What is a brand ambassador - and how do they benefit your brand?

As the influencer marketing industry continues to ramp up and take over the world of marketing and advertising as we used to know it, there are a few new terms and phrases that are being used.

The industry is expected to be worth more than $13.8 billion in 2021, so with that in mind, brands and businesses should ensure that they are utilising the benefits of influencer marketing. 

Our Instagram feeds are filled with more ADs than before, and the battle is on for brands to secure long-lasting, authentic collaborations with their favourite influencers. But how can brands transition influencers into ambassadors for 2021? 

With various types of influencers making their mark on the industry, it can be confusing to differentiate one from the other. But fear not, we’ve got this covered... 

We thought we’d tell you all you need to know about brand ambassadors, who they are, what they do and how exactly they can benefit your brand. 

What is a brand ambassador? 

We’re sure, like many people, you will be asking ‘what is a brand ambassador?’. Well, a brand ambassador is a type of influencer who becomes recognised alongside a brand or business.

Working on long-term campaigns and acting as a spokesperson, a brand ambassador will become a valuable asset to your brand and its influencer marketing strategy.

Popular influencers have been collaborating with well-known brands and retailers, and now, when you think of a brand, you think of its ambassador, and vice versa.

Here are just a few examples... 

Victoria Magrath, founder of InTheFrow, recently teamed up with luxury jewellery brand Edge of Ember to create her very own collection. And fellow luxury fashion influencer Lydia Millen has also partnered with Karen Millen.

Image source: Edge of Ember

Similarly, Emma Willis and Marvin Humes have formed a long-term partnership with well-known high-street brand, Next. They both create seasonal fashion edits and collections, which are incredibly well-received by their audiences.

What does a brand ambassador do? 

Consider an ambassador a cheerleader for your brand. They become a representative of your brand and/or business, and they have the ability maintain an ongoing relationship with both a brand and its followers. 

Earning the trust and loyalty of their followers, brand ambassadors humanise a brand, and increase awareness of such. 

How brand ambassadors can benefit a business: influencers vs ambassadors 

With influencer marketing, there are two main roles for businesses to consider; an influencer, and a brand ambassador. 

However, this is not a case of one being better than the other. They both offer incredible benefits to brands, but here at Influencer Matchmaker, we wanted to inform brands how they can turn the influencers they work with into ambassadors and long-term partners to generate continuous and impactful results, time and time again. 

Influencers are a great way for brands to reach a brand-new audience, providing them with the ability to target potential consumers.

With large and loyal followings, influencers are able to promote a brand, along with their products and services, creating great results, however many influencer relationships are short-term.

And whilst this is incredibly effective, some brands may prefer to work with influencers as part of an ambassadorship and work on a number of campaigns with them over a longer period of time.

Influencers, as part of both short-term and long-term campaigns, will create and share content about the brand and its products.

However, when working with brand ambassadors, they will actively and regularly use the products and will share the same values as both the brand and their target audience. This, in turn, creates an authentic and honest relationship between the ambassador and their following. 

Often, when brands form a partnership with an ambassador, they can post a variety of content, as opposed to one-off posts or stand-alone images. They are able to get involved in press events, offer discount codes and so much more.

When a brand works with a brand ambassador, they become a part of each other's reputation and over time, when consumers think of one, they will naturally think of the other, too.

Providing positive word of mouth, forming a personal and genuine connection with the audience of themselves and the brand, and helping to increase brand awareness, are just a handful of reasons that should encourage brands to consider working with brand ambassadors. 

Long-term collaborations and ambassadorships usually take part over the course of three months or longer. 

The opportunities of working with brand ambassadors really are endless!

How to transition an influencer into an ambassador 

Brands should look for influencers who are already fans of their brand and products, and those that already use them.

This may seem odd - why pay somebody to promote your brand when they already talk about it to their audience? 

Well, if an influencer already uses your products or has previously discussed your brand, then they already have an audience that is interested and engaged, meaning they are likely to receive any long-term campaigns and collaborations extremely well. 

This also increases the level of trust between the brand, the influencer and the target audience. The audience will recognise the authenticity of the collaboration, resulting in a higher number of leads and a greater return on investment (ROI) for the brand. 

As well as this, more recently, brands have been collaborating with ambassadors in a different way and one that is proving to be extremely effective.

Ambassadors have been creating their very own collections with brands, as well as selecting their own edits.

This has allowed brands to collaborate with ambassadors in a much more personal manner, creating an even deeper connection with their audience and potential consumers.

For example, Lydia Millen began by selecting an ‘edit’ from Karen Millen, but now, she regularly shares her very own collections, designed by herself in collaboration with the brand. 

Image source: Karen Millen

In The Style is an online retailer which is recognised for its long-term collaborations with a number of successful social media influencers. Getting the likes of Jacqueline Jossa, Olivia Bowen and Billie Shepherd on board to create their very own clothing ranges, has made the brand one of the most successful online fashion stores. 

As well as this, Rochelle Humes has become a brand ambassador for beauty giant L’Oreal and Queen of Tap to Tidy Stacey Solomon is now an ambassador for Dove – a fine example of social media influencers turning into brand ambassadors. 

At Influencer Matchmaker, we can help brands find the right influencers and brand ambassadors to suit its needs, business goals and most importantly, its values. 

Our team of friendly influencer marketing experts are also on hand to support brands, influencers and brand ambassadors in their journey to find the perfect partnership, so get in touch if you’d like to enlist the help of an agency. 

So, if you’re a brand seeking the support of a brand ambassador to work on your latest campaign, then contact our team of matchmaking experts today by calling 02039 580427 or email contact@influencermatchmaker.co.uk.