I just got the above email from Triberr. Not sure why, as I have never used them, maybe I signed up a long time ago to check them out. The title of the email was “Are you actively looking to become a Brand Ambassador?”
At this point it might be a good idea to clearly define what a ‘Brand Ambassador’ is (and is not). A brand ambassador is someone that is (typically) compensated by a brand to actively promote that brand to other customers as well as initiate interactions with potential customers. Ideally, a brand ambassador is literally the brand’s ambassador within the marketplace.
In my experience working with companies to help them create brand ambassador programs and in talking to companies that have launched their own efforts, the ultimate success of the brand ambassador program is typically impacted by the selection process for the ambassadors. Your brand ambassador program will be more successful, all other things being equal, if the people you choose as ambassadors for your brand are currently fans of your brand. Existing brand advocates make the best brand ambassadors. Brand advocates have a higher level of understanding and passion for your brand. They are already actively promoting your brand to other customers, you are simply going to better organize and empower their efforts by making them part of a formal brand ambassador program.
Another option is the so-called ‘open cattle call’ approach to finding brand ambassadors. Typically, anyone is accepted (first come, first served), and the incentives offered are a chance to make money or get free products, etc. Often, it can be positioned as a chance to get free products from major brands, and maybe even be paid for creating content that promotes the brand.
The problem with the ‘open cattle call’ approach is obvious. That person’s prime motivation for wanting to become an ‘ambassador’ for a particular brand is to get free products and to be paid for creating content that promotes the brand. Basically, they aren’t participating because they love the brand, they are participating because they love getting paid.
When money is the primary motivation for being involved in a brand ambassador program, it changes the behavior of that person. The ‘ambassador’ will typically create content that isn’t authentic and based on actual opinions, but instead will focus on creating promotional content that the person feels the brand will pay them for. And readers of the content can easily see the disconnect, it would be odd if I suddenly started blogging about how amazing Luv diapers are (as someone who has no kids), and noted at the end of my post that I was paid to write said post.
On the other hand, existing brand advocates want to become ambassadors for your brand because their motivation is based on seeing your brand succeed. They literally LOVE your brand and will usually jump at the chance to work with it to better connect with customers and help move the brand forward. Although compensation is involved with them as well, brand advocates usually prefer more direct access to the brand and maybe advance access to upcoming products versus simply getting paid. Brand advocates prefer access over cash in most cases.
So if your company is thinking about creating a brand ambassador program, carefully consider who you want to be involved as ambassadors for your brand. Do you want to bring in existing customers that love your brand, or ‘influencers’ that have little to no natural affinity for your brand? The smart bet is on your existing customers that love your brand and want to see it succeed just as much as you do.
Hi Mack,
You know how passionate I am about this subject, so I’ll keep it short. You’ve put in words what I felt when I received the email.
An influencer is not the same thing as an ambassador which is also not the same thing as a representative.
I’ve worked for companies that I have ‘represented’ conferences. I wasn’t passionate about them. I wasn’t an ambassador of the company while at the conferences. I simply represented them, handed out cards and yep, got some swag along the way. It was a job, not a passion. Just a pay check. I left and it was best for both of us.
Why invest in someone who isn’t passionate or madly in love with what you do? And the same can be said the other way around. As a person, do I really want to invest time and energy in something I am not really passionate about?
As a brand I want hard core lovers who eat, breath and sleep my vision, my values, my products or services. I want people with passion out there who are driven by what we do, not what they can get.
I would rather 10 passionate over 100 who think I’m cool and wouldn’t mind representing me. They won’t infect others with their enthusiasm the way those 10 passionate people will.
It’s a bit like buying Twitter followers: what’s the purpose of all those followers if no one is really interested in what you have to say?
In any case, I understand where the company is coming from and what they would like to achieve by matching up people with brands they like, and that is great. And maybe there are mad passionate fans out there… but my guess is that they are already connect with the brand directly if they are that passionate and WoMing them. They are on their radar and receiving swag!
I would have like to see a match making title instead. I think that paints a clearer image of what is happening. Maybe I am missing the point, so I signed up to see 🙂
Exactly, Kelly. An ‘influencer’ is good for at best short-term buzz for your brand, but advocates drive long-term growth. Which is really what this is about, it’s not a ‘brand ambassdor’ program at all, it’s about blogger outreach, and Triberr being a connector between bloggers and brands that want to work with bloggers to help promote their brand.
Which is fine, nothing wrong with that. I just want brands to understand that this isn’t how you build a successful brand ambassador program, this is how you pay some bloggers to talk about your brand on their blogs. If that’s all you want, then maybe this deal will work for you.
But if a brand wants to work with actual brand ambassadors, they need to go in a different direction, IMO. Maybe it’s best to ask yourself first ‘Do we have to pay this blogger $500 to write a post praising our brand, or are they already do this for free?’ IMO your brand isn’t best served by working with people that will only say nice things about your brand as long as they are getting a paycheck.
PS: I signed up for the service as well to see what’s up.
Thank you for this article. I’ve never really thought about the difference between brand ambassador and brand spokesperson, but now I certainly know the answer. Thank you.