Build Brand Ambassadors to Humanize Your Marketing

Todd Jensen

Written by: Todd Jensen | Snoball Editorial Team

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2024

Marketing Insights

10 Steps to a Successful Ambassador Program

In today's fast-paced digital world where consumers are bombarded with advertisements and marketing messages, authenticity and human connection have become the keys to effective marketing. At Snoball, we're dedicated to creating a world-class ambassador program that not only drives our business growth but also humanizes our marketing efforts. By focusing on building genuine relationships and nurturing ongoing conversations, we’ve crafted a unique approach that sets us apart in the B2B space. Here's how we're doing it and why it matters.

Identifying Our Ambassadors

We’ve identified three main types of ambassadors for our program:

1. Customers

Our happy customers are phenomenal ambassadors because their stories carry a lot of weight. They have experienced the Snoball effect firsthand by using our platform to generate referrals, enhance their reputation, and collect reviews. Their enthusiasm for Snoball is genuine because they've seen the results, and their authentic voices help us reach new customers in a personal and trustworthy way.

2. Industry Professionals

These are professionals who operate in the same sectors that we care about, such as solar installation, roofing, moving, and home medical services. This group also includes those in adjacent industries, like those marketing or selling software and services that complement Snoball. They are often in conversations with potential Snoball users and can naturally introduce our platform as a valuable addition to their existing services.

3. Consultative Partners

This new group includes individuals in advisory roles with our target companies, such as fractional CMOs, sales leaders, and agencies. These consultants provide strategic advice on marketing and sales efforts, and recommending Snoball becomes a valuable component of their growth strategies. By leveraging their expertise and established trust, they can effectively endorse Snoball’s benefits.

By nurturing these three types of ambassadors, Snoball creates a powerful, multifaceted referral network that amplifies our reach and impact, ensuring that we continue to grow and succeed in helping businesses generate more referrals, enhance their reputation, and collect valuable reviews.

Alex Knight: The Driving Force Behind Our Ambassador Program

At the heart of Snoball's ambassador program is Alex Knight, our Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Alex is the mastermind behind the initiative, bringing his passion for relationship-building and his dedication to excellence to the forefront. His personal touch is evident in every aspect of the program.

Handwritten notes

A Personal Welcome from Alex

Alex believes in making each ambassador feel special and valued. He personally writes a handwritten note welcoming them into the program – a gesture that sets the tone for a positive and personal relationship from the start. This simple act of kindness goes a long way in establishing a genuine connection.

Setting Ambassadors Up for Success

Alex hosts a kickoff meeting with new ambassadors, providing clear instructions that outline our Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and the benefits of Snoball so the can easily talk about it. He explains everything in a detailed deck that he sends to them afterward. He makes it clear that they don’t need to know the ins and outs of Snoball; their main task is to introduce him over email. This approach removes any pressure from the ambassadors and makes their participation effortless.

Spoiling Ambassadors with Swag and Attention

Alex ensures that our ambassadors feel appreciated and valued. They receive custom swag, such as a stylish jacket that they’ll actually want to wear, not just off-the-shelf items with our logo plastered all over them. Alex’s attention to detail and commitment to quality shine through in these thoughtful gifts.

The Snoball sales team modeling our ambassador swag
The Snoball sales team modeling our ambassador swag.

Transparent and Generous Payouts

Transparency is crucial to Alex’s approach. He sends each ambassador an agreement outlining the program’s terms and is very generous with the payouts, offering 10% of the revenue generated from their referrals over two years. He also provides a tracker so ambassadors can see the progress of their referrals and anticipate their payouts. Payments are made every quarter, like clockwork, ensuring consistency and reliability.

Phil Kirkeiner, CEO of Baton, is also an expert in the B2B marketing space. When asked about actionable strategies that companies can implement to magnify their word of mouth marketing, he explained, “People love free stuff. People love to feel important. And if you make them an ambassador or give them access to make money from referring and they have friends who know they can use it… Everyone's looking for a way to make a few extra bucks and also help a friend.” Don’t be afraid to build your ambassador program on these basic human needs – make people feel important and help them earn some extra money. These simple things can go a long way in building a strong relationship.

Phil Kirkeiner profile picture

Phil Kirkeiner

Co-Founder & CEO @ Baton

 

"Everyone's looking for a way to make a few extra bucks and also help a friend."

Amplifying Their Reach

We don’t stop at financial rewards. We actively work with our ambassadors to amplify their social media reach. By inviting them to appear on our podcast and providing access to raw, edited, and vertical shorts for their promotion, we help them build their personal brand while also promoting Snoball.

The End Result

The end result is the best B2B ambassador program in the industry. We believe in authentic word of mouth marketing and live by it. This means putting our money and time where our mouth is and working hard to make the experience fantastic and the payout worth it. We know our ambassadors are busy, so we do everything in our power to make the process as effortless as possible. Our goal is to see our ambassadors win because we trust that over time, they’ll help us win as well.

Practical Takeaways: Building Your Own Ambassador Program

For companies looking to build an effective ambassador program, here are some practical steps based on our experience at Snoball:

1. Identify Ideal Ambassadors: Focus on customers who love your product and industry professionals with aligned interests.

2. Personalize the Welcome: A handwritten note or a personalized message can make a big difference in establishing a genuine connection.

3. Provide Clear Instructions: During the kickoff meeting, clearly outline the expectations, benefits, and how they can participate without feeling pressured.

4. Offer Generous Rewards: Provide a healthy portion of revenue from referrals to incentivize ongoing engagement.

5. Spoil with Quality Swag: Choose custom items that your ambassadors will actually want to use and wear. Avoid over-branding.

6. Ensure Transparency: Provide a clear agreement and a tracker to help ambassadors see the progress of their referrals and anticipate payouts.

7. Pay Out Regularly: Make sure to pay ambassadors consistently, like every quarter, to build trust and reliability.

8. Amplify Their Reach: Collaborate on social media and other promotional activities to help them build their personal brand.

9. Provide Continuous Support: Be available for any questions and provide ongoing support to ensure they have everything they need to succeed.

10. Foster Long-Term Relationships: Focus on building genuine, long-term relationships with your ambassadors rather than just transactional interactions.

Experience the Snoball Effect Firsthand

At Snoball, we’re committed to humanizing our marketing through our ambassador program. By focusing on genuine relationships and ongoing conversations, we’ve created a unique approach that drives growth and builds trust. Our ambassadors are not just partners; they’re an integral part of our success. Through generous rewards, personalized support, and continuous engagement, we’ve crafted the best B2B ambassador program in the industry. This is the power of authentic word of mouth marketing, and it’s why we believe in the Snoball effect.

If you’re interested in learning more about our ambassador program or how Snoball can help your business grow through word of mouth marketing, contact us today. Let’s build something great together.

Need help with your word of mouth marketing? Schedule a demo to see what Snoball can do for your business.

Schedule Demo

Related Articles