An ever-increasing number of businesses are taking a chance with new and modern advertising strategies to improve the impression of their campaigns, the effectiveness of their messages, and increase brand awareness.

One of these strategies which have seen a great deal of achievement is influencer marketing, or in other words, the act of brands teaming up with web-based social networking influencers.

Influencers are so significant nowadays that brands are collaborating with them to humanize their messages and offer their products with their followers since these profiles are appreciated by hundreds, thousands, and even a large number of online users. People tend to listen to someone they trust. Would you rather enroll in language courses promoted by your favorite YouTube blogger or by Facebook Ads?

Sometimes influencers are smoothly turned into brand ambassadors, and that’s where the interesting part begins. First, let’s begin with this:

What is a brand ambassador?

A brand ambassador is someone who is paid to not only talk positively about the brand but to embody the brand they are endorsing. Good examples of famous brand ambassadors could be Gigi Hadid who is the Global Brand Ambassador and the face of Tommy Hilfiger’s womenswear or George Clooney who has been the brand ambassador for Omega for many years now and has chosen to endorse only international brands to avoid oversaturation in the US.

So, what does a good brand ambassador look like?

How should they act?  

Companies need ambassadors to reach as many people as possible, across a variety of channels and platforms. Presently, this does not mean an ambassador must have 20,000 Instagram followers or thousands of email contacts to represent your brand. But they should have a well-established online presence and a highly-engaged network that they can access via their blog, emails for example. 

Ambassadors are not salespeople who are trying to make as many one-time sales as possible. They exist to bring up strong, loyal relationships between your customers and your brand. Your ambassadors should not only be passionate about your products or services, but they should also be skilled at making deep connections with others on your behalf.

How to turn influencers into brand ambassadors in 4 steps?

1. Build a good connection

The primary step in making an awesome relationship with an influencer is establishing personal affinity. Once you come across somebody that you simply think would be an extraordinary fit for your brand, reach out to them to create a connection- you can tell compliments to their photography or recent blog post they just wrote that resonated with you.

They will appreciate that you just took the time to learn about them and send a personalized message. That is no doubt that it will show them you are interested in what they are doing. From there, you can begin to introduce your brand and kindly ask them to try out your brand or services. It would be great if you could also invite them to upcoming events. 

2. Do not forget to provide them with sneak peeks

An essential way to show influencers that you simply need to work with them for the long term is to clue them into upcoming news and events. Allow them to get involved in your new product launches, invite them to try new offerings before it hits the shelves, or hosts them for a private tasting of new menu items. If you can include them on important occasions for your brand, this would make them feel as they are part of an elite group.

3. Choose those who have a professional mindset

Does the influencer respect deadlines without reminders? If yes congratulations! You are in the right way!

This point is all about good communication but includes the factor of trust and maturity. When you are supervising brand ambassadors remotely, you need to be sure that they will perform without micro-management. Can you rely on your ambassador to follow your agreed-upon calendar and post on deadline without follow-up from your staff?

If you believe that they include your hashtags, Instagram handles, and website or product links without any reminder, you would be successful in choosing that brand ambassador. A creative mind and perfect brand arrangement are one of the most essential things when you are engaging an influencer to represent your brand. You also want to be sure that the campaign will progress without overwhelming administration and regular content checking from your team.

4. Accept and value their opinions 

Last but not least, one of the key points to turn an influencer into a brand ambassador is to ask for their feedback on your brand. Motivating them to share their honest opinions on services or products, you make them feel they are important in sharing your brand. Additionally, it will not only show them that you value their input but hearing direct feedback from bloggers and influencers that reach your target audience is beneficial for your brand and can inform your plans and business developments.

Feel free to register on Keepface as a Brand to discover thousands of influencers worldwide for your product and services.