Why’s everyone talking about ambassadorship?
It seems to be on everyone’s lips at the moment, and for good reason. 84% of people say they trust peer recommendations above all other sources of advertising.
I certainly form part of this statistic which comes as no surprise considering authenticity and trust are rising in the ranks of most significant factors influencing a brand’s positive impact on someone.
Thinking back on when I was looking for the perfect graduate opportunity, speaking to people I could relate to was key in whether or not I’d buy into a company. Who could share a more authentic point of view than someone who has already been there and done it?
I wanted to know what a potential employer could offer to me as an individual beyond the generalised ‘benefits package’. Would my learning and development be taken seriously? What was the culture truly like?
I wasn’t going to find that out from a job board.
This lived experience, similar to that of many others, is what has driven me to focus on delivering brand ambassador programmes within the Early Talent space for the past two years.
What’s a brand ambassador?
A brand ambassador is a person engaged by an organisation or company to represent its brand. But beyond this, brand ambassadors establish the credibility of your offering amongst the correct demographic, resulting in increased engagement and satisfaction from your target audience.
Ambassadors get to know your company inside and out — they’re there to capture and communicate what makes your brand different, amplifying your message and unique selling points as an employer. This is what makes people tick. Potential candidates want the real picture. After all, anyone committing to a grad scheme that is at least two years long wants to make an informed decision.
Research from Semrush has shown that word-of-mouth has a larger impact on brand awareness than traditional advertising strategies and mediums. Ultimately, people believe people. Because of this, ambassadors are becoming increasingly important for organisations operating in the competitive market that is Early Talent recruitment.
Further studies have shown that 7 in 10 (70%) graduates are willing to back out of a job offer they have already accepted - yikes. This is certainly one stat we do not want you to be at the receiving end of.
As of 2024, 52% of brands are already running brand ambassador programmes to increase talent retention, but let’s take a deeper look at the role they play in the graduate landscape and what that means for you:
Creating Trust and Credibility
Early Talent is currently made up of Gen-Z and Gen-A. These groups are social media and technology natives, meaning they’re more selective about the content they buy into when online.
Here’s where brand ambassadors come in, building authenticity through sharing genuine experiences. Ambassadors help to make brands feel more approachable and relatable which ultimately drives deeper connections.
Increasing Reach and Engagement
Everyone loves a win-win, and with brand ambassadors you’ll get to expand your brand's reach in a more cost-effective way - the average return on investment for a brand ambassador programme is around 6.5x (GaggleAMP).
Because of the unlimited potential of your ambassadors' social reach, you have the opportunity to generate more interest than you would for the same money with a paid ad - not bad, eh?
Enhancing Talent Acquisition
Brand ambassadors also play a crucial role in attracting top talent.
By showing what it’s like to work within an organisation, ambassadors help to attract like-minded individuals — candidates who are genuinely interested in your company’s mission and values.
A survey by Harris Poll found that 84% of job seekers would not consider working for a company which lacks a positive reputation, highlighting the importance of the work brand ambassadors carry out.
In turn, Refered states that the average cost-per-hire for referred candidates is significantly lower, reducing costs by up to 50% and, illustrating how brand ambassadors can efficiently help with this.
I don’t know how many reasons you need to see that ambassadors are the gift that keeps on giving. I’ve seen it first hand. They’re a valuable addition to your marketing strategy, helping your message reach the people who need to hear it.
