Emily is the founder of The Social Rising. A social media marketing agency focused on helping small business owners develop a social marketing strategy that saves them time while building an engaged digital community through proven processes that work. With a background in media and journalism, as well as 10+ years of marketing and photography experience, Emily has worked with clients ranging from Fortune 500s to small family owned businesses.

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Last month Emily, along with Roxy Garrity of @theraleighdurhamgirl, led a workshop at our Gateway location all about what it means to be a brand ambassador and how to work with them.

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If you didn’t make it to the brand ambassador event, you’re in luck. In this blog post, Emily is breaking down the big takeaways for you so that you can refer back at any time. Keep reading for the top four reasons Emily recommends working with brand ambassadors!

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1. Digital Marketing: The influencer marketing industry reached $16.4B in 2022 and the market has grown 964606% since 2016!
2. Lower Costs: Placing an ad in a magazine or in a commercial is no longer the best way to get in front of your ideal audience. Plus, the cost of entry is low. Ads of this type start at trading product for a post and go up from there depending on the strength of the ambassador's following.
3. Community Building: Brand ambassadors (or influencers) give you direct contact to an engaged, niche audience.
4. Content Creation: If you're trying to sell something on social media, you can't just post a product photo and expect it to perform. People want to see real people interacting with your product. That's where brand ambassadors can be extremely helpful!

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I personally think that working with brand ambassadors is a no brainer for your business. For those unfamiliar with the term, brand ambassadors are anyone who has a deeply engaged audience within a specific niche. They are also referred to as influencers! It could be someone with 1000 super local, highly-engaged followers OR they could be a well-established brand and have upwards of 100k followers. Either way, there is value in partnering as long as you’re clear on your desired outcome.

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The biggest deliverables that brand ambassadors can provide are content creation, introductions to a curated audience, and event attendance. That being said, brand ambassadors are creative people at heart. If you have a unique collaboration in mind, it’s all about finding the right person who shares similar goals to those of your business. When you find the right person, and can make it a win-win situation for both, this is where brand ambassador partnerships really succeed.

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The world of brand ambassadors and influencers once felt taboo, but at this point it’s obvious that it’s here to stay. If you have any questions about getting started with brand ambassador partnerships, Emily would love to chat. You can use this link to schedule a complimentary discovery call. As a Raleigh Founded member you also receive $200 off her social strategy package OR a waived kickoff fee ($525) if you decide to move forward with a monthly retainer. In the meantime, be sure to give Emily a follow on Instagram so you don’t miss any of the social media tips and tricks she shares!

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