How A Great Brand Ambassador Can Change Everything
You might have the best product in the world, being sold in a busy shop in the perfect location. You might even have a great sampling campaign, meticulously planned out to the last detail. But if the person representing your brand isn’t connecting with customers, then you’re probably not going to get the results you’re hoping for. Your brand ambassadors aren’t just there to hand out free samples, they’re there to create meaningful conversations and influence purchasing decisions, which is why they are such an important part of the sampling process.
Every Interaction Shapes Perception
For a lot of shoppers, a sampling is their first interaction with your brand. They’ve not seen the packaging, visited your website or tasted the product before, but now they’ve met a brand ambassador. So the first impression that person makes is incredibly important, and could shape that customers entire relationship with your brand.
An approachable ambassador who greets them with a smile and welcomes them into conversation creates confidence from the start. One who’s knowledgeable enough to answer questions naturally and make the whole experience feel authentic rather than scripted makes them feel comfortable enough to try something new.
Now let’s put in a less-than-stellar ambassador and see what difference it makes.
An ambassador who doesn’t have any enthusiasm and just stands behind the stall doesn’t draw in many people. Even the people who might be tempted by the ‘free food’ lure will be put off. And someone who seems rushed or unsure about the product details can make the brand seem lazy or lacklustre. Customers notice these things, and their perception or your brand ambassador can quickly become their overall impression of your brand.
So which impression would you rather give off?
More Than a Friendly Face
A good brand ambassador doesn’t just talk about the product. They listen to the people in front of them. Every customer arrives at an activation with different needs, interests and buying habits. Some will want to know about the ingredients, others are looking for the best value, and some will want some reassurance before they buy.
Rather than delivering the same script to everyone, the best brand ambassadors can adapt their conversations to the person in front of them, understanding what’s important to the customer and providing what they need. It’s that kind of conversation that builds trust.
Then there’s the fact that a good ambassador can answer questions about the product. Whether it’s allergen information, sustainability credentials, nutritional content or how your product compares to the competitors out there, accurate information makes consumers feel more confident in your product, and more likely to buy. Your ambassador should be able to communicate all of this information in a way that’s clear, relevant and easy to understand.
Better Experiences
Sampling is all about the experience. That’s why it’s called experiential marketing! So your job is to make sure that the whole interaction customers have with your brand, from start to finish, is a positive and memorable one. Even better, one that stands out. And while your product should do a lot of the work, your ambassador really is the driving force behind it. Brand ambassadors that make people feel welcome without being pushy, make conversations feel natural, encourage without pressure and answer questions honestly are the ones that leave customers feeling positive and wanting to engage more.
Insight Magnets
One of the most overlooked parts of a brand ambassador’s role is the information they collect throughout the demo. As they’re talking about your products, they’re having hundreds of conversations, hearing concerns and providing information in real time. They know what kinds of questions customers ask. They find out what shoppers like and what they don’t. They see the barriers to purchase, they’re part of the competitor comparisons, and they spot trends that wouldn’t be visible if you aren’t on the ground.
That’s the kind of information that no survey or sales report could ever capture. And its information that can help your brand learn and improve products, branding, packaging and more.
They Influence Sales in Real Time
Finally, there aren’t many marketing channels that give you the opportunity to change a customer’s mind in the moment. But a customer who wasn’t planning to buy can become a customer who leaves with a product in their basket after just a single conversation with a good brand ambassador. That’s not just because they tried the product, it’s because someone helped them understand why it was worth trying to begin with.
Brands can spend months and sometimes years developing products, investing money in packaging, marketing and retail partnerships to give them the best chance of success. But the journey doesn’t finish once the products hit the shelves. By adding in a face-to-face conversation between an ambassador and a customer, you can have a very real impact on how many people actually buy your products.
If you’re not sure what makes a great brand ambassador, or you want to find out how an always on sampling approach could help your retail business, just get in touch with the Fizz Experience team today.