Brand Ambassadors

[Original Post]

For a truly effective brand, you've got to think far beyond customers and focus instead on building 'Brand Ambassadors.' Also known as 'brand advocates,' 'superfans,' 'brand evangelists,' or as @bigwags calls them... 'raving fans,' Brand Ambassadors should be the Holy Grail of any marketing department.

What is a Brand Ambassador? A Brand Ambassador is anyone who carries a serious passion for the brand. Someone who not only regularly purchases your products, but tries to convince their friends and neighbors to do so as well. Brand Ambassadors are usually engaged with the company on a much deeper level than normal customers. They'll write in suggestions, friend you on Facebook, subscribe to your YouTube channel, put company stickers on their vehicle, bookmark your homepage, buy your products as presents for friends, etc. The list is almost endless, but the fundamental pivot point is that they perceive your brand as more than just a product or corporate entity. They value it, they personalize with it, they want to share it.

Why are Brand Ambassadors valuable?

1. They provide you with invaluable insight into the needs/wants/desires of your core customer.
2. They passionately spread the word. The ultimate in word-of-mouth advertising.
3. They have 'brand insistence.' Your most devoted customers.
4. Unlike a paid marketing campaign, there's no end to the value they can add to the brand.
5. The new modern consumer trusts advertising less and less. Trust in word-of-mouth however, is growing.
6. Brand Ambassadors are not paid for evangelizing the brand. It’s an extremely low-cost form of marketing.

Building Brand Ambassadors is a very difficult task and essentially represents the successful implementation of the other six traits of an effective brand (below). Without a quality product, a brand with a unique, memorable, and consistent identity, without buy-in from the organization and opportunities for post-purchase social engagement, Brand Ambassadors are much harder to come by. Focus on the entire experience, provide value, treat your customers right, and Brand Ambassadors won't be far behind.

>> 7 Essential Traits of an Effective Brand

1. Brand Ambassadors
2. Social Engagement
3. Company Buy-In
4. Consistent Experience
5. A Strong Brand
6. It Stands Apart
7. It's Has to Work