Strong community management skills are essential to keep any ambassador community thriving. So how can your brand provide your ambassadors with an experience that is simple, fun, and rewarding?
No matter how you define it, ambassadors are here to advocate for your brand — online or offline. Cultivating a community of like-minded people who are eager to share your message with the world will help your brand create an effective, low-cost organic marketing channel that you own entirely. Beyond recruiting ambassadors that resonate with your brand’s identity, it is essential to keep your ambassadors engaged and incentivized to keep promoting your brand. By developing strong community management skills, you will ensure that your brand is getting the most out of your ambassador program. Let’s discuss some effective ways to keep your ambassadors engaged and motivated:
Set Clear Expectations and Guidelines
When it comes to managing a large community of ambassadors, clarifying expectations of ambassadorship is essential. Ensure that all of your ambassadors are familiar with their responsibilities and are comfortable with the tasks, deadlines, and rewards that come with the position. Setting clear expectations from the beginning will allow ambassadors to see what type of tasks they can complete while streamlining the communication process.
Keep Tasks Coming
It is important to find balance when assigning tasks to ambassadors. Assign tasks gradually, perhaps once a week, to keep your ambassadors consistently engaged. However, try to avoid piling on too many responsibilities at once as this may lower the quality and the efficiency of their work. A gradual release of challenges not only lightens the burden on the ambassadors, but will also make the lives of your community management team a bit easier.
Having your ambassadors post to their social media accounts or invite friends to make a purchase are great ways to ensure consistent engagement.
Acknowledge Thriving Ambassadors
Highlighting accomplishments and exceptional work can go a long way. Whether it’s a simple thank you email or a highlight on your brand’s social media page, cultivating this personalized relationship will make your ambassadors feel special, bring them closer to your brand. Try featuring an ambassador of the month to not only showcase the great things that some of your ambassadors have accomplished but also to show others how they can step up and perform their job even better.
Gamification & Incentives
Incentives are a great way to get the most out of your ambassador program. Having goals and benchmarks for ambassadors to reach will motivate them to go above and beyond in their responsibilities. Offering merchandise, experiences, and even cash to your ambassadors motivates them, fosters brand loyalty, and keeps your community engaged with your brand. You can even incentivize your community with a tiered reward system — offer your ambassadors opportunities to become top ambassadors for access to exclusive offers & bigger rewards.
One of the biggest challenges of community management is maintaining high levels of engagement. However, if managed effectively, a community of dedicated ambassadors can raise brand awareness and generate true organic growth. By encouraging open communication, acknowledging hard work, and offering incentives, your ambassadors will work hard to improve your brand’s reach and visibility. When ambassadors are truly excited about your brand they will work best to create authentic content and growth, unlocking the full potential that a community of ambassadors can provide.
For more tips on onboarding and engaging your ambassador community, get your free download of SocialLadder’s eBook How to Onboard Ambassadors: Best Practices & Templates. Inside you’ll find pro tips to ensure that your brand has laid a strong foundation in place to implement and grow a successful ambassador community.
