According to Nielsen’s 2023 Consumer Survey Report, 53% of consumers choose to buy something when their trusted influencer recommends it. That’s why you see different types of brand ambassadors our there.
This is what brand ambassadors do for your business. To promote your business, they utilize the power of trust they’ve established among friends and followers. For this reason, brand ambassador marketing is going to be one of the most effective marketing strategies for businesses.
However, the key is to find the right brand ambassadors to promote their products. Thankfully, this article will show you exactly:
- Who are the brand ambassadors?
- What are their types?
- What are your characteristics; and what role can they play for your brand?
Besides this, we’ll also guide you on how to find and manage the perfect brand ambassadors for your business.
Let’s know….
Who is a Brand Ambassador?
A brand ambassador is an influential person who partners with a company or business to represent their brand positively among their followers. Brand ambassadors help brands increase their brand awareness and build trust with consumers, leading to more conversions. To achieve this, they create engaging content, share their genuine experiences with the brand, and embody the brand’s values and ethics.
5 Key Types of Brand Ambassadors Ranked
Brand ambassador marketing is centuries old. However, with the rise of social media over the past decades, it has emerged as one of the most effective marketing strategies. This shift has led to the emergence of various types of brand ambassadors to cater to different marketing goals. Below is a breakdown of the most common types of brand ambassadors.
1. Influencer Ambassadors
87% of marketers already using influencers to increase their reach are going to choose influencer ambassadors in the coming years as well. At the same time, 59% of them also look forward to increasing their marketing budget.
Why?
The success—81% of people listen to influencers, according to a matter communication study.
So, who are these influencer ambassadors?
Influencer ambassadors are social media stars with a big fan club. These experts use their specific niche knowledge to convince their followers about brands in an authentic way. Instead of just promoting products, they create engaging and unique content like blog posts, videos, or social media updates to share their positive experiences with your brand. This positive influence helps the brand reach a wider audience and ultimately boost sales by scoring up to $6.5 ROI for each dollar spent.
Example: A fitness influencer reviewing a new protein powder brand.
Advantages
- Influencers provide more targeted reach by connecting with fans who are already interested in what the brand sells.
- Their promotions feel real due to their genuine enthusiasm.
- It costs less for brands to partner with influencers for longer, keeping campaigns going without breaking the bank.
Disadvantages
- Your brand may be less noticed due to so many influencer marketers now.
- Some influencers might have fake followers who don’t care about the brand at all.
2. Micro-Influencer Ambassadors
Falling among influencer ambassadors, micro-influencers have smaller but more dedicated fan clubs (between 1,000 and 100,000)—they engage 40.5% of social media users. Their expertise in micro niches allows brands to utilize the power of their most precisely crafted content that seems most genuine and achieves ROI. However, coordinating with multiple micro-influencers can be time-consuming and require a well-organized system. (Although it’s not difficult in an era of automation—several apps and platforms can assist you).
Example: A vegan influencer with a vegan fan base recommends a new veggie burger.
Advantages
- Their audience finds their promotions more relatable because of their niche expertise. This results in higher engagement.
- They outdo celebrity price tags with their stronger and more effective marketing.
Disadvantages
- Micro-influencers targeting smaller audiences might not be helpful for businesses seeking extensive reach.
- Coordinating and managing multiple micro-influencers might be challenging.
3. Celebrity Ambassadors
Celebrity ambassadors are highly recognized public figures with huge followers (millions or billions). They include actors, athletes, or even social media stars. The brands, sharing identical values with these celebrities, partner with them to spread the word about their products or services at a gigantic scale–thanks to their immense fame.
Example: Ryan Reynolds for Mint Mobile (phone carrier)
Advantages
- Instant brand awareness by making everyone hear about it in one go
- Wider audience reach due to their wide-spread fame
Disadvantages
- It requires high costs to hire celebrities–only companies with big budgets can afford them.
- The promotion can seem unreal if celebrities don’t care about the product they’re advertising.
4. Customer Ambassadors
Customer ambassadors are your loyal and happy customers who love to share their good experiences regarding your brand with others. You need not hire them formally—just keep producing excellent quality, and they’ll sing for you. Plus, proactively creating a customer ambassador program can further amplify these positive experiences.
Advantages
- People trust their recommendations the most.
- Their word-of-mouth promotion is natural and free.
- They are more affordable than any of the above-mentioned ambassadors.
Disadvantages
- Reach isn’t as big as that of celebrities or influencers.
