The first contact with a potential community member defines the rest of their relationship with you. Brand Ambassadors act as representatives of your company to introduce its value and encourage adoption. As the Manager of Marketing & User Retention for a dating app focused on real connections, I trained Brand Ambassadors to embody the company’s principles of Deep Connections, Authenticity, and Kindness.
Our Brand Ambassador Program goals were:
- Create a meaningful first interaction.
- Introduce the brand naturally.
- Grow the community organically.
1: Create a meaningful first interaction.
We set up a table at live events with branded koozies and temporary tattoos. When attendees strolled over to check them out, we’d ask, “Would you like to do a Connection Card?”
“A what?” they’d ask, confused but intrigued.
“We each pick a card from the deck and ask each other the question on our card.”
I helped craft the deck using prompts adapted from The 36 Questions That Lead to Love. They included inquiries as innocuous as “How do you keep yourself physically healthy?” to deeper ones like, “When did you last cry?”
The effects of this exchange were immediate and enriching for both parties. As a facilitator, my eyes often swelled with tears at the response of the person I’d just met. They seemed to genuinely appreciate the opportunity to pause during an event to have a moment of truth and connection with a stranger.
2: Introduce the brand naturally.
Now that we had a rapport, we could talk about our mission. We had a matter of seconds to overcome objections and reassure prospects our online / offline dating community was different because we focused on meaningful connections – like the one they just experienced. I developed a list of common objections and crafted responses for Brand Ambassadors to overcome them.
“Thank you so much for sharing with me. We use these Connection Cards at our events, and you can also find them in the app. We have an event coming up next weekend. Would you like me to email you information on how to attend? You don’t need to be single, and we have a lot of fun activities planned. It’s only $20 and dinner is included.”
3: Grow the community organically.
9 times out of 10, the attendee happily gave their email address. They were a super-qualified lead because they had just demonstrated their need for genuine connection and understood the value of what we offered.
Whether they signed up or not, we swapped Connection Cards with them and gave them a little green light pin to wear. “When you see other people wearing these lights, you can ask your new question and swap cards with them afterward.”
People often approached the booth during the event saying, “I asked someone with a green light where they got it and they pointed me to you.”
We’d reply, “Welcome! Would you like to do a Connection Card?”
Advice for Ambassador Programs
Choose the right person for the role
We had to be sure Brand Ambassador candidates were extroverted and experienced joy from connecting with others. If they were single, they could speak with empathy about their own online dating experiences. We hired through word of mouth and included information about becoming a Brand Ambassador in our community emails.
Train through guided experience
To train Brand Ambassadors in this unique community growth strategy, it was crucial to work alongside them for the first few events so they could see how the process adapted to different circumstances with different crowds. The event attendee needed to understand we were building a community supported by the app instead of the other way around.
Hard sales pressure would erode the bond of trust we had established with the Connection Card exercise. I encouraged Brand Ambassadors to have a candid conversation about online dating after the question exchange and work in mentions of the events and app when it fit naturally.
Enable self-sufficiency
I created a detailed checklist of everything to pack in the event bins, as well as how to set up the table with branded tablecloths and lights. Brand Ambassadors were responsible for sending a spreadsheet of email addresses after each event and letting us know when they were getting low on supplies.
Learn from your team
We encouraged ambassadors to share their stories with us, and they always developed great tactics for attracting people and deepening connections. Some of our Brand Ambassadors realized they could make meaningful connections on the dance floor, and would take a stack of cards and pin lights with them to bust a move. Some even camped out in the bathroom for half an event!
The takeaway
Our Brand Ambassadors didn’t just talk about our mission, they embodied it. Each was capable of gaining 50-100 signups per event. Figure out what matters most to your customers and meet them halfway. People are willing to make a genuine connection with a brand if they believe it will be reciprocated.
