What is a Brand Ambassador: Guide and Marketing Strategy

The concept of brand ambassadors is thrown around a lot online. But do you know what they are?

This article runs through the concept (it’s relatively new), including what these people do and how they can help your company. 

As we explore this topic, you’ll learn that brand ambassadors can take various shapes and forms. They aren’t one-size-fits-all. In many cases, they are just as varied as the companies they represent.

TL;DR

• Brand ambassadors are people who are passionate about your brand.
• They can be customers, influencers, or even employees under the right circumstances, and they can work for you by creating pro-brand content and engaging audiences.
• Many companies find them more cost-effective than conventional marketing, offering audiences social proof and strengthening loyalty. And they often work for brands long-term (contrary to short-term influencer deals). 

What is a Brand Ambassador

You can think of a brand ambassador as someone who promotes your brand. Often, they’re a member of the public or a social media personality, but they have a special connection to what you do. 

Business leaders consider them the friendly faces behind the corporate facade. They’re people your audience can relate to when they see them online–perhaps better than your regular staff. 

However, brand ambassadors leave some distance between themselves and your firm. They aren’t marketing managers but individuals with interesting stories and are willing to support your brand. 

Who Can Be your Brand Ambassador?

The best ambassadors are customers: people who’ve used your products and services and fallen in love with them. They aren’t necessarily looking for money–just an opportunity to share what they appreciate about your brand and how you helped them. 

Then, there are influencers–people with established social media followings. Again, these brand ambassadors don’t see promoting your company as their job–just something they want to do because of how much they enjoy your output. 

Employees can also be brand ambassadors, but you need to be careful. If you take someone on full-time, leave them off the official payroll and hire brand ambassadors as contractors instead. These arrangements create a healthy distance you can leverage.

Throughout the process of seeking brand ambassadors, look for people with enthusiasm. You want individuals who will support your company through thick and thin because of their emotional connection to you. Perhaps your products improved their health or brought their family closer–it’s these meaningful things that connect them to you. 

The Role of a Brand Ambassador

So, what does a brand ambassador do? 

The best way to think of them is as your “hype squad.” They do anything and everything that can support your brand and enable you to connect more broadly with your audience. For example, they can talk to people at trade shows, write content for your social media accounts, and make videos explaining your products. 

Content Creators

One option is to designate your ambassadors as “content creators”. These reps put together blogs, articles, news pieces, graphics, and videos to support your company. 

Billo’s brand ambassadors are an excellent example of this role in action. We connect brands to creators who make short videos for social media accounts, promotional purposes, and social proof.

Audience Engagers

Some companies also use brand ambassadors as audience engagers. Their role is to talk to fans online or mingle with people in real life, discussing your business and what it offers. 

Audience engagers can’t just be content creators–they also have to be socially adept and know how to present your brand in the best possible light. Their job is to get people excited about what you’re doing whenever and wherever they will listen. 

Feedback Givers

Feedback-givers is another brand ambassador role. These professionals can offer their opinions–often as real customers–about what you do well and what you could improve. 

These ambassadors will sometimes say something negative about you, but the purpose is usually to build authenticity and improve the brand. For example, they might tell you that you need to improve customer service or offer faster delivery. These tidbits are indispensable when trying to gain market share and an edge over rivals. 

Relationship Builders

Relationship builders are another example, and they make brands feel more human and approachable. You might not require brand ambassadors in this capacity if you have a warm and open team. However, companies operating in shady rooms behind closed doors need these friendly, outgoing people to get their messages across and build rapport with their customers. 

Event Celebrities

Finally, brand ambassadors can be event celebrities (at least for the day). These individuals are popular focal points at trade shows or promotional events, giving others a reason to show up. 

This strategy works particularly well when the ambassador is a star in their own right. Fans often go out of their way to meet them and discuss their projects. Hence, the companies that attract them will often be more successful with in-person (or even online) events. 

What Can the Brand Ambassador Do for Your Company?

Brand ambassadors can help your company in many ways (and be highly effective while doing it), so much so that their impact can sometimes outshine entire marketing departments. 

But how, specifically, can they help you? And are they effective? 

1. Save Money

First, brand ambassadors are a great way to save money. As crude as it may sound, they can slash your costs compared to online ad campaigns or TV commercials. 

