Influencers Leveling Up How to start a brand ambassador program from scratch

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The power of influencer marketing is undeniable. Consumers are now accustomed to unfiltered content from everyday people who share their interests and values. As a result, businesses are moving beyond traditional advertising methods in favor of the more authentic and personal influence of brand ambassadors.

Brand ambassador programs help you forge genuine relationships with satisfied customers who advocate for your products. These ambassadors endorse your business, making your brand more trustworthy to a broader audience. The result is a more engaged and loyal audience that feels a personal connection to the brand.

Creating a successful brand ambassador program requires careful planning, selecting the right ambassadors, setting clear objectives and continuously monitoring and optimizing the program's performance. This article gives you the steps to build a successful brand ambassador program that enhances your brand's reputation while extending its reach and impact in the market.

What is a brand ambassador?

A brand ambassador is a loyal customer or influencer who promotes your brand to their audience through their social presence. Unlike traditional influencers who might work with various brands simultaneously, ambassadors have a deeper connection and longer-term relationship with a single brand. The fact that ambassadors are typically already brand superfans makes it easier to sustain a longer-term relationship.

GoPro's brand ambassador program demonstrates this strategy. It leverages passionate customers who use their products to capture unique content and share their experiences on social media. This approach has helped GoPro build a strong community of loyal users and advocates.

Brand ambassadors provide genuine endorsements that build trust within their network. They use their platforms to share personal experiences and testimonials, creating a more authentic connection between the brand and its audience.

What is a brand ambassador program?

A brand ambassador program is an initiative where brands partner with loyal customers, influencers or industry experts to endorse their products and services. These ambassadors are your ride-or-die fans. They know your brand, "get" your mission and are the first to "Like" and comment on your latest posts. The program leverages the ambassadors' enthusiasm and established credibility to reach a wider audience.

According to Sprout's 2024 Influencer Marketing Report, more than 80% of marketers agree that influencers are essential to their social media strategy​​. A brand ambassador program simplifies working with multiple influencers simultaneously, offering a structured and consistent approach that can grow over time.

Benefits of a brand ambassador program

A brand ambassador program offers multiple benefits that can improve your brand's presence and credibility. Here's a look at the advantages:

Consumer trust

Brand ambassadors are often chosen for their alignment with a brand's values, lending a human touch to its messaging. Their endorsements foster trust among their followers, making your brand more relatable and credible.

According to a 2024 Sprout Social Pulse Survey, 78% of consumers (and 88% of Gen Z) agree that a brand's social media presence has a considerable impact on whether or not they trust a brand compared to a year ago​​. This shows just how important it is to have reliable ambassadors to boost your brand's credibility and create lasting consumer trust.

Wider reach and higher engagement

Ambassadors expand a brand's reach into diverse markets via their personal networks. Their unique content and personal stories engage audiences more effectively than traditional ads, leading to higher engagement rates.

For instance, an ambassador sharing a personal experience with a product is more likely to resonate with their followers than a traditional advertisement. This personal touch can drive higher levels of interaction, shares‌ and overall engagement with your brand.

Brand messaging consistency

A successful brand ambassador program can maintain consistency in brand messaging across channels. This consistency is important in building brand recognition and recall among consumers.

By having ambassadors consistently share content that aligns with your brand's values and message, your new audience receives a cohesive message, regardless of where they encounter your brand.

Consumer insights

Ambassadors act as a bridge between your brand and customers, offering insights and feedback directly from the market.

Real-time information can be invaluable for product development, customer service improvements and personalized marketing strategies. Ambassadors can provide firsthand accounts of customer preferences, issues and trends, allowing your brand to adapt and respond quickly to market needs and consumer demands.

Cost efficiency

A brand ambassador program can be far more cost-effective than traditional marketing efforts and offer brands a higher return on their investment. Ambassadors create and share content, multiplying your brand's visibility without the hefty price tag of paid advertising.

Also, user-generated content from ambassadors often feels more genuine, driving more organic engagement and further maximizing your marketing budget.

How to set up a brand ambassador program

Creating a brand ambassador program involves several strategic efforts to ensure success and alignment with your influencer marketing priorities. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:

1. Define your ambassador program goals and objectives

First, figure out what you want to achieve with your brand ambassador program. Are you looking to boost brand awareness, drive sales, expand your reach or strengthen customer loyalty? Clear goals will guide your program's direction and help you measure its success.

For example, you might focus on recruiting ambassadors with large, engaged followings to increase brand awareness. If you want to drive sales, look for power users who can speak to your product or service's value.

