Explore techniques in social media to expand your brand exposure and reach to accelerate your sales.
By Kelly Kamlager
Trust is a key part of decision-making, and social media is playing a huge role in influencing your brand and positively impacting sales. Here is a startling stat: 74% of people trust social networks to guide purchasing decisions. The majority of online users spend 2 hours and 23 minutes per day on social media, with Gen Z spending an average of four hours a day. How are you leveraging social media in your marketing efforts to build brand trust? Let’s explore techniques in social media to expand your brand exposure and reach to accelerate your sales.
The Power of Social Selling
According to a report by HubSpot, 61% of organizations engaged in social selling report revenue growth. Sales professionals who use social selling close 40-50% more new business than those who don’t. Businesses that prioritize social selling are 51% more likely to reach their sales quota, according to LinkedIn data.
It takes an average of 7-11 impressions to even create brand awareness. 81% of consumers need to trust a brand to consider buying from it, and 77% prefer shopping with brands they follow on social media. Moreover, 82% of people are more likely to trust a company whose high-ranking executives actively use social media. Finally, 80% of readers believe authentic content is the main factor that will drive them to follow or engage with a brand.
Social media offers the opportunity to gain massive brand exposure and unparalleled reach, and can contribute to increased sales. The Sprout Social chart above validates with data the influential power social media contains. We all know social media and many contribute regularly on these platforms and provide continuous interactions and exposure.
Industry-Specific Strategies
The material handling industry is not flooded with typical mainstream A-list celebrities, yet it is stacked with notable celebrities of innovation, business, and experience. This industry values authenticity, real and tangible experience, expert problem-solvers, innovators, and masters of relationship sales.
While buying celebrity endorsements can create a buzz and accelerate trust for your brand, leveraging the celebrity status within your industry is worth exploiting to build your brand in the crowded waters of social media.
I encourage you to look at your subject matter experts, enthusiastic company champions, and solutions innovators. Give them a voice on social media; their authentic knowledge will be desirable content that delights potential customers and other brand enthusiasts.
How to Leverage Influencers and Ambassadors
How do you do this? There are multiple techniques and methods. Creating content is the first step and social media can amplify this content. Regularly posting interesting, engaging, and educational content is important. Make your content desirable to view and engage with, so your followers look forward to seeing it. You have to be relevant and VISIBLE on the platforms where your customers are.
In the material handling and supply chain landscape, it is not uncommon to see ambassadors as unscripted players within the company marketing program. I follow several influencers in material handling and robotics on social media. I also engage heavily with many manufacturers of material handling equipment.
Brand ambassadors make your brand more relatable by connecting their credibility to your brand. Their personality, star power, and connections, as well as their storytelling skills, add new depth to product positioning by creating an emotional bond with the purchaser. This creates social proof, instantly elevating brand reliability.
The Role of Brand Ambassadors
Brand Ambassadors ARE IN LOVE WITH YOUR BRAND! It’s not just about positioning themselves as experts but showing how much they believe in you. They may already use your products and services, comment, like, and share your posts, and provide regular engagement. Their believability is authentic and real. These are not real celebrities, but real, relatable people. They can be customers, employees, and industry experts.
Leveraging the Power of Ambassadors to Elevate Your Brand
In today’s digital landscape, brands have a wealth of opportunities to connect with their audience through various forms of ambassadors. These ambassadors not only amplify your brand’s reach but also enhance its credibility. Below, we explore five different types of ambassadors and how they can be strategically utilized to advance your brand and contribute to your marketing programs.
Influencer Ambassadors
Influencers are a powerful force in the world of social media. These individuals have built large, engaged followings by consistently creating compelling content. As paid ambassadors, influencers can feature, mention, and position your brand on their platforms, offering immense exposure and the potential to go viral. By leveraging their expertise and audience, your brand can tap into new markets and gain significant traction.
Customer Ambassadors
Customer Ambassadors are among the most authentic voices a brand can have. These are satisfied customers who willingly promote your company and its products or solutions to their peers. Through customer testimonial videos, features, and case study spotlights, these ambassadors provide third-party endorsements of your brand’s quality. This type of content can be repurposed across all marketing streams, including social media, website pages, testimonial commentary, video, and press coverage. By integrating customer ambassador content into your organic posts, paid features, and public relations efforts, you create a compelling narrative that resonates with potential customers.
Industry Expert Ambassadors
One of the most accessible and impactful types of ambassadors is the Industry Expert Ambassador. This involves giving voice to your in-house subject-matter experts (SMEs) and connecting their expertise to the market. These ambassadors highlight your brand’s role as innovators, problem-solvers, and superior relationship builders. Since people are naturally inclined to connect with people, showcasing the human element of your brand through industry experts can be highly effective. By emphasizing the expertise and personal stories of your team, you strengthen your brand’s credibility and foster deeper connections with your audience.
Affiliate Ambassadors
Affiliate Ambassadors are becoming increasingly popular, especially on social media. This ambassador type allows your brand to leverage the audience of the ambassador while they promote your products and services. Affiliates create content that resonates with their followers, aligning with your brand to make a significant impact on your marketing efforts. Finding affiliates who align with your company’s values and goals can amplify your reach and drive conversions.
Brand Fan Ambassadors
Brand Fan Ambassadors are a fun and energetic addition to your brand’s ambassador program. These individuals are passionate supporters of your brand online, though they may not fall into the ideal customer profile. Despite this, their enthusiasm and engagement bring a positive boost to your online presence. Their likes, shares, and comments contribute to a healthier online profile, which can springboard your brand into the spotlight of your ideal customers. Even though they may not purchase your products, their support helps to build a favorable brand image.
In Closing
Incorporating a diverse range of ambassadors into your brand strategy is not just a way to boost your social media presence—it’s a strategic move to advance your overall marketing efforts. Authentic connections, consistent content, and well-chosen partnerships can significantly elevate your brand’s reach, trustworthiness, and impact. By understanding and leveraging these different ambassador types, you can craft a more robust and dynamic marketing strategy that drives growth across all channels. This holistic approach will ensure that your brand resonates deeply with your audience, setting the stage for long-term success and sustained engagement in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
About Kelly Kamlager
Kelly Kamlager, owner of K2Strategix, is a seasoned industrial marketing expert in the material handling and supply chain industries. She has carved a distinguished path with a career that flourished in capital infrastructure product lines, manufacturing, and robotic automation. Kelly excels at building brands, crafting go-to-market strategies, enhancing public relations, and deploying campaigns to maximize product visibility.