Working with micro- or nano-influencers offers an even better bang for your buck. These ambassadors often have small, highly-engaged audiences in your niche who are just waiting to buy your products and services. 

2. Offer Insights

Second, brand ambassadors can offer customers profound insights. As enthusiasts, they often have a knack for delivering relevant information in a timely and structured format. 

They can do this through their content or during live calls–it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that they get critical information out to the people who care most about it: your audience. 

3. Strengthen Loyalty

Third, brand ambassadors can help your company strengthen loyalty. Their ability to generate rapport means they can keep customers hooked, like a fish on the end of a line. 

Part of this ability emerges from their celebrity status. Even small influencers are often highly likeable and attract substantial audiences. 

However, brand ambassadors are also adept at providing audiences with additional reasons to keep returning, whether because of the helpful information or something else. 

4. Build Trust

Brand ambassadors are also ideal for building trust because they deliver massive social proof. After all, if your company wasn’t providing the goods, why would an influencer or even a customer put their reputation on the line for you? 

Ideally, you want brand ambassadors who are willing to rave about your products. They should never lie but point out how they have helped them personally and why they make such a difference. 

Content like this inspires leads who might be fence-sitting. Influencer recommendations can be highly compelling and cause prospective customers to take action and move down the sales pipeline. It can also inspire sales that clients may have put on the backburner, pending more information. 

5. Boost Brand Awareness

Finally, brand ambassadors can boost brand awareness and introduce what you do to more people. They go beyond conventional in-house marketing strategies that can only get you so far. 

The biggest brand boosts come from brand ambassadors with ready-made audiences in your niche. Relevant bloggers and TikTok stars with existing followings often find it easy to promote your products and services because they relate to their existing content. 

Furthermore, brand ambassadors can spread the news about your business through on-the-ground word-of-mouth. As mentioned above, they’re excellent at mingling. 

Different Types of Brand Ambassadors

So far, we’ve been speaking in general terms about brand ambassadors. However, the reality is that there are many different subtypes. Brand ambassadors can slot into specific roles based on their personalities and the ways they want to support your brand. Some ambassador types are overlapping, but they can each play a role in supporting your firm. 

1. Peer Advocates

Peer advocates are the most common brand ambassadors. These are superfans who can’t stop talking to their friends about your brand. Engaging with these helps you form them into an organized fighting force for your company. 

Peer advocates are also perhaps the most natural of brand ambassadors. They love to talk to their contacts about what you do and how you can help them. Bumble’s Honey Ambassadors (students) were a good example and promoted the company’s dating app on campus. 

2. Niche Authorities

Niche authorities are another class of brand ambassadors worth exploring. These are experts or influencers in specific areas who give you a credibility boost. 

You can find niche authorities across the web. Examples include experts on: 

• Fishing tackle
• Dealing with PTSD
• Writing blogger outreach emails

Sephora’s “Sephora Squad” is an excellent example. These pros love makeup and skincare products and enjoy sharing their knowledge with the world. 

When using these, check that they have buy-in from their audiences. People following them should believe they are the masters in their niche to boost your credibility. 

3. Experiential or Event Ambassadors

Experiential and event ambassadors are another subtype who support your brand in real life. They’re people who would have been at the court of Henry VIII in another life because of their smooth-talking and ability to thrill the people they interact with. 

However, experiential ambassadors do more than supercharge rapport: they also host events and run demos. These live demonstrations can draw people into your brand even more. 

4. Formal Ambassadors

Formal ambassadors are another option. These pros adhere to your brand standards and are often suitable for professional services companies, like law firms or accountants. 

Rihanna working with Dior is an example. The Barbadian singer helps the fashion line sell its products while aligning with its values. 

5. Informal Ambassadors

As the name suggests, informal ambassadors are the opposite. These guys are all about giving your brand a relaxed image while building genuine rapport and intimacy with your audience. 

Informal ambassadors feel like a friend to your audience. Customers and clients naturally want to approach these individuals because of their warmth and are sometimes willing to ask them questions they wouldn’t ask your company directly. 

6. Enthusiasts

Enthusiasts are another catch-all group of brand ambassadors. These are just regular people (or even employees) who feel passionate about your company, living and breathing it in their daily lives. 

Good examples of brand enthusiasts include people who swear by your beauty products or couldn’t live without your car servicing. They feel excited every day about what you do, and they are willing to share this fact with your audience. 

