How a brand ambassador can work for your business
Have you thought about employing a brand ambassador for your business?
A brand ambassador is a person who represents a brand and embodies the company’s image in every way.
This person promotes the company and its products and creates a positive image for the brand.
Brand ambassadors are usually high profile people or celebrities who have similar values to your business, product or service, resonate with your target audience or are widely known.
Brand ambassadors can benefit your business by providing third party credibility to your brand and allowing you to reach a wider audience of potential customers. They can also bring a personality and human face to your brand, which your target audience can identify with.
Here are some tips on choosing a brand ambassador for your business.
Have a clear idea of your business brand
Before choosing a brand ambassador you need to have a very clear understanding of your brand. Write down a definition of what your brand is about, your values, ethics, your tone of voice and the messages you want to convey to your target audience. This will help you to choose the right person to represent your brand.
Choose the right person
It’s important to find the right brand ambassador for your business, to ensure your brand is represented effectively. The best brand ambassador will embody the values of your business and be able to communicate key messages to your target audience. This person must also appeal to your target audience and allow the target audience to identify with them. For example, Virgin Mobile chose Doug Pitt, the brother of superstar actor Brad Pitt, as their brand ambassador. Virgin’s advertising slogan states they could have chosen an award winning actor but instead they chose his non-famous younger brother to make things fairer in the Pitt family. Doug represents Virgin’s values of a fair go for everyone and with Virgin everyone will be treated like a celebrity.
Qualities to look for
Brand ambassadors must represent the qualities your target audience admires and possess the same value as your business. They should have a strong presence, values, ethics, demeanour and confidence. They should also possess excellent communication skills and a friendly attitude to communicate the brand’s messages effectively. Brand ambassadors should have an extensive knowledge of the brand, business and its products to be able to answer any questions about the brand. They also need to fully support and believe in the brand to persuade customers to trust in the brand as well.
Sometimes the best brand ambassador for your business is the CEO of the company. They may not be famous but they can still raise the profile of the brand by using PR strategies and being seen in the media. A CEO can provide a human face to the business and help to build your target audience’s trust in the brand and the business’ leader. For example, Catriona Pollard is the brand ambassador for CP Communications. She created CP Communications to reflect her beliefs and values and is therefore the embodiment of the company. She also knows everything about the business and can answer any questions about it. She promotes the brand by speaking at many conferences and events, being interviewed by the media, networking and sharing information about the business with her networks.
Your greatest brand ambassadors are your loyal customers. If your business has provided exceptional service or products to your customers then they are likely to recommend you to other people. If you have many happy customers they could be spreading the good word about your business to hundreds of people in their networks. This is a free way to gain publicity and promote the good image of your brand to your target audience.Brand ambassadors are a great way to raise the profile and credibility of your brand while also promoting the brand to your target audience. By finding someone who embodies your brand you can communicate and appeal to your target audience, which will increase their brand awareness or brand loyalty.