plan, you won’t be able to set goals or expectations as to what you want out of your business or brand ambassador. Marketing plans include campaigning. Campaigns can last a month, three months, a year, or more. When you hire a brand ambassador, try to have an idea as to what you expect out of your brand ambassador so that they have an idea as to how long the campaign will last. Most brands hire brand ambassadors to promote a new product launch, giveaway/sweepstakes or special offer. Sometimes that takes a month or sometimes longer to execute depending on the goals of the campaign. I do know about this subject because I was a brand ambassador a few times. Don’t worry; I know what I am talking about in this case. I am going to school for public relations and brand management, and I’ve had many experiences when dealing with how brand ambassadors operate, because of my past internships. Your upcoming knowledge is in good hands!

Great Brand Ambassadors: How to Find Them

Be aware of your social surroundings, especially online! Know everyone influential so that you can compile a list and reach out to every single one, depending on what you want. If you’re already active on social media, you may already be familiar with influencers in your category. Based on Google results, you’ll quickly find brand ambassadors on social media who are popular in your space. Instagram is an excellent tool for this as well! Instagram will point you in the direction of who is in your area of expertise and who has significant followings. YouTube is also fantastic for finding out what brand ambassadors to consider for your business. Start off local and work your way out. That way, you’ll have a better chance of controlling what happens with your brand ambassadors and how you want to execute specific tactics. There are even brand ambassador companies that connect your business in efforts to promote products and services. While these brand ambassador companies may be pricier than working directly with one brand ambassador, they can often provide additional services, such as analytics and a team of bloggers for your campaign.

What’s the Result of Having Brand Ambassadors?

Don’t you hate taking specific risks and not knowing the results of what’s to come? These days, businesses no longer have to worry about this, because analytics come a long way. Sales are, of course, the expectation of a brand ambassador campaign, but there are some other typical results businesses achieve as well. Some of these results include an increase in followers on your brand’s social media networks. You may also see an increase in the number of visitors to a brand’s website. These days, the increase in the number of views of a particular post or video can boost a brand's reputation. The rise in likes of social media posts and the rise in newsletter/list signups are also some results of working with brand ambassadors. Don’t let anyone tell you that numbers don’t matter. The more people you can reach, the more significant your pickets will be.

What’s the Price *In the Migos Voice*

I have said this before, but let me remind you all. The fees vary with brand ambassadors, and it depends on numerous things. If your company has a budget, don't try and find a brand ambassador out of your price range. That will cause more harm than good. If you can afford multiple brand ambassadors, but you aren't able to keep up with every single one, then it's best to stick with one. A good thing to remember is that the larger the reach or influence, the more expensive the brand ambassador fees are.

Let’s Talk about Contracts, Baby

Now we are getting to the dirt of it all, contracts. Yes, you need one. These are legally binding, and they guarantee the services that the brand ambassador agrees to perform. It is vital for companies to translate the legal safeguards that it applies to traditional advertising, marketing, and promotional activities, to its brand ambassadors. Without a contract, you’ll be subject to a verbal agreement, which can come at a price in the long run if anything goes wrong. Don't take the risk. Make sure that everyone involved in your businesses' affairs, sign a contract. If they refuse to do so, then that person may not be the right brand ambassador for you. But, that is okay!

What to Include in Your Brand Ambassador Contract:

Exclusive Relationship

Mention how exclusive you want them to be. That includes them working with other brands and also the type of product or service you want them to represent. All in all, this will affect the price. If you want them to focus on your brand, alone solely, make sure they know this ahead of time. There are brand ambassadors out there who work with more than one company at a time, and then there are some who choose to only work with one. Let them make a choice!

Specified Content

It is essential to take note of how specific you want the content to be. Also, make sure you let them know where you want them to post the material. You can create a detailed outline, or you can discuss this with your potential brand ambassador. Examples include maybe one blog post per month for two months or perhaps even a how-to video on the products you are providing. Remember that the more content you need out of the brand ambassador, the more expensive they are!

Consistency and Frequency

Talk about how social and frequent you want your brand ambassadors to be on social media. Brand ambassadors will usually mention the content creation for your brand in social media posts, but if you want more than one blog post, and you want to specify what exactly you want out of them, then that will cost more. Keep up with your brand's social media page analysis as well as your brand ambassadors. That will tell you in what areas you lack and where you need to be stronger, in regards to your posts.

Who's on The Team?

Some brand ambassadors keep a team of ambassadors on deck for companies who continuously request their services. That is especially true with a lot of public relations companies. Figure out who will be doing the work. If you reach out to a group of brand ambassadors, but you want a specific one, then it may cost more than a pretty penny.

Length of Collaboration

Figure out how long you want them to work with you. Eventually, all good things must come to an end, and people must move o to the next project. How long will your campaign last? How long do you think you need to reach your company goals? When writing up the contract keep all of this in mind, because you want your brand ambassador there as long as you need him or her.

What's The Goal?

Now on to the goals of the campaign. Yes, your brand ambassadors need to know what your goals are too. This way they can focus on the progress of those goals and let you know where you are at and how far you have until you reach them.

Brand Ambassadors are the Key

Make sure that whoever you choose to represent your brand does it with the most dignity and poise as possible. Have you thought about getting a few brand ambassadors? Do you have some in mind? Tell me about your business and leave a comment below!
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1 comment

My business is based on selling hair extensions it’s not yet been officially launched, but I’m looking forward in hiring a brand ambassador when i launch it. The name of my brand is Damsel hair and wig

Akeh Damaris

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