I get this question a lot from brands, and it is a legit question to have. You hear these terms interchanged so often they now seem as if they are the same thing, but they are not the same thing. Here's the difference between a Brand Ambassador and a Brand Influencer.
A BRAND AMBASSADOR is known by many names "promo model," "brand model," to name a few or B.A. for short. A B.A. is a person who is staffed to represent your brand during an activation. They are brand cheerleaders! They engage with consumers who are present at the event of which your activation is located. When L.O.P.I. coordinates your brand's activation, we make sure to give our B.A.-s information to learn about your brand so they can help consumers connect with your brand and have a positive experience. When we double these interactions with lead generation efforts, your brand can now use the data to further generate sales. It's the social engagement during the activation that motivates consumers to participate in the lead generation portion of the activation. The better the social engagement, the more willing consumers are to experience your brand.
"84% say one positive experience can make them a lifetime customer." (Acquire Convert)
Whereas a BRAND INFLUENCER (or Influencer for short) is generally a person who creates content to post on their personal social media or blog to influence their following to patron the brand they are promoting in their post. The followers of the Influencer generally trust the Influencer and are more inclined to patron the brand they promote. The rates for Influencers vary according to the number of likes they get, the size of their following and the impact of their influence. Influencers are leveraging their ability to have an influence over their audience so they are usually particular about which brands they promote. They understand their following and have a keen insight about the kind of influence they have. Therefore, an Influencer is sensitive to their own personal brand because them promoting untrustworthy brands cause mistrust amongst their following. Unlike a B.A., who is stationed at a location to work an activation. B.A.-s have a talent to connect with strangers at an event within a few seconds to get them intrigued about your brand.
"63% said they “trust what influencers say about brands more than they trust the brand’s advertisements.” (Forbes)
You will OFTEN see these two terms interchanged as if they are the same or the terms are used improperly. It's shocking how many sources blur the difference between the two. Nonetheless, it's important to know the difference.
OK, SO WHAT'S A BRAND AFFILIATE?
A brand affiliate is popular amongst brands that have eCommerce. Here's how this usually works. The brand assigns a link or promo code that their brand affiliate is to have their followers use when they purchase from the brand. Usually when the consumer uses the link or promo code being promoted, they get a discount of some sort and the affiliate gets a kickback from the sale. For many affiliate program you don't need a website in order to qualify but every brand that offers this program have their own set of rules and qualifiers. Once the agreement has been made official, the affiliate starts promoting the brand and encouraging their following to use their link or promo code when they shop with the brand. Or you can simply share with friends and family, etc.. The name of the game is getting as many people as you can to use your link/promo code so you the largest kickbacks you can get. These kickbacks can be anything from products to comissions, it just depends on the brand.
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE SOMETHING YOU MAY WANT TO GET INTO?
Here's how you get started. Think of brand you feel confident you can be an affiliate for. Go to their site and the link to find out how to sign up for their affiliate program is usually at the very bottom of their site. Follow the instructions from there. Here's a list I found helpful to get started, but make sure you do your research!
HUBSPOT ARTICLE: 45 of the Best Affiliate Programs That Pay the Highest Commission
GOTCHA! SO WHAT'S A BRAND ADVOCATE?
Brand advocates are the best! They are a brand's enthusiast on their own accord! They are believers of the brand/product/service. This comes from their personal experience of being highly satisfied with the brand. For example, do you know anyone who swears by a product and will use no other brand for that product? These individuals are advocates of the brand. They promote out of the shear desire to spread brand awareness to others so they can love the brand too. They are not paid from the brand to promote but brands are starting to reach out to their brand fans to become paid brand advocates to keep promoting their brand. Testimonials content are highly valued by brands.
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE SOMETHING YOU MAY WANT TO GET INTO?
Here's how you get started. Start bragging about your favorite brands. Tag the brand. Get others to tag the brand on your content. Get your followers up. Keen in on your influence and likes. The name of the game is to ginueinely get the attention of the brand. You may get featured on their page. This is how many Brand Influencers got their start. Now their getting booked for appearances on commercials and movie/tv gigs. But it's a hustle though.
For instance, I am an advocate of Taxbot. So much so, I recommend it to everyone I feel it will benefit from. Matter of fact, click here to learn more about Taxbot. But I decided to take it a step further and sign up to be an affiliate so that I get a commission from the sales that result from link >> https://spendingtracker.isrefer.com/go/2w2ppt/a308573/
I honest think that Taxbot is an AWESOME product. The app is top notch and worth it.
But back to the topic at hand, to understand what attracts a brand to you, I suggest you start understanding what brands look for. Here's an article to start you out.
FORBES ARTICLE: How To Create Brand Advocates
MMMMMK, SO WHAT'S A SPOKESPERSON?
In the experiential marketing industry, we've kinda stretched the definition or actions of what a spokesperson is. The industry kinda takes a literal definition of the role. Spokes-people are highly informed about the product at hand, have a nice speaking voice and a radio-personality vibe when they speak to a crowd about the brand. They have the effect of an announcer but the gander of salesperson. However, in a traditional sense, spokes-people are usually people who are recognized by the masses like celebrities or in this day & age influencers. These individuals make it a point to make appearances to speak about the brand on behalf of the brand.
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE SOMETHING YOU MAY WANT TO GET INTO?
Here's how you get started. To be a traditional spokesperson, you must be able to spark the interest of a brand. The brand must trust your own brand to in order to consider you as a spokesperson for their brand. It's a big decision and heavy responsibility. But if you're looking to be a spokesperson at experiential events, well, you already know that in the industry you must submit for events to that are looking for experiential spokes-people.
THE ROCKSTAR PROMO ARTICLE: 400+ Facebook Groups I'm In
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