A little refresher:
Brand Ambassador: Someone who embodies the brand he/she is endorsing, providing the brand with credible promotion and visibility.
As you can tell from the definition, a brand ambassador is a key element of a successful business. You might be wondering, "Where can I get one of those bad boys?". Funny enough, YOU might be the best, most successful brand ambassador for your business!
The Role of a Brand Ambassador
Brand ambassadors are not easy to find in terms of the qualifications and traits they must hold in order to successfully carry out their duties. Some of the most important elements a successful brand ambassador must have are:
- A Deep Knowledge/Understanding of the Company: In order to properly "embody" your brand, you have to know every single detail about the history, current situation, and predicted future of your company. Brand ambassadors are the most effective tool in regards to getting your message out to the public, therefore they must be able to properly convey the company's ideals in a professional fashion.
- KNOW AND UNDERSTAND YOUR MISSION STATEMENT: There's a reason this step is capitalized. Not only should EVERY employee know their company's mission statement by heart for their own benefit, but they must know and UNDERSTAND the mission statement in order to be a good brand ambassador. A good brand ambassador exemplifies the goals and values of the company, and is able to communicate those views to the public.
- Stay True To Your Mission, Vision, and Value Statement: There is an important difference between these three statements that often get confused, leading to brand confusion. A mission statement is one that clearly describes what the purpose of an organization is. The shorter the statement, the better. For example, The Humane Society's mission statement is "Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty". This short statement gets the point of the organization across in 4 words, leaving the audience with a clear message. A vision statement, on the other hand, is your organization's "vision", or what you hope to accomplish. This keeps to the same rule that the more concise, the better. For example, Feeding America's vision statement is "A Hunger-Free America". This vision statement tells the audience that their goal is to end hunger in America, which is easily understood and remembered. Last but not least, a value statement exemplifies a company's core beliefs and ethics. For example, Wegman's Food Markets states that their beliefs are "Caring, High Standards, Making a Difference, Respect, and Empowerment". This lets the audience and employees know what the goals of the company are in regards to ethics and public appearance.
- Be Articulate: In order to properly communicate to the public, you must use terms they understand, so NO JARGON. For example, when you go to the doctor, they generally "dumb things down", rather than explaining your medical issues to you in complex "doctor talk". Make sure when you speak to your audience, you take their knowledge about your company/industry into consideration.
- Clarity of Message: As a company, it is important to clearly express your ideas in the hopes that your audience will be able to take away the information you have given them. The goal of a brand ambassador is to get the audience to fully understand the ethics behind your company in order to persuade them to be loyal patrons and recommend you to others. If your audience cannot understand the importance of your company, they will not continue to support you.
Keeping all of these elements in mind, choosing your brand ambassador(s) is an important decision, as they are an extension of your company's image. Tune in to the next blog to revisit the basic types of brand ambassadors and how they each make an impact in their own way.
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