In today’s dynamic business landscape, the role of marketing extends far beyond conventional advertising and promotion. Marketers are not just tasked with selling products or services; they are the custodians of the brand’s essence, its identity, and its promise to customers. However, for a brand to truly thrive, it’s imperative that every individual within the company understands and embodies the brand’s values. This necessitates marketers to take a proactive stance in fostering a culture of brand advocacy across all divisions.
The Origin of Building Brand Ambassadors
A note from Jessica Shrout, President of Circle Three Branding: If you know me, you know I have a pretty intense thirst for knowledge and I’m a collector: I collect facts and tidbits that will serve me later. This often comes in the form of books and tools that fill my library shelves. I was recently stuck in an airport between legs of a journey and found myself browsing the bookstore. That’s where I saw a deck of cards called “Marketing Mess to Brand Success,” by Scott Jeffrey Miller. Each card is meant to serve as a marketing challenge to change the way you think about marketing for your organization. I’ll be honest: I don’t love all of them, but some of them are worth conversation. So that’s what we’re going to do: talk about my favorite challenges. Over the next few months, I’ll post those favorites and we’ll explore what it means for waste, recycling, and sustainability organizations.
Motivating Employees
Motivating employees to become brand ambassadors requires a multi-faceted approach. Firstly, marketers need to articulate the significance of each employee’s role in shaping the brand’s narrative. Whether it’s the frontline staff interacting with customers daily or the backend team ensuring smooth operations, every action contributes to the brand experience.
To accomplish this, marketers can organize workshops, training sessions, or internal communications that highlight the brand’s values, its mission, and the impact of employee actions on brand perception. By fostering a sense of ownership and pride in the brand, employees are more likely to become enthusiastic advocates.
Defining the Brand Ambassador
A brand ambassador embodies the brand’s ethos in both their actions and their communications. They are individuals who are passionate about the brand, knowledgeable about its offerings, and committed to delivering exceptional experiences to customers. A brand ambassador not only represents the company externally but also upholds its values internally, serving as a role model for colleagues.
In terms of appearance and behavior, a brand ambassador exudes professionalism, consistency, and authenticity. They are well-groomed, articulate, and align their actions with the brand’s guidelines. Moreover, they actively engage with customers, seeking to understand their needs and delivering personalized experiences that resonate with the brand’s promise.
Brand-Promoting Standards
Marketers play a pivotal role in establishing brand-promoting standards that permeate throughout the organization. This encompasses various aspects such as:
- Dress Code and Hygiene: Implementing a dress code that reflects the brand’s image and ensures employees present themselves in a professional manner. Additionally, maintaining high standards of hygiene is crucial to uphold the brand’s reputation for quality and cleanliness. This is especially important for brands within the waste and recycling industry.
- Social Media Protocols: Providing guidelines on how employees can leverage social media platforms to promote the brand responsibly. This includes advocating for the brand without compromising confidentiality or engaging in inappropriate behavior online.
- Branded Terms and Language Styles: Standardizing the use of branded terminology and language styles across all communications to ensure consistency and reinforce the brand’s messaging.
- Customer Service Response Times: Setting benchmarks for customer service response times to ensure timely and efficient resolution of customer inquiries or issues, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Every interaction with the brand should leave customers feeling a certain kind of way.
Affordable and Easy Participation
Making it affordable and convenient for associates to participate in brand promotion is essential to encourage widespread engagement. This can be achieved through various means:
- Providing Branded Merchandise: Offering branded merchandise such as apparel, accessories, or stationery at discounted rates or as incentives for exemplary performance. This not only fosters a sense of belonging but also serves as a tangible reminder of their role as brand ambassadors.
- Incentivizing Referral Programs: Implementing referral programs that reward employees for referring potential customers or talent to the company. This incentivizes active participation in brand promotion while also expanding the brand’s reach within their networks.
- Recognition and Rewards: Recognizing and rewarding employees who consistently exemplify the brand’s values and go above and beyond in promoting it. This can be in the form of monetary incentives, public acknowledgments, or opportunities for career advancement.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, marketers play a pivotal role in empowering employees to become brand ambassadors by fostering a culture of brand advocacy and providing the necessary support and guidance. By aligning internal behaviors and actions with the brand’s values and standards, companies can cultivate a workforce that is not only loyal and protective of the brand but also capable of delivering exceptional experiences that drive customer loyalty and business success.
We’ll cover more Marketing Mess topics, cognitive biases, and logical fallacies in upcoming blog posts, so be sure to stay tuned. If you’re interested in see how Circle Three Branding applies these to your marketing strategy, contact us.