5. Employee Ambassadors
Employee ambassadors, who are regular employees passionate about your company, can be 10X more effective marketers on social media. Their positive advocacy is reflected in their high social media post engagement rates.
Advantages
- Promotions by employees seem real and lead to sales, when they share real experiences with others.
- Companies don’t need to pay extra for their positive word-of-mouth.
Disadvantages
- Limited Reach: They have less social media following compared to celebrities or influencers (macro or micro).
Other Types of Brand Ambassadors
Besides the 5 main types of brand ambassadors, as discussed previously, several other types of brand ambassadors may bring unique value to your marketing strategy. These ambassadors may also be influencers on social media.
Some of these types of ambassadors are:
Industry Expert Ambassadors
Industry experts are well-known professionals like doctors, engineers, and chefs. Everyone trusts them for their expertise in their field. These experts can help your company sell more by using genuine and incredibly engaging endorsements, often in the form of reviews.
Advantages
- People trust these experts.
- They create free high-quality content for your brand, like articles and talks.
Disadvantages
- Hiring famous experts costs a lot.
- Some experts only talk to a small group, so the reach can be limited.
- It can be hard to find time to work with them.
Affiliate Ambassadors
These people promote your brand and earn commission on sales they generate. They can be anyone online with an audience. Amazon associates are an example of it.
Advantages
- You only pay for results.
- Reach is targeted.
- You can easily expand your reach.
Disadvantages
- Less control over messaging
- Requires effort to manage affiliates and ensure accurate promotion.
Experiential Ambassadors
These outgoing people create fun, interactive experiences to get people excited about your brand. Think pop-up events or live demos!
Advantages
- Creates memorable experiences
- Allows direct customer interaction
- Generates buzz
Disadvantages
- Events can be expensive.
- Reach is only targeted at the people invited to the event.
- Results are hard to measure.
What are the Key Characteristics of Successful Brand Ambassadors?
Great brand ambassadors are like a brand’s cheerleaders. They share their love for the brand with everyone and make people excited about it.
Here’s what makes an ideal brand ambassador:
True Believers
The best ambassadors truly love the brand they’re promoting. This passion makes their endorsements feel real. People can tell when someone just says nice things for money.
Clear Communicators
Brand ambassadors, especially celebrities or influencers can explain to people why a brand is better, thanks to their amazing marketing skills and content.
Social Media Masters
These ambassadors know their way around social media platforms where their target audience hangs out. They can create engaging content, like photos, videos, or posts, that grab people’s attention and make them want to learn more about the brand.
Friend-Making Champs
The best ambassadors can build relationships with people. They listen to what people are interested in and find ways to connect the brand to their needs.
Bendy and Strong
Things don’t always go perfectly. Great ambassadors can adapt to unexpected situations and keep promoting the brand even when things get tough. Additionally, they might also be great problem-solvers to find solutions to any challenges that come up during the marketing campaign.
Outstanding Creative skills
On top of all this, some superstar ambassadors are also wonderfully creative. So they can come up with unique ways to promote the brand.
How Should You Choose the Right Brand Ambassador?
When it comes to opting for brand ambassador marketing to promote your business, choosing the exemplary brand ambassador who fits your brand personality is a crucial step, and the Influencer Marketing Hub report endorses it too!.
Here’s what are areas you should check to find the perfect fit:
Popularity & Connection:
- Are they well-known by the people you want to reach (your target audience)?
- Do they seem down-to-earth and relatable on social media?
- Does their relationship with their audience matter the most when selecting the right brand ambassador?
Brand Believer:
- Do their values match your brand’s values?
- Do they seem like they genuinely like your products or services?
Engagement Skills:
- Do they talk to their followers on social media?
- Have they consistently connected with their audience over time, as engagement and clicks are the benchmark of their success?
The right brand ambassador acts like a bridge—they connect your brand to real people in an credible way. You just need to find, train and manage your influencers or ambassadors. Yet, it’s not that difficult today when marketers are using AI for their brand ambassador marketing campaigns. In this regard, softwares like Brand Ambassador App can help you.
Types of Brand Ambassadors: The Final Verdict
Finding the right brand ambassador can be a game-changer for your marketing strategy. With the variety of options available, you can target the perfect audience and amplify your brand message in a genuine way.
But, managing multiple ambassadors and their campaigns can be time-consuming. That’s where technology can help!
Brand Ambassador App leverages automation to streamline your brand ambassador marketing. Find the perfect brand fit, manage campaigns effortlessly, and measure results – all in one place.
