Taking Referral Marketing Online: Brand Ambassadors 2.0

As social media integration has become ubiquitous, the term “Brand Ambassador” has taken on a different, more relevant meaning. Brand ambassadors no longer need to pound the pavement for sales. With newly available referral software, your business can leverage the power of online fans to go out and generate new business with only the click of a button. New definitions of brand ambassadors move the conversation onto social networks, a brand ambassador 2.0, if you will.

In the good old days (read: 3-4 years ago) a brand ambassador was seen as an in-person representative of a company. You know the type: a beautiful twenty-something handing out samples or literature in a mall wearing your company’s logo on their shirt. In a world where most traditional advertisements are met with immediate skepticism, the kind ambassador would put a real face on the business adding credibility, likability and trust.

Instead of putting someone on a street corner or in a mall to hand out pamphlets, you can instead offer tasteful incentives that compel your online fan base to share your products with friends and family via social media. Tracking this data can be as easy as finding brand ambassador software and platform to help measure analytics essential to a successful campaign and can bring awareness and revenue to your business without leaving your computer.

And you can trust that your brand should be implementing referral software into its social media sales strategy. According to the New York Times, 65% of new business come from referrals, and a Nielsen study found that consumers are 4 times more likely to purchase when referred by a friend.

More so than people think, it’s the emotional side of the purchasing process that carries the most weight when making decisions. In fact, decision making is 30% rational and 70% emotional. This data shows that having the right programs in place can make the difference in driving customers back to your business and looping new ones in.

So embrace the future of referral marketing by utilizing referral software to offer rewards to your most passionate supporters. And get ready for the advent of a new type of brand ambassador, one that’s bigger, better and more effective than ever before.

(Image credit: Fresh*Labs)