5 Ways to Turn Mere Followers Into Devoted Brand Ambassadors You will never sell yourself more persuasively than your enthused customers can.
By John Boitnott Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Let's say you've built a strong online presence for you or your company, complete with active profiles on several social media platforms. You've even managed to amass a large number of followers to each of those pages, with those customers sometimes making purchases based on your posts.
But for many brands, true success comes when your customers feel so enthusiastic, they share the news about your products and services with their friends. In an online environment, that could mean something as small as checking in with a positive comment. They may also snap a photo of your products and share it across social media. Here are a few ways to turn your followers into brand ambassadors.
1. Ask
This may seem like a simple first step, but some brands still miss it, or even shy away from it because they don't want to be too imposing. In every transaction you have with customers, encourage them to share information about your business on various social media channels. If you have a brick-and-mortar location, have signage that lets customers know the various social media sites where you're active. Print a reminder to follow you on every receipt and email you send, as well as on the checkout confirmation page on your website.
Related: Employees Are Your Biggest Brand Advocates
2. Provide an impeccable customer experience.
Brand ambassadors are created when companies impress their customers. This starts with offering a superlative product or service, but the way you treat your customers is an integral part of it. If you don't already, strive to offer above-and-beyond service that gives your customers such a positive experience they feel as though they're personally invested in your success. It could be something as simple as remembering their previous purchases or asking how their day is going. At that point, they'll be more likely to become your most enthusiastic cheerleaders, interacting with you on social media and sharing your posts with a few words about their own personal experiences with your brand. Even when they're offline, they'll tell friends, family and associates about your business, bringing you more customers.
Related: With the Right Incentives Loyal Customers Will Become Brand Advocates
3. Reward engagement.
Your customers may be more encouraged to share news about you if they stand to gain a reward out of it. On a regular basis, acknowledge customers who share information about your brand. You can even create a reward that you give to the most engaged customer(s) each month. As other customers see that they can possibly win recognition and prizes from being an ambassador, they'll join in to help promote your events and products.
4. Create a contest.
If you're looking for a way to fast track engagement, consider hosting a contest that your customers will find exciting enough to share with others. Create a campaign and link it to a hashtag that your customers can easily find. Make the prize lucrative enough that your own followers will feel that their friends will want to know about it. You can even ask your customers to share a sentence about why they love your products for an extra entry into the contest.
Related: 5 Ways to Make Your Employees Your Greatest Brand Advocates
5. Monitor mentions.
On an ongoing basis, monitor mentions of your brand online using one of the many online tools available. You can also search for mentions of products similar to yours and take the opportunity to reach out and offer to help. This small touch will demonstrate from the start that you're a brand that seeks to help customers by connecting them with the products or services they need. Through mention notifications, you can learn immediately when customers are discussing your brand online and step in to thank those who are voluntarily serving as your ambassadors.
Loyal customers become a business's best asset. Loyal customers who regularly tell others about your brand can do some of your marketing work for you. By personalizing your customer service and consistently providing top-notch products or services, you can ensure that your most loyal customers will support your business.
