Below are excerpts form an article posted by Young Entrepreneur. For more details, please read the full article.
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Marketing a startup or a young brand is a lot like starting a fashion trend in high school. In lieu of a giant fashion budget — or, in the case of startups, an advertising budget — you need to rely on your own creativity to get attention.
One creative way to build buzz on the cheap? Consider tapping the help of brand ambassadors — that is, customers who voluntarily promote your brand by speaking/writing/tweeting publicly about how much they love your products or services. These model consumers of your product, service or brand in general, ideally embody the ethos of your company and match your target demographic. What’s more, they are real users and they really think you’re doing great things so they are not shy about promoting you to their friends, family and colleagues.
But how do you find these fabled creatures?
1. Create a lifestyle.
When embarking on a brand ambassador initiative it’s critical to realize that your brand needs to be seen as a lifestyle, not a product manufacturer. Starbucks does not simply sell coffee. It sells an image and a lifestyle. And Starbucks fans love to discuss, Tweet and Instagram their lattes…The only way to attract brand ambassadors who will genuinely want to endorse you is by making them feel like they’re part of your brand’s mission. [...read more]
2. Outline a plan.
Before you start choosing your ambassadors, thoroughly strategize your ambassador initiative. Address the following questions prior to launching your program: [...read more]
3. Check out other programs.
For a little inspiration on how to structure your brand ambassador campaign, here are two inspired examples to consider in your quest for brand ambassadors: [...read more]
4. Choose and invite.
With a plan and structure in place, you can begin to select ambassadors. Choose socially active consumers from among your follower base. Focus on those who are already saying positive things about you without prompting — they are the “low hanging fruit” who are willing to promote you without the expectation of reward. [...read more]
Do you have loyal brand ambassadors? How did you get them in this role? Let us know!
