How to Find Brand Ambassadors [6 Easy Methods + Tips]

In 2023, branding is more than just a nice logo or a visually appealing social media profile.

You need happy customers to spread the word about your brand, who’re also known as brand ambassadors. 

In this guide, we’ll provide you with actionable tips and easy methods to find ambassadors for your brand ambassador marketing campaigns.

As you read through, look out for the following key takeaways:

• Proven methods to find brand ambassadors
• Easy steps to hire a brand ambassador

Let’s dive in.

6 Proven Methods to Find Brand Ambassadors

You’re probably wondering why working with brand ambassadors is a good idea.

According to statistics, 90% of people trust brand recommendations from friends and 71% are more likely to make a purchase if they’ve been referred to a brand by someone they know.

How does this relate to brand ambassadors? 

Think of a brand ambassador as the type of person you can meet at a small market and have a quick chit-chat with.

Now imagine that person telling every single person they meet about how effective and how wonderful your product or service is.

People like this act as the referrers of your brand. When you now officially endorse this person (the referrer), they become your brand ambassador.

Endorsements mean that they’re paid to boost brand awareness to potential customers—not just online, but offline as well (through word-of-mouth).

But how do you find these brand ambassadors?

Let’s have a look at 6 tried and tested methods you can follow:

1. Use an influencer marketing platform

An influencer marketing platform is an online space that helps you find influencers and the best brand ambassadors.

Additionally, they help you manage all your social media influencer marketing and brand ambassador marketing campaigns.

An example of an influencer marketing platform is Insense.

Insense offers several useful influencer marketing features, such as the creator marketplace which is expertly designed to match you with perfect brand ambassadors.

The matching process is hassle-free and allows you to:

• Filter your search with a range of filters such as: age, category, gender, location, platform, and so on.
• View the ratings, social media following, portfolios, and performance of multiple influencers and content creators to weigh your options.
• Find brand ambassadors within your budget.
• Ensure easy and seamless communication by inviting creators and influencers to collaborate with you on the Insense platform. This way you can manage all your collaborations in one place.

With over 20,000 brand ambassadors and influencers on this platform, you can build an unlimited list of top creators that can work with you and boost your marketing strategy.

2. Post about your brand ambassador program on social media

Leveraging social media channels is a great way to attract brand ambassadors. 

You never know how many brand lovers you have!

So posting on social media creates an opportunity for you to find genuinely interested people who’re passionate about your brand.

For instance, the image above shows a post on Instagram about a brand ambassador program by campustrendsetters in partnership with Dove.

To increase visibility and attract the target audience, you should consider strategically using generic hashtags.

Here’s how to do this:

• Search for trending hashtags on social media platforms and incorporate them as captions in your post.
• Find hashtags that are related to marketing and brand ambassadorships.
• Alternatively, you can also use an AI to generate hashtags around your niche.

For content creation, use interactive content formats that boost engagement rates. These can include: Q&A sessions or referral contests.

For the Q&A sessions, you can ask brand related questions and choose the person or people with the most correct answers as your brand ambassador/s.

For referral contests, you can ask interested participants to refer their friends and families. 

As a reward, the individual with the highest number of referees becomes your brand ambassador.

For these content formats, consider using the guidelines below to create compelling high-quality posts that communicate your program's value proposition, requirements, and application process:

• Keep the post short and sweet.
• The ad copies on the graphic design should be clear and in alignment with your visual identity.
• Include all important information such as application email address, deadline, and responsibilities in the caption or/and graphic.

3. Look for candidates through branded and niche hashtags

A branded hashtag is a custom hashtag that is created uniquely for your business.

To create a branded hashtag, you can use your brand name, your slogan, name of your product, or your campaign.

All you’ve got to do is add the hashtag before the word or phrase you intend using—(# + brand name or campaign).

Consider these examples: #cocacola, #dove, #channel, #nike, #nikeshoes.

These are all branded hashtags.

Niche hashtags on the other hand are hashtags that contain common keywords used in your industry.

An example of a niche hashtag is seen in the image below: #minimalistfashion.

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Other examples may include: #dogsofinstagram #fashioninfluencer #weddingphotography #ecommerceinfluencer, and so on.

So you see that, unlike generic hashtags, branded and niche hashtags are more specific and often customized. 

Some of the perks of using these types of hashtags include:

• Creating buzz for your brand.
• Helping you identify individuals who’re passionate about your niche and industry.
• Introducing your brand to new audiences and new customers.

If you’re not so sure how to discover the right hashtags to search with, consider using competitor hashtags or use the most successful hashtags you’ve used in previous social media posts.

This type of search is effective for recruiting brand ambassadors across various social networks such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Simply enter the required hashtag in the search bar of your social media accounts and you should be ready to go. 

4. Encourage your loyal customers to apply to your brand ambassador program

Manually searching for brand ambassadors can be time-consuming, so how about putting that energy into something better?

Naturally, having ambassador candidates who like your product or service is good for business. 

