An outstanding brand ambassador is an asset to any clothing brand. But if you’re not already working with brand ambassadors, you may not know how to get started. How do you find them? What sets a great brand ambassador apart from the crowd? Here are six qualities to look for in your influencer and brand ambassador search.
1. Passion for Your Brand
A genuine love and passion for your clothing brand should be the minimum requirement for an ambassador. Without that enthusiasm, any brand ambassador’s efforts are likely to fall flat. Your customers are savvy people who can tell when someone is posting just because they are getting paid. The same goes for affiliate marketing and influencers.
You want to sign ambassadors who love your brand so much they can’t help but talk about it. Begin your search for ambassadors by scrolling through posts that mention your brand on your target social media platform. It’s the easiest way to find potential ambassadors who are already promoting your brand in an authentic and creative style.
2. Engaged Following
Enthusiasm and brand loyalty are just one piece of what makes a successful brand ambassador. A good ambassador should also have an engaged following on at least one social media platform. An engaged following is one that interacts frequently with posts by commenting and sharing — rather than simply liking the post before moving on.
But keep in mind, a brand ambassador doesn’t need to have a massive following to be effective. Micro and nano influencers can generate impressive results. A study by the Wharton School shows that micro influencers have up to 22.2x the number of buying conversations per week compared to traditional influencers. Micro influencers can provide this high level of engagement and personal attention because their follower numbers don’t exceed the scope of what a single person can interact with or reply to.
Cultivating brand ambassadors with a small but engaged following can produce a significant ROI on your investment. While you can get a general sense of engagement from looking at a potential ambassador’s social profile, you won’t get quantifiable data. So ask them for screenshots of their engagement metrics for an accurate gauge of follower interaction.
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3. Authentically Match Brand Voice
Brand ambassadors are an extension of your brand. You need them to convey your brand authentically. Otherwise, you risk damaging your reputation rather than growing your customer base. The native content of a potential brand ambassador’s social media should mostly align with your brand voice already. This cohesion will make it a subtle transition once they start representing your brand, rather than a hard shift.
4. Strong Creative Drive
A potential brand ambassador should have a strong history of continually producing creative content. Creativity is necessary for continuing to engage their followers and driving them toward your brand. The best brand ambassadors will find creative ways to showcase your products without boring their followers. This allows you to establish long-term relationships with your ambassadors while continuing to achieve your desired results.
5. Strategic Marketing Skills
The most successful brand ambassadors do more than simply create awareness for your brand. They are marketers, driving your ideal customers toward a sale. Look for ambassadors who have strong strategic marketing skills, and who make their efforts appear spontaneous even when they are carefully crafted.
Formal marketing training isn’t a requirement. There are plenty of tools and resources available online to help new brand ambassadors learn the strategies they need to be successful. If they’re familiar with Instagram affiliate marketing, they likely already have the necessary skills.
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6. Comfortable with Two-Way Feedback
You want to establish a growing professional relationship with your brand ambassador. This means they should be open to receiving feedback — both on what they are doing well, and how they could improve to better meet your brand’s needs. The relationship with your brand ambassador can get uncomfortable or lead to a premature end if they aren’t receptive to feedback. And that goes both ways. A brand ambassador is your close connection with your target audience. You should be open to their ideas and suggestions for ways your brand can better serve your ideal customer base.
Find Your Brand Ambassador Today
Brand ambassadors are a fantastic asset for your clothing brand. They expand your reach to connect with ideal consumers and generate great creative content showcasing your products.
If you know what qualities to look for, you can establish an incredibly successful brand ambassador program. And as you begin to work with brand ambassadors, you’ll discover which of these six qualities are most important for success with your brand.
