Hello, Is It Fans You’re Looking For?

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Last week on the blog we talked about the importance of brand consistency. We know why it’s vital, now let’s discuss the following a solid brand can generate and what these brand ambassadors mean for your organization. We’re not talking about celebrity endorsements, or spokesmodels, we’re talking about your brand fans.

Brand Ambassadors Have Influence

While modern marketing tactics are vital to the success of any blooming business, word of mouth still reigns supreme. Check out these numbers on WOM (word of mouth) influenced buying behaviors.

  • 84% of consumers say they either completely or somewhat trust recommendations from family and friends about products – making these recommendations the information source ranked highest for trustworthiness. [Nielson]
  • 74% of consumers identify WOM as a key influencer in their purchasing decision. [Ogilvy/Google/TNS]
  • 68% trust online opinions from other consumers, which is up 7% from 2007 and places online opinions as the third most trusted source of product information. [Nielson]
  • 88% of people have their reasons for trusting online reviews written by other consumers as much as they trust recommendations from personal contacts. [BrightLocal]

 

Brand Ambassadors are Your Megaphones

While just about none of us have the brand recognition of the previously mentioned branding greats, they started somewhere, and their fans helped them along. You know the type, they can tell you what the Subway $5 footlong is for the month without even blinking, they’ve already shared the news about Target allowing their shoppers to drink wine on your Facebook page, or they just let you know what the specials are at Aldi after checking their Aldi app. These folks are the ones you want on your team, and strong brand consistency is how you nail ‘em down.

They know that no matter where they go, whether it’s out of town, or down the street, they know exactly what to expect, and if you’re doing your job, they’ll get it. Then, they tell just about anyone who will listen. Aldi is actually a really great example of a brand that has recently created a cult following in the U.S. No joke, a friend of mine created a jingle about her love of Aldi, to the tune of Lionel Richie’s “Hello”. Hello, is it deals you’re looking for? That is a brand ambassador.

Brand Ambassadors Offer Quality Feedback

It goes without saying that these folks are invested in your brand, so you can actually trust their feedback as a valued customer. Brand ambassadors offer quality feedback and they each have their own platforms to generate content around your brand. Whether it’s praise or a word about what they would like to see from your brand in the future, their feedback is gold.

So, get out there and find who these folks are, connect with them, stir up some brand love, and ask for their feedback. If you’re not there yet, take a step back and invest more resources into creating total brand consistency. Build it and they will come…and then they’ll talk about it!

The Action Card App helps companies establish and fortify their brand standards, and foster consistent performance across locations. Do you have a jingle-worthy brand? Let’s connect today. Sign in with Facebook..