One of our smaller clients was hosting a big fundraising event this past year. We wanted to find a creative way to spread the word online – extending beyond just out online community and followers. We racked our brains trying to decide exactly how to do this in a way that wasn’t too “spammy” or overly advertised. That’s when it hit us: Social Media Ambassadors. A Social Media Ambassador is someone who is a thought leader in their industry. Through blogging and social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, they have gained a group of core followers and a close knit community where they share their thoughts and expertise. If we could utilize select “thought leaders” to help promote our client’s event, we would be able to get their message out to the masses – for virtually nothing! The cool thing about using Social Media Ambassadors is that the concept can work for practically any industry or organization. The people we reached out to for the Ambassador position came from a variety of different backgrounds – from mommy bloggers to design gurus. Yet they all had one thing in common: they supported our client’s cause! That is essential in implementing a Social Media Ambassador program. For it to be successful and NOT seem “spammy” they need to be just as passionate about what you’re doing as you are. You don’t need a million different people backing you, just a few folks with strong followings who are willing to assist and share your content or information with their community. For our client, that meant some of them wrote blogs about the event, some hosted mini-contests and some simply chatted about it via Facebook or Twitter. Regardless of what they did, they were passionate – and that showed. By event time ticket sales had gone up, interaction on the client’s social media accounts had skyrocketed and we had a whole new community involved in their mission. We had the Social Media Ambassador’s actually attend the event and live Tweet and Facebook what was happening with their followers! It was a really cool way to not only share with our new communities but document the event for us to remember. The program was a win-win for everyone. Not only was the event a success due in part to their efforts, but they also gained a new community to grow with and we created strong relationships for our client with a variety of industry leaders! What are your thoughts on Social Media Ambassadors? Have you or your business done something similar? Share below! Interested in learning more about Social Media Ambassadors or implementing a similar strategy? Contact SocialNicole today! Photo Credit
