Building Brand Ambassadors for SMBs in the Service Industry

I have been asked several times already this year what specifically can boost traffic and conversions, especially for startups. Other than SEO, social media, and paid online media, in my opinion, one of the best methods is to use the power of brand ambassador. You’re going back to the basics and taking a few pages from traditional marketing methods. Brand advocacy is really an updated term for good old grass roots marketing. A lot of what digital marketing is now is just slightly redefined methods from traditional marketing. Keep that in mind for 2015.

Let’s talk about brand advocacy for SMBs in the service sector. By service sector, I’m not talking about food service. I’m referring to any company that offers a service of some kind to the public. I’m also referring to B2C. B2C services are unique because competition is local and therefore probably a little harder. Your focus needs to be on the quality of service because poor quality will lead to the consumer switching to a competitor really easily. It also leads to bad word mouth and negative reputation building. Having a brand ambassador or advocate strategy will help you not only build brand awareness, but help you create positive buzz and generate referrals and conversions.

Your first step is to identify current clients who are satisfied. If they’re not already, you want them to start talking about your services on social. Consumers get on Facebook and Twitter and talk about their experiences. Add them to a list on Twitter. That will make them feel even more valued. The more special they feel, the more good things they’ll say about your services. Plus, you’ll be able to monitor what they’re saying more easily.

Once you have these happy, current clients in a list, set up a feed. You can do this in Hootsuite or Tweetdeck. First listen to what is being said. Pay attention for opportunities to remind them to use your service again. Also make small talk conversations. Look for ways to congratulate or respond positively. You want them to engage with you.

You also need to communicate with them in other forms too. I recommend via video emails and or newsletters. Video has really high conversions. They’re also more likely to go viral. Using a service like Inviter, a video email and greetings platform allows you to communicate on a seemingly one-on-one platform with the opportunity to share these videos on social channels.

Understand that building and creating brand ambassadors takes time. Some of you may get lucky and have some that start right away. Others of you may find that it takes a few interactions. Whatever you do, don’t ask for someone to be a brand ambassador. It’s a natural, organic process.