{"id":35228,"date":"2017-12-26T21:29:49","date_gmt":"2017-12-27T03:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crazyeggblog.wpengine.com\/?p=35228"},"modified":"2026-01-06T15:14:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T23:14:48","slug":"ambassador-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/blog\/ambassador-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Generate More Sales From an Ambassador Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems influencer marketing keeps exponentially growing in popularity.<\/p>\n

Looking at Google Trends, the data agrees:<\/p>\n

\"ambassador<\/p>\n

The question is when you\u2019ve established a relationship, what do you do then? According to Tapinfluence, 67.6% of marketers<\/a> consider finding relevant influencers their largest influencer marketing challenge.<\/p>\n

But what about after those campaigns have run their course? How do you turn influencer relationships into ongoing relationships geared towards growth?<\/i><\/p>\n

For many industries, ambassador programs are the answer.<\/b> They empower influencers with effective content while providing a solid and ongoing ROI.<\/p>\n

Today, I\u2019ll share four steps to executing effective ambassador marketing campaigns. You\u2019ll learn how to identify and connect with the right influencers so you can serve their audiences and attract new customers.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Identify Profitable Brand Ambassadors<\/h2>\n

A brand ambassador is a celebrity or influencer who organically advocates (or is paid to promote) the products and services of other brands.<\/p>\n

But what are the characteristics of a great brand ambassador? What makes them so qualified to work with you and spread your message?<\/b><\/p>\n

Most successful brand ambassadors (i.e., those who drive new sales) have these qualities in common:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. They have an online presence:<\/b> Like influencer marketing, you should work with ambassadors who already have a loyal audience. Word-of-mouth marketing is only successful when \u201cword\u201d reaches as many people as possible.<\/li>\n
  2. They have leadership skills:<\/b> People like to be led. If given a chance, they\u2019ll take the word of someone they trust over researching and evaluating options themselves. The best ambassadors ooze confidence and attract those who wish to listen.<\/li>\n
  3. They gather insight:<\/b> Ambassadors are constantly listening to and engaging with their audience. They\u2019ll gather feedback on experiences with your products, providing intelligence to optimize your marketing efforts.<\/li>\n
  4. They understand marketing:<\/b> They know how to attract attention and persuade prospects to take action. Great ambassadors know how important authenticity is, and this is present in the messaging and content they create.<\/li>\n
  5. They\u2019re professional:<\/b> Ambassadors represent your brand. They should have a level of professionalism, both in how they work with you and how they represent you<\/i>. Having clear guidelines from the start can save any embarrassments down the road.<\/li>\n
  6. They\u2019re relationship-driven:<\/b> Ambassadors and influencers alike value long-term relationships over one-off sales. And they want the same for your brand, too. The ambassadors you work with must be skilled at making connections on your behalf.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now you know what you\u2019re looking for in an ambassador. But where do you find great candidates to grow your brand? Here are some proven techniques to get you started:<\/p>\n

    1. Look At Your Social Platforms<\/h3>\n

    Start by searching through the followers you already have. Who has already engaged with you and your content?<\/p>\n

    Influencers who have liked or commented on your content are already engaged candidates. Check out this example from TRNK:<\/p>\n

    \"instagram<\/p>\n

    The highlighted user above has over 20,000 followers, which would make a great candidate for their micro-influencer marketing efforts.<\/p>\n

    You can also search for relevant hashtags on Twitter and Instagram. Use a broad keyword to see hashtag suggestions, as well as the number of posts associated with them:<\/p>\n

    \"instagram<\/p>\n

    The most popular posts appear at the top of the page. These are recent posts that have generated a notable amount of engagement:<\/p>\n

    \"instagram<\/p>\n

    The account associated with the highlighted post above has 85,000 followers – a great potential ambassador for our efforts. <\/p>\n

    2. Use BuzzSumo<\/h3>\n

    Not only is BuzzSumo a great tool for content research, but identifying potential ambassadors, too.<\/p>\n

    Start by signing up for a free trial or use the free version. In the search bar, enter a keyword relevant to your niche:<\/p>\n

    \"social<\/p>\n

    Click the \u201cview sharers\u201d button next to the top results:<\/p>\n

    \"buzzsumo\"<\/p>\n

    You\u2019ll see a list of Twitter accounts that have shared this content. You can sort by metrics such as domain authority and average retweets per user.<\/p>\n

    In this instance, you\u2019re looking for the most popular accounts, so sort results by \u201cTwitter Followers:\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"twitter<\/p>\n

