Pssst, Your Brand is Talking About YOU

How do you want to be described?

1. She's Successful

2. She's Smart

3. She's Attractive

4. She's Reliable

5. She's Honest

You want these glowing adjectives to be consistent across the board, whether or not you are in the room!

Your Brand is your company's personality, character, and aesthetic. Your Brand speaks volumes about YOU and how people connect with your business. The way you present your company to the world becomes your referral for future business. You want your customers to walk away from a transaction feeling:

• Satisfied, at a minimum

• Thrilled, at your best

One of the most effective marketing strategies for small business is to establish Brand Ambassadors. According to an article written by Megan Mosley entitled Why Brand Ambassadors Can Grow Your Business 10x Faster:

A brand ambassador is a person who uses and/or has tried your product and absolutely loves it. In fact, they like it so much that they promote it on your behalf without payment or having been asked. Most brand ambassadors also happen to be experts in the field, so their free endorsement typically appeals to the crowds.

A Good Ambassador can invest in a key component of your Brand - Credibility. Trust is critical in any relationship. Your Ambassadors show potential new clients that you are trust worthy and they help mitigate any perceived risk in facilitating new business with you.

Wanted: Brand Ambassadors

When recruiting a Brand Ambassador, look for the following characteristics:

1. Enthusiastic Existing Customers - they are positive, they like YOU and your product.

2. Social Rockstars - they have a large social media following. Their promotion of Your Brand immediately extends your reach.

3. Reciprocity - Your Brand and Your Ambassadors are in a symbiotic relationship. Your exchange needs to be mutually beneficial in order for it to work. Parasites, on either end, can ruin the relationship. Reward them with swag and show them some love!

4. Character Counts - this is your business and you want to be viewed in a positive light. Your Ambassadors represent YOU. If their behavior is negative or unprofessional, it can reflect poorly on Your Brand.

Brand Ambassador software can help you navigate through the process of recruiting. Brand24 creates analytics on Mentions, Influence, and Sentiment Analysis.

Build A Brand Ambassador Program

Once you have analyzed the metrics behind your mentions, influence and sentiment; you need to create a program. The following are 2 examples of ambassador programs:

• Lululemon - Lululemon ambassadors can fit into one of the three categories, a). Elite Ambassadors, b). Global Yoga Ambassadors, or c). Store Ambassadors. The ambassadors are chosen because they are able to reflect the Lululemon culture.

• Skullcandy - wanted to harvest product reviews so that consumers can make informed decisions using reviews by people they can identify with using Expert Voice.

Brand Ambassadors are your best friend who talk about you to a potential blind date! "You are going to LOVE Her! She's.....". Who doesn't want their best friend advocating for you and describing you to the world?! They pull from your best features and their personal interactions with you.

Do your research, establish a program and continue to show them some love in return! If you are a small business owner and your budget is tight; Brand Ambassadors can be worth their weight in gold!❣