But there’s something better—having a brand ambassador who’s also a loyal customer.

The benefits of converting loyal customers into your successful brand ambassador program are numerous.

For starters, when loyal customers become ambassadors, they naturally become more emotionally invested in your brand.

This emotional investment means more referrals, more brand reach, more sales, and more user-generated content (UGC).

But then how do you even identify potential brand ambassadors among your customer base? 

Consider looking out for followers who are socially engaged with your social media account as well as customers who’re frequently talking about your brand online. 

Plus, see if you can find any micro-influencers who use your products or services.

Some ways to ask your customers to become ambassadors are:

• Sending personalized emails and direct messages.
• Announcing and inviting customers to apply on your social media.
• Gifting them products while extending an invitation.

5. Look for brand ambassadors among your employees

Your employees already represent your brand.

They’re actively involved in the process of building your brand, and thus understand your goals and style better than anyone else.

Which is what makes them perfect for the brand ambassador role.

Some of the unique benefits of employee brand ambassadors include:

• Your employees working internally, thus being perceived as having the right authority for recommendations. People trust them to offer genuine, and credible information.
• Employees being ordinary people—therefore unlike traditional advertising methods, employee endorsements are more organically received by consumers. 
• It being more cost effective to internally employ someone from your organization than to outsource an ambassador.

For instance, consider the image above. 

It shows the “day in my life” TikTok video of an aeronautical engineer who’s acting as a brand ambassador for her company, TUI Airways.

The content format is so originally created and integrated that you wouldn’t even realize she’s publicizing her company.

The trick to having such an efficient employee brand ambassador is to find the right employees who’re enthusiastic about your brand and its values. 

So how can you identify them?

• Consider asking your managers and directors for suggestions.
• Create an employee brand ambassador program that encourages healthy competition and empowers hardworking employees with a chance to join the program.
• Consider how active an employee is in attending meetings, supporting coworkers and proposing ideas.

Also remember that before an employee can decide to become an ambassador, your company culture has to encourage employee advocacy.

One way to effectively do this is by offering incentives, and recognizing and appreciating deserving employees, to help boost their morale. 

6. Create a brand ambassador application form on your website

Creating a brand ambassador application form is a great way to show professionalism.

The link to the form can be added in your linktree, or on your social media bios.

For better optimization and to boost visibility, naturally incorporate niche keywords into your form.

The essential details of your form should include:

• Name
• Email address
• Country address
• Phone
• Links to social media accounts
• Links to websites or blogs (if any)
• Birth dates (for brands looking to work with certain demographics)

For screening questions, consider asking the following:

• Why are you interested in becoming our ambassador?
• How do you plan to promote the brand?
• What relevant experiences do you have?
• Have you ever purchased something from our brand?

These questions will make the screening process easier, as you can filter the applications you receive based on their interests, experiences, age, and so on.

Let’s now explore some best practices for hiring a brand ambassador.

How to Hire a Brand Ambassador: Best Practices

Having a brand ambassador is like having a trusted friend for your business—a cheerleader.

However, we can all agree that trustworthy friends are difficult to come by these days.

Here are some practical tips to help you find a trusted brand ambassador.

Look out for certain qualities and characteristics

These are questions you should consider asking before choosing a brand ambassador.

• Are potential ambassadors passionate about your brand growth?
• Are they enthusiastic users or customers of your products/service?
• How good is their online presence? 
• Do they have great communication skills?

Evaluate their authenticity and engagement

When choosing potential brand ambassadors, review their social media profiles and content to find the best fit. 

Are their interactions natural and sincere? 

Is their tone consistent in previous collaborations?

Also check to see if their followers are engaged with their content.

FInd people that align with your brand

Imagine introducing your brand to your new best friend. Would they have similar values and interests? 

Your brand ambassador needs to embody your brand's values and relate with your brand goals. 

Without this connection, there would be a lack of credibility and authenticity.

Foster positive long-term relationships 

For a healthy and successful long-term collaboration, open communication is necessary. 

Regularly talk about your goals, campaign ideas, and content ideas. 

Encourage them to explore their creativity within your guidelines to maintain a consistent brand voice and tone.

These are some of the best practices for hiring a brand ambassador.

So now you know how to hire a brand ambassador, but what next?

Ready to Discover Cool New Brand Ambassadors?

It’s time for you to kick start your own brand ambassador marketing campaign.

All you need to do to get started is focus on finding the best brand ambassadors for your niche. 

Remember to look inwards to loyal customers and employees, use branded hashtags, post on social media, and use your website.

What’s more, use influencer marketing platforms to streamline your search and save yourself valuable time and effort.

Book a demo with Insense to begin!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Got questions about brand ambassadors?

Keep reading!

What is a brand ambassador?

A brand ambassador is a person who’s paid to endorse, promote and recommend a brand both offline and online.

What are the benefits of brand ambassadors?

The benefits of working with brand ambassadors include: increased brand awareness, improved sales, extended social organic reach, community building, increased customer engagement, and customer loyalty.

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