    You now have a list of potential ambassadors to add to your list. <\/p>\n

    3. Tap Into Influencer Networks<\/h3>\n

    Finally, some platforms will connect you with influencers based on specific criteria. Work with these influencers on short-term campaigns before nurturing them into ambassadors.<\/p>\n

    Upfluence<\/a> provides a platform as well as done-for-you services. Their platform scours social platforms for user data, which you can filter using their platform:<\/p>\n

    \"upfluence\"<\/p>\n

    Another great option is TRIBE, a self-service platform that connects brands with influencers with various audience sizes.<\/p>\n

    \"tribe\"<\/p>\n

    Self-service platforms like TRIBE\u2019s allow marketers to spread their budget across several micro-influencers.<\/p>\n

    As part of an ambassador marketing strategy, this allows you to work with individuals on a small scale before starting a long-term relationship.<\/p>\n

    Key takeaway:<\/b> work with influencers on a small scale first, then go deep on those who generate the best results.<\/p>\n

    Step 2: Effective Influencer Engagement<\/h2>\n

    The best influencers are already busy working with other brands.<\/p>\n

    Getting their attention is going to take some work – just like any other form of outreach marketing. You need to get on your target influencer\u2019s radar before going in for the \u201cask.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The first step is simple. Start by commenting and liking the content they create<\/b>. Contribute meaningful comments to their posts to show you\u2019re not just copy-and-pasting a vague statement:<\/p>\n

    \"influencer<\/p>\n

    Once you\u2019ve got their attention, gently start the conversation<\/b> via direct message. Thank your candidates for the work they\u2019re doing. Tell them what your favorite post is and why. For example:<\/p>\n

    \u201cHi NAME – Just wanted to reach out and express how much we love your handmade furniture. Keep up the good work!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

    Be truly helpful to them<\/b>. Value-added activity can be as simple as sharing content to your audience. Influencers consider this a huge gesture, especially when they\u2019re trying so hard to build up their audience.<\/p>\n

    On Instagram, you could do this in the form of a \u201cregram,\u201d where you repost a target ambassador\u2019s content and credit them with a link back to their profile:<\/p>\n

    \"regram\"<\/p>\n

    Look for other ways to help them overcome challenges and achieve their goals.<\/p>\n

    For example, if an influencer is running a contest, sharing it on social media and including it in your email newsletter could be a big deal to them.<\/p>\n

    Once you\u2019ve established familiarity, it\u2019s time to reach out. Here\u2019s a good example of an outreach template:<\/p>\n

    \"outreach\"<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Start by referring to a post\/tweet you\u2019ve interacted with<\/li>\n
    2. Set the intention while being aware of how little you know each other<\/li>\n
    3. Tell them why they specifically would be a good fit for your campaign<\/li>\n
    4. A simple call-to-action<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Once you\u2019ve begun a working relationship, you need to make the job of promoting your brand as easy as possible.<\/p>\n

      Step 3: How To Motivate & Empower Your Ambassadors<\/h2>\n

      Unlike many influencer marketing campaigns, ambassador marketing is a long game.<\/p>\n

      It should be a mutually beneficial relationship between your brand and the individual. Therefore, you should be adding as much value as they bring to you.<\/p>\n

      There are several ways to do this. One of the most common is to give them exclusive products and access to events.<\/p>\n

      Ambassadors usually want access to new products and services before the public. It means they get to create exclusive, unique content for their audience. Help them do that by giving a behind-the-scenes look at what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n

      Even better, assist ambassadors in the content creation process. Get them involved hands-on with the process.<\/p>\n

      For example, Ben Brown recently worked on some promoted content for a campaign with Audi. While he was creating content for his Instagram audience, he took the opportunity to create long-form video of the process itself:<\/p>\n

      [fve]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HjPEmwI8FLM[\/fve]<\/p>\n

      This vlog is a great example of repurposing content already being created. It offers behind-the-scenes access to your audience, building further brand awareness and adding new touch-points to your campaign.<\/p>\n

      Another great example comes from cosmetic brand AVON. They enjoyed explosive growth during the 90\u2019s. How did they do it? Brand ambassadors. If you wanted to buy AVON products, you had to know a brand representative.<\/p>\n

      The sales message was so effective because it came from family or friends, not<\/i> a company. They equipped these reps with everything they needed and rewarded them accordingly. In fact, this was a full-time job for many people.<\/p>\n

      \"avon\"<\/p>\n

      Not only does AVON give their reps the materials to help sell their products, but they pile on extra perks, too. These include:<\/p>\n