2. Establish criteria for your brand ambassadors

Establish criteria for your brand ambassadors by aligning with your target audience and brand values. Consider factors like their reach, engagement and audience demographics. Selecting ambassadors who genuinely resonate with your brand and its mission is necessary for building authentic and effective partnerships.

Also set a budget for compensating and rewarding them. This can include free products, exclusive experiences like events or monetary compensation. Check out our influencer pricing guide for detailed guidance on setting and negotiating post rates.

When establishing criteria, think about the traits that make an ideal ambassador for your brand. This might include their style, tone and how they interact with their audience. Also, consider their past collaborations and the type of content they create. Your ambassadors should fit your brand aesthetically and embody its ethos and values.

3. Search and recruit the right ambassadors

Finding the right ambassadors for your brand is easier said than done. One approach is to look at your current followers and customer base to identify influential fans. These people already love your brand and are engaging with your posts regularly. You can then build a list manually and message these fans directly to be part of your program.

Sprout's influencer marketing tool, Tagger, makes this process easier by automating some of the more manual parts of the process like finding and vetting influencers. Here's how it works:

Find: Use Tagger's extensive database to discover influencers who match your brand's criteria. Tagger lets you ‌filter and sort through thousands of vetted creators and influencers based on their audience demographics, interests and engagement metrics

Recruit: Invite influencers to join your ambassador program through Tagger. It simplifies the recruitment process, making it easy to connect with potential ambassadors who align with your brand values and campaign goals.

Approve content: Make sure your ambassadors' content aligns with your brand's guidelines. Tagger enables you to review and approve all promotional content before it goes live, maintaining consistency and quality in your brand messaging.

Manage campaigns: Track your ambassadors' activities and collaborations with Tagger's campaign management tools. The platform enables you to handle all negotiations, submit contracts, collaborate with influencers, review and approve content, and pay creators in any currency. This holistic view helps you manage your social and influencer campaigns in one place.

Measure: Use Tagger's analytics to monitor your ambassadors' performance. Tagger provides detailed insights into key metrics such as engagement rates, reach, conversions, etc. This data helps you assess the effectiveness of your ambassador program and make data-driven decisions to optimize your strategy.

4. Create clear brand ambassador policies and guidelines

Instead of imposing strict content guidelines, focus on preparing resources before launching collaborations so your ambassadors have everything they need for a successful partnership. This prep work will help maintain consistency and professionalism while giving ambassadors the creative freedom to connect authentically with their audience. Here's how to get started:

• Post frequency: Outline a cadence of how often ambassadors should post about your brand.
• Brand voice and messaging: Provide examples of your brand's tone and main messages to help ambassadors stay aligned with your brand. This helps maintain a consistent brand identity without being overly prescriptive.
• Compliance and legal considerations: Include any necessary legal guidelines, such as disclosure requirements for sponsored content.

5. Empower and support your brand ambassadors

Give your ambassadors the tools they need to succeed, such branded content, product samples or access to exclusive events. Staying engaged with them, offering support and encouraging their creativity helps maintain their enthusiasm.

Regularly check in with your ambassadors, and encourage them to share their ideas and experiences with you. This collaborative approach fosters a strong influencer and brand relationship that helps ambassadors feel valued and motivated.

6. Track the progress of your ambassador program

Tracking your ambassadors' performance is important to understanding the impact of your program. Spreadsheets are one of the most cost-effective ways to track performance. Create a template to log key metrics such as engagement rates, reach, conversions and specific campaign goals. Which you can find in Google Analytics and on your brand's social media accounts. Regularly update this data to monitor progress over time.

You can also use Tagger's analytics and reporting tools to track key influencer metrics like engagement, reach and conversions. Regular monitoring helps you to see what's working and what isn't so you can adjust your strategy to achieve the best results.

Consider creating regular reports to review performance metrics and gather feedback from your ambassadors. An ongoing evaluation will help you stay on track and make informed decisions.

7. Incentivize and encourage your ambassadors

Keep your ambassadors motivated with rewards and incentives. This could include free products, discounts, commissions or exclusive opportunities to attend brand events. Appreciating their efforts builds loyalty and encourages ongoing participation.

Consider creating a tiered rewards system where ambassadors can earn more significant rewards as they achieve specific milestones. You can also celebrate their successes on your brand's social media and website. This recognition will motivate ambassadors and show your audience the value of being a part of your ambassador community.

7 brand ambassador program examples to inspire you

Numerous brands have executed successful brand ambassador programs. Here are seven examples that you can use to inspire yours.

