If you are thinking of starting a brand ambassador program, you might be wondering how you should reward your ambassadors for their hard work.
Alternatively, you might already host an ambassador program, but you are seeing a decline in engagement and want to spice up your rewards to help boost engagement.
Whatever stage of your program you are in, you will need to start planning and implementing various rewards to get your ambassadors excited to participate in the program.
In this article, we will take a deep dive into the different ways you can reward your ambassadors. We will cover how to structure rewards and give you a variety of reward ideas that you can use to get your ambassadors excited and ready to work.
Let's dive into it.
What Are Brand Ambassadors?
A brand ambassador is any person that will represent and help generate buzz for your brand, primarily online through social media but also offline at in-person events.
Typically, an ambassador is a brand's most loyal customer. They are a repeat buyer with a passion for the brand and its products.
Ambassadors will promote the brand via social media and encourage their friends, family, and followers to purchase from it by generating UGC (user-generated content) and utilizing affiliate links or coupon codes.
Typically, brand ambassadors are already creating content for the brand and spreading the love on various social networks.
Brand ambassadors can also be affiliates, influencers, content creators, and customer advocates.
What Do Brand Ambassadors Do?
Brand ambassadors can have various tasks that they do in exchange for rewards. Each ambassador program is different and completely customizable, depending on the brand's needs.
But there are a few industry-standard activities that most brands utilize to mobilize their ambassador.
Typically activities for brand ambassadors include:
- Creating UGC on social media
- Sharing their affiliate links or coupon code to drive more sales
- Engaging with your content on social media
- Attending events to represent your brand
- Writing reviews, blog posts, or content for your brand
An ambassador program allows you to customize your program to target your exact needs, so no two programs will look the same. An activity type that works for you might not necessarily work for another brand.
So get creative and plan a strategy that will resonate best with your team of ambassadors.
Different Ways to Reward Ambassadors
There are various ways you can reward your ambassadors, from cash to free products, all the way to exciting experiences.
Pro Tip: Utilize a variety of reward types (or even all of the rewards listed below) so that each team member can find at least one thing that motivates them to show up and stay committed to the program.
A Point System that They Can Put Towards Products or Cash
Every brand that hosts its ambassador program on CrewFire utilizes a point system.Having a point system adds a fun and gamified element to an ambassador program.
You can give ambassadors points for completing various activities, such as creating UGC, writing blog posts, sharing your brand's content, or engaging with your social media channels.
Using a point system is one of the easiest ways to reward your programs. Then, you can have a reward shop where you can create a bunch of different rewards that ambassadors can exchange for points.
Additionally, you could offer the option for ambassadors to exchange their points for cash or crypto. Money talks, and many ambassadors enjoy the ease of collecting facts and then cashing out and earning passive income.
Commission from Affiliate Sales
Affiliate marketing can be a massive seller of your ambassador program. If a potential applicant finds out that they can earn commission from helping you drive more sales, they will be itching to sign up and get their coupon code.
Define how you want to reward your ambassador for each successful sale they generate. Brands on CrewFire reward their ambassadors in a variety of ways:
- A percentage of the total order value in cash
- A fixed cash amount per sale
- A portion of the total order value in points
- A fixed number of points per sale generated
- A combination of points and cash
You may want to test affiliate sale commissions to see what works best for your group of ambassadors and land on the option that earns the most sales for you and the most commission for your ambassadors.
Free Products
Who doesn't love free things? Free samples, free products, gifts, it's magic.
Your ambassadors are no different. They will be motivated by the chance to get their hands on free products from their favorite brand.
You can give free products for a variety of things, including:
- Free product as a welcome to the program gift
- Once an ambassador earns a certain number of points
- When you want feedback on a new product launch, send samples to your ambassadors
- When an ambassador has committed a certain number of hours to the product
Your ambassadors are working hard for you to help your brand grow, so rewarding them with free products will show your ambassadors you appreciate their effort.
Upfront Cash Payments or Bonuses
Same brands pay their ambassadors with either upfront cash payments or program bonuses.
Upfront cash payments are applicable if you have established with your ambassadors that they will post a certain number of times and plan to pay the ambassador for those posts. An upfront payment might be appropriate.
Be sure that you have a contract to ensure the ambassador holds up to their side of the deal.
Some brands on CrewFire give bonuses to their top earners each month. They get a small bonus if they bring in the most sales or generate the most points.
In CrewFire, you can easily add commission for bonuses directly in an ambassador's profile. You can give them points or cash!
Exclusive Discounts or Lifelong Discounts
We have seen some brands give an exclusive discount code to their ambassadors that they can use throughout their participation in the program.
You can give this discount immediately when an ambassador signs up or have them hit a certain threshold of points or time on the program to redeem this reward.
One of the nice things about giving your ambassadors a discount code is that it encourages them to purchase from you, helping you generate more revenue.
But the ambassadors will have peace of mind knowing that they can purchase from you anytime since they have access to an exclusive discount code.
Exclusive Experiences
One of the most significant selling points of an ambassador program is the chance for your customers to become more intimate with you and your team and potentially take part in exclusive events and experiences.
Some brands will host events just for ambassadors, or they will send their ambassadors to industry events.
Get creative and use the events to grow your community and help your ambassadors grow their connections.
62 Powerful Reward Ideas for Your Ambassador Program
Typically, these are insights and ideas we give to new customers during onboarding, but because we ❤ you so much, we wanted to provide you with a sneak peek of some of the reward ideas you can use for your ambassador program.
These rewards are ideas we have seen from actual customers on CrewFire, so we know they're powerful, effective, and fun!
Helpful Content
- A book from the company founder
- An exclusive webinar
- Phone call with the CEO
- Meeting with the team
- An exclusive guide or e-book on
- How to be a content creator
- How to take great photos for social media
- How to write engaging content
- How to become an influencer
Branded Apparel
- T-shirt
- Jacket
- Workout clothes
- Bomber jacket
- Branded hoodie
Brand Merchandise
- Water bottle
- Backpack
- Reusable tote
- Stickers
- Wrist band
Gift Box, Kit, or Sets
- Runners kit
- Gym set
- Nutrition kit
- Supplement kit
- Cooking kit
- Personalized gift box
- Swim set
- Makeup kit/set
- Shave kit/set
- Haircare set
Entertainment
- Movie tickets
- Restaurant gift cards
- Sports events
- Concert tickets
- Dance class
- Business conference
- Exclusive event invite
- Amusement park tickets
- Theater tickets
Exclusive products
- New product samples
- Limited edition products/merch
- Holiday gift basket
- New flavor, color, or print sample
Recognition
- Instagram Shoutout
- Website features
- The chance to model for the website
- Facebook shoutout
- Twitter shoutout
- Feature on TikTok
- Video feature (product description on the website or social media)
- The opportunity to be featured in advertising
- Feature in the blog
Events
- Cocktail/wine tasting with the team
- A fashion show/event (especially for apparel brands)
- A class (like yoga, cooking, education, etc, depending on your brand)
- A night on the town with the team
- A day trip to spend the day with your community
- Dinner with the team
- Night out with the team
- Zoom call with CEO or influential figure in the industry
- Tickets to an industry event
- Instagram shoutout or takeover
- Blog feature
Conclusion
Ready to turn your customers into your thriving crew of brand ambassadors? If so, watch the epic CrewFire demo video or get in touch with us to learn how you can drive more referrals, word-of-mouth, and user-generated content for your Shopify store.
Get in touch w/ Rony (CEO - CrewFire)
- Email: Rony@crewfire.com
- Book A Call: https://www.crewfire.com/call
