How To Convert A Customer To A Brand Ambassador

Yesterday, in the Companies Made Simple office, I overhead a colleague discussing Apple’s hero product – the i phone. Said colleague was such an evangelical brand ambassador, that she went as far as to state; “The i phone will completely change your life.” Not only did this get me thinking about the role a consumer plays in creating your company’s image, but also how important it is to ensure that your brand is a part of collective consumer conversation from the point of company formation.
We’ve heard it on hundreds of occasions – design and create an amazing product and your customers will talk passionately about it across a number of platforms. While this is the case for the i-phone, for many small businesses the theory falls short.

Unfortunately, most of your consumers aren’t discussing their experience of your brand on various blogs and social networks, they are passive, quietly buying your product, keeping their opinions to themselves and not playing any part in constructing your brands image or reputation.
Have a look at our top three tips on how you can change this;
1. Think about why your customer buys your product.

What differentiates your brand from all the others? What unique features does it have that excites them?

2. Tell them you care about what they think.

This is a mistake many small businesses make, they assume that if their customers have something to say they will find a way of doing it, this is simply not the case. Conduct a customer survey asking what they feel about your brand and how it can be improved – offer a prize draw and tell them about how you are going act on the results.

3. Provide platforms for your customers to talk to you.

Embrace social media; create a blog with links to your Twitter and Facebook page and don’t just use the platforms for promotion. use them as a way of having a conversation with your customers.