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February 2017

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7 tips to run a Brand Ambassador campaign

In an age where there are so many options and choices available to students making the right decision can be a hard one. So what do we rely on? A source stated that a staggering 92% of consumers would trust their peers over advertising when it comes to purchasing decisions, meaning word of mouth and peer to peer marketing is an essential element of any marketing plan.

Student Brand Ambassadors act as advocates for your brand, they amplify the message you are trying to deliver to students through a medium in which they are much more receptive. Fast becoming one of the most effective marketing channels, here are 7 Essential tips to help you set up your Brand Ambassador Campaign and ensure its success.

img_19761. Find your perfect fit
Employing the right students is imperative. Remember they will be representing your brand to your future customers, so it is important they emulate everything that is important to your brand and message. Draw up what your brand would look like if it was a person, what character would they have, what image would they have. Once you have determined what you are looking for you can start to recruit.

Ensure the students your recruit not only are the right fit for your brand but are also influential on campus. Are they part of any societies? Do they have large social networks? The bigger the networks they have and the more influential they are, the more avenues they have to promote your brand and the better effect it will have.

2. Get to know them
This sounds simple but it’s very crucial. Once you have recruited your Brand Ambassadors, if you have not met them already invite them to your office, make them feel part of the team and give them insight into your brand and company. Put a face to a name, integrate them into the team, feeling part of the team will only increase their buy-in to the brand and message.

img_07913. Invest in training
Representing your brand out in the field makes it essential that your Brand Ambassadors know what they are talking about. Set up a training day for your Brand Ambassadors, teach them all there is to know about your brand’s history, future, values and goals. Make sure the training is fun, interactive and encompasses all the knowledge they need to succeed in their role.

It is also a great opportunity for your Brand Ambassadors to meet each other, form relationships, meeting people they can use for support, inspiration and guidance in their new role. Take the time to invest in your Brand Ambassadors and reap the rewards.

4. Provide the right tools
A workman is only as good as his tools! And this goes for Brand Ambassadors too. Make sure they are equipped with everything they need to succeed in the role. Ensure they have support for any questions, queries or concerns they may have. Make sure communication channels are set up where you can keep your Brand Ambassadors engaged and motivated on a regular basis.

5. Set Mission’s
Set missions to keep the role interesting, challenging and fun for your Brand Ambassadors. Don’t let them get complacent, keep them on their toes. Through setting mission’s you will be able to track performance much easier, praising successes or providing further support if needed. Ask for photo’s from your Brand Ambassadors of them in action. Not only will you have evidence for your records but you will be able to share the images on social media and digital channels amplifying awareness and interaction.

img_3488-36. Listen
Your Brand Ambassadors are your ears on the ground, your soldiers in the field. Listen to them, ask for their feedback and take on board their suggestions. Students know their University and fellow students better than anyone. Encourage your Brand Ambassadors to share ideas of new advertising channels you may not have thought of, feedback on the effectiveness of current messages, what is or isn’t working etc. Not only will you make your Campaign much more successful but you will also make your Brand Ambassadors feel important and valued.

7. Incentivise
Competition is healthy, having a goal to work towards is important and having extra perks and bonuses is a great way to improve performance. If you have multiple Brand Ambassadors set up a challenge to see who can top the leader board based on the missions you have set. Reward Brand Ambassadors who hit a certain goal within a certain time period. Be imaginative with your prizes and challenges, bring out the competitive side in your Brand Ambassadors and keep them incentivised and engaged.

They say you reap what you sow, the more time you invest in a student Brand Ambassador Campaign the greater the rewards. Using bespoke systems to manage missions and campaigns, BAM Student Marketing work closely with brands to build the foundations for a successful Brand Ambassador Campaign that delivers more than just results it delivers powerful brand advocates within the heart of the student community. Contact our talented team to find out more.

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Tips on influencer marketing to millennial’s

As you probably already know, word-of-mouth is one of the most valuable, and respectable forms of marketing. According to Nielsen, It’s proven that 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family. After all, potential customers are much more likely to trust their friends and family, rather than a corporate advertising message.

In the new era of digital communications, WOM is now used to communicate to consumers through social media, which is a great to platform to connect with the millennial market. The Deloitte report found that 47% of millennials are influenced in their purchases by social media. Millennials are a huge deal. Not only are they the largest generation since the Baby Boom, but they’re also about to enter their prime purchasing years.
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Companies have stepped into the world of influencer marketing. An influencer is a digital savvy who posts, snaps or tweets to their thousands of followers — who then rush out and buy the products. In fact, research from Twitter shows that 49% of consumers seek purchase guidance from social media influencers, and 20% said that a Tweet from an influencer inspired them to share their own product recommendation. Influencers are a great marketing communication to connect with the millennial market, as they trust them. In fact, 60% of Millennials have said that they would try a product suggested by a YouTuber. Here are some tips on how to create a successful influencer campaign:

Choose your influence wisely

Firstly, you need to identify who would be the right influencers to use, and what type of audience they have. This will ensure that there isn’t a mismatch with the influencer & company.

influencer-marketing-3Be relevant

There is nothing more cringe-worthy than when companies try to act ‘too cool’. Identify what you’re good at, and shout about it.

Let your influencers get creative

Influences are a success due to who they are. Their loyal followers will be sure to spot when an advertisement isn’t their style. Let them have control of how they want to send out the message, as they know what their audience likes and dislikes.

Track, Monitor and analyse your campaign

You need to know if influencer marketing is working for you or not. It’s incredibly difficult to track a digital campaign. But keep an eye on sales, likes, comments and shares to create an idea on how the campaign has gone.

Influencer marketing is one of the hottest, and effective, ways to get your company in front of a targeted audience. With these tips under your belt, you should be able to connect with the millennial market with the right influencer. Just remember to be yourself, and shout about it!

