It's no secret that word-of-mouth (WOM) and referrals are the best leads for your business. Did you know these people are your Brand Ambassadors? Now how do you get more??
We need to do a couple of housekeeping items first.
1. Profile your current Brand Ambassadors. Do they all have a similar job title, company type, etc.?
2. Who do your customers listen to? Is there an analyst they pay attention to? A journalist? A blogger?
3. Who talks about companies like yours? Beware the pay-to-play endorsement.
So now we know who we want to be a Brand Ambassador now how do we get their attention and get them talking about us?
1. Give Them Your Something
Is there a way for you to give them a free version of your product or something of value to their business? Get them using what you offer, give them the experience firsthand. You will start to see them talking about what they use to do XZY. This could be anything from a pilates studio to a doctor to a SaaS company.
2. Give Them Business
What could you do for them? Can you make an introduction or referral to them? How can you send them business? Look for opportunities everywhere. An example may be to answer a question on Quora and point to their company or expertise.
3. Ask Them to Participate
How can you get them involved in your brand? Can you interview for them for a blog post? Perhaps feature them on a webinar?
4. Flatter Them
Now this is not an attempt to be disingenuous or flirty. This is an opportunity to ask for their opinion. People love being asked for help. How did you do this? I have this idea but I have no idea if its good. What do you think about this?
TIP: The best use of your time is to have a list of target Brand Ambassadors. From there you can track success of each tactic.