4 Ways Your Employees Can Become Brand Ambassadors

Looking for your brand to enter more casual conversations? Got great staff? You're primed to convert mere employees into brand ambassadors.

Word of mouth is definitely one of the best forms of advertising. In some cases, people trust other people more than their gut instinct. That’s why customer reviews in the field, as well as reviews on sites like Yelp, are critical to a growing business. If you’re looking for your brand for more casual conversations, then you’ve come to the right place. Are you ready to convert staff in brand ambassadors.

Brand ambassadors are a popular term in today’s marketing world. Basically, these are the people who represent the brand and can help convince others to love your brand. If you’re representing a food company, it might look like the food company’s representatives are handing out samples at your local grocery store. If your brand is present at the conference, it may look like ambassadors presenting your booth.

You may think that you don’t have extra money to hire extra people.

Luckily, your current employees are perfect candidates to be brand ambassadors! They already know so much about the company and understand its goals. They probably also know about the product line and can help sell. Keep reading to learn about three ways your employees can become brand ambassadors.

1. Make inclusion a priority.

Above all, you want your employees to feel welcome and love their place of work. You want them to show up every day knowing they are part of an inclusive team. You want them to feel like they are working towards a common goal. To facilitate inclusivity, you want all employees to be treated equally despite any differences.

For new employees, it can be a great welcome gesture to give them a branded memento. It could be as simple as giving them a well done custom t-shirt. Not only does this make them feel welcome, but it also supports your brand ambassador’s efforts even more. There is nothing better than a “walking billboard” for advertising. And it is your employees who will be proud to wear the company logo.

2. Interact with your employees.

It can be easy for a leader or manager to use a top-down approach. You and the executive management team make all decisions. You then pass this information on to your employees for execution.

While this may be an effective strategy, it is not necessarily the best. Hearing the voice of your employees and listening to their ideas and feedback is vital to a thriving business.

Interacting with your employees is also a great way to get their attention on your company. The more an employee feels that their opinion has been heard and validated, the more likely they are to continue to feel supported. They will talk about the corporate culture to their friends, spreading the word about it. This, in turn, will get them to become brand ambassadors for your company.

3. Create a referral program.

Your employees know the best people in the industry. From past education and work experience, they know which of their friends or colleagues would make an outstanding employee.

Creating a referral program is an easy way to attract talented people and also get your employees to act as brand ambassadors. Not to mention, your recruiting team will be delighted to know which candidates are worth their time.

To create a referral program, you need to figure out how current employees can get credit for the referrals they make. It might look like getting a mini bonus if one of their referrals gets hired. It could also look like getting a week of paid vacation or extra time off added to their cue. There are many software tools this can help set up the process so it’s easy for both employees and your recruiters.

4. Encourage sharing on social media.

Finally, the key to getting your employees to become brand ambassadors is to make it easy for them. The harder it is for them to shout from the rooftops about the company, the less likely they are to do so.

If you have a very strict posting policy or discourage employees from mentioning your company, you should reconsider this choice.

In today’s digital world, this looks like encouraging the sharing of your brand on social media. After all, it is through social media that everyone learns about new brands and begins to form associations with them. It’s a place where the personal and the professional collide, especially on platforms like LinkedIn.

For your employees to share, they need to feel a personal connection to the content. You will want regular content to be available, especially about your brand. These can be messages about major milestones and achievements, moments of joint work and other news. Let your employees know when this new content is available and encourage them to post on their social media.

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Your employees can become the best brand ambassadors. The trick is to create a work environment that encourages and rewards ambassador-like behavior.

But at the same time, remember that not everyone will be the most enthusiastic fan of your business, and that’s okay. Chances are you’ll have talented employees who, for one reason or another, don’t feel personally connected to the business. They may also just be introverts or less interested in using social media.

Don’t let this fact distract you from promoting your business along with other energetic and enthusiastic employees.

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