Get more value from your influencer marketing efforts with this innovative brand ambassador approach

A New Approach to Influencer Marketing

For so long, the standard approach to influencer marketing has relied on ad hoc engagements, with brands and influencers partnering on a campaign-by-campaign basis. Many brands have seen success with this strategy, particularly in industries like retail where product education isn’t integral to the consumer journey. But consumers are increasingly looking to influencers for guidance on lifestyle, mental health, and healthcare when resources to seek expert advice may otherwise be limited.

In response, Acorn Influence, a New Engen company, partnered with a leading multinational consumer healthcare company to launch a new brand ambassador program that enables companies to transform their influencer partnerships from one-off campaigns into evergreen initiatives. The success of this program hinges on two key features: the credibility of its ambassadors and the brand’s investment in developing these influencers long-term.

Choosing Ambassadors for Your Brand

Brands in the consumer healthcare space that are looking to raise brand favor and awareness through influencer partnerships have to consider the credentials of whoever is messaging their product. Fortunately, there are an estimated 300 million content creators worldwide for these brands to choose from. Unfortunately, however, this oftentimes means a lot of noise and heavy churn. Acorn Influence sought to mitigate these risks by sourcing ambassadors who had an existing authority in the field, including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Doing so not only elevated their client’s credibility with consumers, but gave the brand confidence that its health claims and product descriptions were being messaged accurately - a vital piece to any successful influencer campaign, but one that can be difficult to monitor for large brands especially.

Investing in Your Ambassadors and Cultivating Brand Buy-In

The second element that sets Acorn’s brand ambassador solution apart is its emphasis on influencer training and education. Ambassadors are invited to join the brand for a learning conference to build connection and engage in an intensive curriculum on the brand’s products. This empowers them to talk about the brand in a more meaningful, brand-aligned way that will ultimately educate and convert their followers.

Investing in ambassadors in this way not only drives quality content but fosters a genuine affinity between the brand and the participating influencers. After attending the learning conference, one influencer remarked,

I love when partnerships align with my purpose. Brands are increasingly becoming more aware of the intrinsic value healthcare professionals bring to the consumer and branding conversation.

Why Many Brands Need to Rethink Their Influencer Approach

When it comes down to it, many brands are operating under outdated assumptions about influencer marketing. “The key to successful influencer marketing eludes many brands because they think of it as simply the personification of traditional ads. Their fear of content created outside the bounds of their brand teams can limit influencers to simply parroting approved messages for a fee,” says Kelly Dye, VP of Product & Innovation at Acorn Influence. “By creating true partnerships focusing less on transaction and more on brand education – and a deep one at that – we can create a dialogue with influencers. The result is elevated content, increased performance, and authentic, ongoing advocacy beyond the final payment.”

With this brand ambassador program, Acorn Influence has unlocked a bold new approach to influencer marketing that can be replicated across brands and industries.

Stay up to date on the latest influencer and digital marketing trends by subscribing to our newsletter and following New Engen and Acorn Influence on LinkedIn.