Close Menu
  • For Buyers
    • Retail News
    • Products & Suppliers
    • Ecommerce
    • Marketing & Management
    • Trade Show News
  • For Suppliers
    • Supplier News
    • Marketing & Management
    • Importing
    • Manufacturers
    • Warehousing
    • Finance
    • Show Exhibiting
  • Wholesale 101
  • Trade Show Calendar
  • Wholesale Products
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Friday, May 9
  • Subscribe
  • Submit Content
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Advertise
    • Display Advertising
    • Email Marketing Campaigns
    • Newsletter Advertising
    • Sponsored Content
    • Lead Generation Services
  • Top Product Sources
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
WholesaleCentral.com Blog
  • For Buyers
    • Retail News
    • Products & Suppliers
    • Ecommerce
    • Marketing & Management
    • Trade Show News
  • For Suppliers
    • Supplier News
    • Marketing & Management
    • Importing
    • Manufacturers
    • Warehousing
    • Finance
    • Show Exhibiting
  • Wholesale 101
  • Trade Show Calendar
  • Wholesale Products
WholesaleCentral.com Blog
Home»For Buyers»Ecommerce»The Value of Brand Ambassador Programs for Start-Up Businesses
Ecommerce

The Value of Brand Ambassador Programs for Start-Up Businesses

Krystina MorganBy Krystina MorganMarch 10, 2020Updated:January 19, 20235 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email
Share
Facebook Twitter Email

Instagram logoIf it feels like Instagram influencers seem to be running social media, they pretty much are. With their massive numbers of followers and constant free products flooding their mailbox, they have new content to provide every day. As a retailer, you may be thinking about whether or not you should use, or  even afford,  an influencer to promote your products. The short and sweet answer is yes, absolutely you can and should, and here’s how:

Baby Steps

First of all, there are a wide variety of social media influencers, also known as brand ambassadors, across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other media sites with followers ranging from the thousands to the millions. The newer, and quite frankly, cheaper, influencers will have a few thousand followers and are the perfect start to get your brand name out there.

Casely, a cell phone accessories retailer, started their brand ambassador strategy by reaching out to “micro” influencers who had only a few thousand followers. The company would send these influencers free products to try out, and they would in turn post some product photos to their followers or talk about it to their friends and family. It took just two years for this startup company to go from $150k a year in sales to $10m a year with this strategy.

But how do you find these influencers and keep your budget organized? “We started out with no system and were just using Google Sheets, and it was a nightmare to manage,” says Mark Stallings, co-founder of Casely. “But by using the Brand Ambassador App, we found and contacted brand ambassadors and it really helped our engagement rates on Instagram.” Casey continues, explaining, “We can tell [the influencers] about new products that are coming out, get them into their hands and they can promote them to their following and friends and family.”

Is Instagram Right For Your Business?

Now that you know this is an achievable goal without breaking the bank, it’s time to figure out the best social media platform to promote your brand. This solely depends on the types of products that you sell. In Casely’s case, since their phone cases are affordable, easy-to-use, and attractive, Instagram was their go-to brand ambassador platform.

“Basically, because Instagram is such an impulse purchase type of platform, viewers can see our products and how beautiful and inexpensive they are, so it’s an impulse buy,” Emily Stallings, co-founder of Casely, said. “I think that the Instagram market is so saturated with ads that our product is something people can actually use at a low cost, so they feel they can buy it.”

Social Media Popularity by the Numbers

Find Your Influence, the leading influencer marketing platform, surveyed their social media influencers and found that Instagram is still number one for brand ambassador marketing, with 65 percent posting sponsored content on the platform most often.

Instagram may not be the end-all, though, with 38 percent of influencers seeing TikTok competing for sponsored content opportunities. TikTok (www.tiktok.com/en) is a social media platform where users post short videos, and more influencers have been flocking to the site to post short videos on new products they are trying out. Even Casely is starting to break the ice on the TikTok platform with brand ambassadors, so it’s definitely another platform to keep in mind.

Your overall strategy needs to go beyond the popularity of a social media site. Depending on the products you’re trying to promote, retailers need to think about the demographics for each social site and determine the best fit. HubSpot (blog.hubspot.com)breaks it down beautifully: the most popular age range of Facebook users is 18-29; the most popular age range of Instagrammers is 13-17; 27 percent of Twitter users are between 30-49, and the most popular age group of TikTok users are teens.

Goals for 2020

No matter which social media platform you decide to use to promote your products, brand ambassadors are a great way to get started and grow your business. Now, Casely pays influencers anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a thousand dollars for one post or story to Instagram, and while this may seem like a scary number, the company has seen the opportunity and growth influencers have brought to them, so they are more willing to invest.

“There are three main things to think about before marketing: you need to have a quality product, high quality customer support, and the ability to get the product to customers in a timely manner,” Mark says. “Once you have those down, get the product into people’s hands and get the word out. Businesses just starting out may not have as much money, so instead of investing heavily into one large influencer, getting the word out through smaller influencers can really help because there’s no cost for posting.”

marketing social media
Share. Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleInspired Home Show Cancels Spring 2020 Event
Next Article Improve Your Sales with These Trendy Impulse Buys

Related Posts

Jewelry Marketing Strategies: How to Attract Customers and Boost Sales in a Competitive Market

December 31, 2024

Online Marketing Calendar for 2025: Don’t Miss These Critical Dates

December 17, 2024

How to Sell Without Inventory: Innovative Approaches to E-Commerce and Retail

October 29, 2024
Sign Up for Buyer Updates
WholesaleCentral.com

Join the Buyer's Network

Get news & updates only for retailers.

how-to
Wholesale 101 for Buyers

Amazon Return Pallets For Sale: How to Profit

11 Mins ReadUpdated:August 9, 2024

A big trend among some online sellers is buying Amazon return pallets and overstock and…

Retail News

5 Essential Tax Season Preparation Tips

10 Mins ReadUpdated:August 8, 2024

Are you ready for tax season? April 18 is approaching quickly, and many day-to-day decisions…

Ecommerce

7 Steps to Create Successful Shipping for Your Business

6 Mins ReadUpdated:August 8, 2024

by Sidney Karanja Today’s business environment is more globalized and complex than ever before. In…

Product News

Overstock Liquidations

6 Mins ReadUpdated:August 9, 2024

Overstock inventory refers to the excess goods or merchandise that a retailer has on hand…

Latest Posts

Crafting a Marketing Strategy for Electronics Retailers

January 21, 2025

Effective Digital Marketing Strategies for Health & Wellness Brands

January 21, 2025

Mastering Beauty Ads: 10 Strategies for Engaging Your Audience | Blog.Wholesalecentrl.com 

January 21, 2025

Jewelry Marketing Strategies: How to Attract Customers and Boost Sales in a Competitive Market

December 31, 2024

How to Open a Gift Shop: A Step-By-Step Guide

December 23, 2024

Online Marketing Calendar for 2025: Don’t Miss These Critical Dates

December 17, 2024
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Find Wholesale Sources
WholesaleCentral.com

Join the Buyer's Network

Get news & updates only for retailers.

Follow Us:

Copyright © 2025. Sumner Communications, Inc..

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.