7. Employee Ambassadors

Finally, you will sometimes come across employee ambassadors. These are usually team members who have a knack for connecting with your audience. 

For example, you might have someone on your team who is larger than life. Instead of confining them to the office, you could let them out to events and shows to mingle with the crowd. These individuals thrive on interpersonal connections and love it when they get to talk to people about your products. 

The best employees to choose for this are those who feel personally invested in what you do. Perhaps they built the products themselves, or maybe your services were their idea originally. Whatever the case, wheel these people out and get them talking. 

Want to get on this path yourself? Here is how to become a brand ambassador.

How Much Do Brand Ambassadors Cost?

How much brand ambassadors cost depends on who you pick. Mega-influencers are far more expensive than regular customers. 

Companies like to arrange brand ambassadors into various categories ranging from least to most expensive: 

• Loyal fans–These are the cheapest option, and many of these people will promote your brand for free. 
• Micro-influencers–These individuals own small blogs or have fewer than 1,000 followers. Sometimes, they will work for free, but more often than not, they will request a small fee.
• Employee ambassadors–These individuals may also be free (if you include this work in their salary) or may ask for a bonus
• Celebrity influencers–These individuals are top-tier and expose you to the largest audience. However, they also charge the highest prices. 

Knowing how much you need to spend on brand ambassadors is one of the many challenges of this industry. Nobody really has a good handle on how much these services cost because pricing isn’t always public. However, we previously estimated these costs. See our estimates below: 

• Nano-influencers with 1,000 to 10,000 followers–Charge between $10 and $150 per post
• Micro-influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers–Charge between $50 and $1000 per post
• Macro influencers with 100,000 to 1 million followers–Charge between $300 and $10,000 per post
• Mega-influencers with 1 million or more followers–Charge over $3,000 per post 

These prices are high, but apps like Billo simplify the process and lower the cost. We connect you with influencers who will create content for a flat fee, eliminating any guesswork. 

What is the Difference Between an Influencer and a Brand Ambassador?

Given this discussion, you may wonder what the difference between an influencer and a brand ambassador is. After all, they sound the same!

However, when you peel below the surface, you quickly start noticing meaningful differences. 

Take time commitment, for instance. Influencers often come and go, perhaps working with your brand for a week and then leaving. Meanwhile, brand ambassadors are with you for the long haul. Likely, they have a personal interest in and passion for your company and want to stick around. 

As such, brand ambassadors feel more connected to your brand’s vibe than most influencers. The former is closer to what you do than the latter. An influencer may be focusing on growing their audience and securing more deals, while a brand ambassador cares more about your products and spreading them to the world. 

There’s also the “readiness factor.” Brand ambassadors aren’t just paid to say what you tell them to say. Instead, they mean it. Sometimes, audiences may sense that influencers are just going through the motions. 

The main point here is that brand ambassadors feel closer to your brand than influencers. Of course, you can have people who are both influencers in their own right and also passionate about your products. But brand ambassadors are with you for the long haul. 

How to Find Your Next Brand Ambassador? 

Finding brand ambassadors is the tricky part. Most companies don’t know where to look. 

That’s why we recommend following the step-by-step process below: 

1. Figure out what sort of brand ambassador you want. Look for relevant influencers or customers in your niche. For example, if you want a brand ambassador who can mingle at events, that will be quite different from someone who can do unboxing videos online. 
2. Know your crowd. You’ll need to pinpoint who your customers are and which influencers they’d vibe with. Don’t choose someone who can’t speak to your audience and get them excited about what you do. 
3. Seek the real deal. Look for brand ambassadors who really love what you do and aren’t just out to make a quick buck. Your audience will be able to tell if the influencer is being insincere or simply following a script. 
4. Check their reach. Lastly, examine the brand ambassador’s following size. Are they able to connect you with enough people? Ideally, you want an ambassador with the same audience as yours and a high engagement rate. 

Of course, going through this long-winded process is time-consuming and tiring. Many companies spend months looking for adequate people to represent them. 

Fortunately, Billo can help. Our service is a kind of shortcut that lets you connect with influencers in your niche with the click of a button. You get a management platform with communication software and the opportunity to send them your brief. Then, they create the short-format video content you need to promote your brand and win more customers. Because of this, we offer unbeatable value, with high-quality videos starting at just $99.