Nike

Nike's brand ambassador program is a benchmark for excellence. It strategically selects athletes and fitness enthusiasts who embody the brand's spirit of performance and innovation. These ambassadors promote Nike products through social media and real-life engagements.

Nike collaborates with high-profile athletes like Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and Cristiano Ronaldo. These athletes use Nike products in their professional careers and share their personal experiences with the brand on social media and news articles.

In addition to collaborating with global sports stars, Nike also leverages local brand ambassadors like running coaches and personal trainers. These local influencers engage with their communities through running clubs, fitness classes and social media, promoting Nike's products on a more personal level. This multi-layered approach boosts Nike's global presence while still resonating deeply within local communities.

Sephora

Sephora's ambassador program, known as the Sephora Squad, focuses on diversity and inclusion. The program recruits a broad range of beauty influencers passionate about makeup and skincare. These ambassadors receive exclusive products to test and promote, creating authentic and engaging content that resonates with Sephora's diverse customer base.

The Sephora Squad is unique in seeking out influencers of various ages, ethnicities, body types and beauty philosophies, so its marketing is inclusive and representative of their entire customer base. By doing so, Sephora broadens its appeal and fosters a sense of community among its customers, who see themselves reflected in the brand's promotions.

Red Bull

Red Bull has a long-running student brand ambassador program, which has been going since 1987. Their Student Marketeer program includes over 4,000 college students who generate awareness and excitement for the brand by organizing events and distributing products. This grassroots approach targets and helps them remain relevant to younger demographics.

Red Bull ambassadors are known for their energetic and engaging campus presence, often hosting extreme sports events, parties‌ and competitions that align with the brand's adventurous image.

Lululemon

Lululemon's ambassador program recruits two types of ambassadors: Global Ambassadors and Store Ambassadors. Global Ambassadors are elite athletes representing the brand internationally, while Store Ambassadors are fitness experts who connect with the local community at a grassroots level.

Both types of ambassadors host classes, workshops and events that foster authentic connections with their audiences. They also provide valuable feedback on Lululemon's products, helping to improve product development. This dual approach helps Lululemon ‌maintain a local and global presence.

ASU Online

ASU's College Ambassador Program is all about students promoting their school. These ambassadors, chosen for their smarts and leadership, help with campus tours, student panels, and events. They give prospective and current students a real taste of ASU life.

Being an ambassador also means getting great experience in public speaking, event planning, and networking. This program boosts ASU's visibility and creates a close-knit community of passionate students who love sharing what makes their school special on their social media channels and through blog articles.

Maker's Mark

Maker's Mark's brand ambassador program stands out by creating a personal and exclusive experience for its ambassadors. Participants receive a personalized barrel of bourbon, branded merchandise and invitations to exclusive events.

The program drives product awareness and builds a strong community of brand advocates who feel personally connected to Maker's Mark. Ambassadors are often invited to visit the distillery to see their names on their barrels and participate in special tasting sessions. This level of personalization and exclusivity makes ambassadors feel valued and appreciated, enhancing their loyalty to the brand and the content they share.

ASOS

ASOS collaborates with fashion influencers to promote their diverse and inclusive approach to style. Ambassadors receive exclusive fashion items to curate trendy looks and share them with followers. This program encourages individuality in fashion choices and fosters a sense of belonging among its audience.

ASOS ambassadors are chosen for their unique fashion sense and ability to connect with their followers on a personal level. They often create content showcasing how ASOS pieces can be styled for different occasions, inspiring their followers and driving traffic to the ASOS website. This strategy boosts sales and reinforces ASOS's brand identity as a fashion-forward and inclusive retailer.

Take the next step in building your brand ambassador program

You've learned the steps and tools needed to create a successful brand ambassador program. Now, it's time to put that knowledge into action and start building authentic relationships, expanding your reach and drive greater engagement with your target audience.

Having a well-defined plan and the right resources is essential to effectively executing your program. Sprout Social's Influencer Marketing Toolkit is designed to help you every step of the way. From finding the right ambassadors to managing and measuring your campaigns, our tools provide the support you need to succeed.

Ready to get started? Download our toolkit today and take the first step toward creating a standout brand ambassador program.

Phoebe Lown

Phoebe Lown is a former social media manager turned content writer specializing in SaaS technology. When she's not writing, she can be found exploring the cobbled streets of Amsterdam and photographing random cats. Check out her website (www.phoebelown.com)

Read all articlesby Phoebe Lown