How to Leverage Influencers as Brand Ambassadors

REEFExperiential Marketing Blog
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If your brand isn’t using social media influencers as brand ambassadors you are behind the competition. Influencers can cause a brand stir with one post, it’s why the industry is growing at such fast rates. To find brand leverage with an influencer you must be strategic, just because they have a large following does not mean that following is the target market for your product or service.  You need to find influencers who align well with your brand mission, this way you are engaging with an audience who are more likely to play. This strategy helps to cut through layers of algorithms and gets you in front of the people you know will connect with your product or your brand.

Why This Works

You garner the attention of their audience by creating a partnership with someone they already know, trust and worship. Your brand will become more well known and associated with someone that your consumers can relate to. Influencers are a phenomenal way to really gain a trusted audience and leverage your brand right into their social space. Think of how the influencer market has taken over Instagram and YouTube. People gain followings by presenting an image that others want to attain. They share the products, clothes, and other lifestyle amenities that fit their aesthetic and their followers buy them in an attempt to emulate their look.

How to Build Your Ambassador Network

Networking in the social influencer industry is critical and it can be difficult to connect with the influencers that are best suited to your brand, so using a trusted agency who has a list of qualified and audited influencers will ensure you are getting exactly what you hoped for. Plus an agency can understand what the going rates are and set expectations for posts and content.

Connecting with Influencers Beyond a Screen

Interview potential influencers you think would be a great ambassador for your brand. Really sit down with them and get to know them, their style, ask them about their audience, and gage whether they would be the best of the best at getting your message across to potential consumers.

Create a Team Narrative

Consistent messaging is key. Work with your chosen ambassadors to create a narrative that not only meets your needs but also aligns with their style and audience. Create a broad, thematic message that creators can work within to find a style that fits them. It’s important that as a brand you are not controlling the message so strictly that it doesn’t feel organic to viewers, that’s how you lose the trust of

Build In Incentives

You work hard and expect to be compensated for not only your work about also what you bring to the table. Your team of influencers are the same. They are aligning their personal brand with your company and bringing with them a loyal following of potential consumers. Build in an incentive program that provides mutual benefits for both your company and your brand ambassadors. Coupon codes are a common way to integrate a program like this. Consumers receive a small percentage off their purchase, influencers earn a small amount per purchase using their code, and your company garners more sales. Reaching out to the social media community to help your product reach the right consumers is a great way to go in this current influencer climate. As a culture we are always trying to keep up with the likes of the Kardashians or the A List celebrities we see on TV and the influencer market uses this mentality to sell product. At Reef, we know and work with the best of the best in the current market. We know how to get you and your brand in front of the right ambassadors for success.