Usable Repost – What’s In Your Ambassador Program?
I’ve been a part of the Evernote Ambassador Program for the past few years. The program has been insightful – I have gotten the leading edge on new updates, and rewarding – I have met some great people and traveled to exciting places. My most recent Ambassador endeavor has been with the Campbell’s Soup brand as they take their 100+ year company into ’The Future of Food.’ Ambassador programs allow brands to leverage the feedback of avid product enthusiasts or brand influencers to gain insightful/ honest ongoing feedback about their product or brand. Usable Tech Co, starts with Ambassador programs at the core of our social strategy because – they work!
Here are four good reasons to develop a strong Ambassador Program for your brand:
- Influence – There is no influence better than the words from the mouth of a true fan of your brand. They probably lurk on your forums, answering questions before your support can. They evangelize your message through social media without prompting. They actually send feedback when something is ‘broken.’ Vetting your influencers based on passion, knowledge about your brand, and even influence within their own relevant communities makes for a stellar and effective Brand Ambassador. Evaluating your goals for influence will be the first step into demonstrating value around Ambassador Programs at your firm.
Ongoing Content and Sharing (!) – Content is king! How about ongoing, ‘free’ and organic content? Most programs request ongoing blog posts, social sharing, and even hosting community blogs and forums. The right Ambassadors will create this content effortlessly without prompting, because they are that excited to share new insights about your brand. Content creation can actually be a perk for Ambassadors. If your company standards allow, weaving posts about Ambassador projects with your brand announcements make for a very organic experience.
Staff Support – Brand Ambassadors can serve many roles in your agency if defined early in your program. That is why not only vetting but aligning Ambassadors with the right members of your organization is key. Look for the holes in your agency that passionate, dedicated and eager Evangelists can fill. Match avid bloggers with your content team for some co-branded posts that create a win for both brand and Ambassador. Send travel-ready Ambassadors to meet and greet and host meet ups at trade show/ large brand events and increase productivity by keeping core staff on site.
Better Than a Focus Group – The days of locking 10 people in a conference room and stuffing them with donuts and nominal stipends to give a vague opinion on the future success of your brand – is over. Maybe it was the lack of genuine interest and passion for your brand. Maybe it was that your brand is constantly changing and most focus groups aren’t designed to accommodate continuity. Maybe it was the donuts… A vetted group of influencers that can provide feedback, case studies and ideas based on their personal real world experiences should be at the core of your sustainability plan.
Check out this video about the Evernote Ambassador Program. If you are interested in running an effective, diverse and fully managed Brand Ambassador Program for your company or client, contact us. Ambassador Programs can produce effortless results for brands of all sizes. We’d love to help!
Lindsey