 

Written by: Emily Mullis, Media Partnership Account Sales Executive, BAM Agency Ltd

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Delivering Gloucestershire College brand open events

Gloucestershire College came to BAM looking for help to improve their open evenings across their 3 campuses in the county. They wanted to ensure parents and students had an informative and enjoyable experience, promoting a welcoming and interactive atmosphere. They also wanted to increase their engagement and feedback on social media through the promotion of a Facebook competition, that has previously experienced low interaction.

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Through our extensive database of high quality staff, teamed with our knowledge and experience of managing event staff we set to work on achieving their objectives.

We provided trained and personable event staff to facilitate:

  • Preparation, helping to set up the event from the positioning of roller banners to setting up the welcome desk, relieving the pressure from the College staff
  • Meet and greet, ensuring students and parents were greeted with warmth and personally escorted around the college to their area of interest
  • Communicate key messages that Gloucestershire college wanted to convey to students and parents
  • Promotion on welcome talks, an opportunity for students and parents to learn more about the college
  • Promotion of the Facebook competition where on exit students were encouraged to enter a prize draw and interact with the college on social media

College open day event staff

 

TESTIMONIAL

“WE WERE SO PLEASED TO BE THE FIRST COLLEGE IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE TO WORK WITH BAM AT OUR OPEN EVENINGS AND THEY REALLY HELPED US MAKE OUR EVENTS AN EVEN MORE POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.

THE BAM TEAM HAVE ALWAYS BEEN EASY TO WORK WITH AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT STAFFING HAS BEEN EVIDENT SINCE OUR FIRST MEETING WITH THEM. THEY’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT ENSURING THE RIGHT TEAMS ARE THERE FOR OUR EVENTS AND THEIR POSITIVITY LEADING UP TO AND AT THE EVENTS MAKES THE EVENTS EASIER FOR OUR WHOLE TEAM.”

 
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6 must know facts about students

Students these days are hugely diverse. Not only are they super savvy consumers, they are concerned with the world around them and constantly question the validity of what they are being told by brands and media alike – especially online – and rightly so, especially with the current debate regarding ‘fake news’. They rely heavily on their peers’ opinions to inform their own and are constantly turning to social media to gain insight to help make informed decisions. They are also highly intuitive and aware of what is happening in the world, and are keen to get involved with current affairs.

As students’ money is a big priority, marketing to this audience can be especially tricky. Here are six facts you should know about the students of today and how best to engage them with your brand marketing.

Knowledge is Power

We’ve already covered that students can be a shrewd type of consumer, and from our experience they are often quick to pass judgement – first impressions can make or break a brand. Companies that focus heavily on sales messages or self-interest are immediately chastised, so balance in communication is paramount. This approach to marketing can create a challenge when putting a campaign together designed to target students. There is a need for campaigns to be innovative, appearing to not be for self-promotion and offering something valuable back to fans; often students will respond better to campaigns that add value to their lives.

Innovate with Innovation
There is no denying that Facebook is the broadest social media channel of the moment, with one of the strongest and most intuitive advertising capabilities. However, you will find many students these days using Snapchat as one of their primary means of contact with friends. A whopping 51% of Generation Z say that they use Snapchat, with 34% saying that they checked it multiple times per day. Therefore, it is key that brands get involved on Snapchat; but as a brand you want to make sure that it is authentic and, considering the nature of the platform, fun. A brand that is making waves on Snapchat is Taco Bell – they’re fun, innovative, on-brand, and promotional all in one! The other route to take is to be informational (again in a fun way) to give students content that will help to enrich their lives.

Stand Out From The Crowd

Something that is often mentioned about Generation Z and students in the media is that they have a short attention span. To be honest, we think our attention spans in general have diminished over recent times – social media could play a huge role in this as we are submitted to so much information each day it’s difficult to absorb it all. Equally, we are getting used to ‘ignoring’ content – this is why you brand needs to offer something that is memorable and will stick. Ask yourself this question before you share anything on social media – would I talk about this at the pub with my mates? If the answer is no, chances are your content or idea isn’t engaging enough. A big attention grabber is getting a voice involved that either they recognise or can easily identify with.

Empower Students As Content Creators

The current generation of students have grown up with technology and social media being a key part of their lives. This has led to many students participating on social media and they themselves becoming content creators. Encouraging collaboration with your brand is a key driver for students, it allows them to be creative and they also have the chance of being endorsed by your brand. It means that both you and your consumer are getting something valuable from the marketing campaign.

Brand Loyalty Must Be Earned

Students and the youth in general are as discerning as ever, and there is a general perception that this market in particular is harder to reach and engage. They have less brand loyalty than those that came before them; equally, they like the idea of retailers being loyal to them. The lesson that brands can take away from this is that it is key to engage with your online community, but to also listen! This demographic isn’t shy of sharing its expectations so listen out for those cues and apply them to your strategies; offer entertainment and relevance and you’re on to a winner! http://uk.businessinsider.com/millennials-vs-gen-z-2016-8/#gen-z-has-higher-expectations-than-millennials-8

You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours

Students today are very focused on their careers with many of them rating finding a job as their top concern. They are keen for career growth and, as mentioned before, many want to carve out their own careers by becoming an entrepreneur or starting their own business. They have big aspirations for their working life and so brands should be aware that giving them the ability to progress in their jobs will be key. Play to these aspirations when considering targeting students with campaigns by offering something invaluable in return that they will thank you for. A good example is a campaign we created with a previous client, Debut. We asked students to come up with a concept for a new product in return for work experience with the brand we partnered with, L’Oreal. There were tonnes of entries and the winner was actually offered a permanent position within the company!