Influencer Marketing Vs. Brand Ambassador: Which One is Best for your Outdoor Brand?

In the past decade or so, there has been a growing popularity of using influencer marketing to promote a brand’s products or services. There’s so much buzz around the word “influencer.” But what about brand ambassadors? Are influencers and brand ambassadors the same thing?

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Yes and no. While these influencers and brand ambassadors have some things in common, like their ability to influence an audience’s opinion about your brand, there are still many key differences between them. So if your company is considering hiring either, it’s essential to understand their roles and responsibilities and how they differ.

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Understanding their key distinctions can help you determine which one best suits your marketing strategy. Or maybe you decide to use both! So influencer marketing vs. brand ambassador: Which is best for your outdoor brand?

What’s an influencer?

An influencer’s someone who has grown and solidified a loyal following base and is considered an expert in a certain niche or market. Because of the trust they’ve built with their audience, they have the ability to recommend or promote your brand to their followers and potentially help you to acquire new customers.

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Influencers are commonly seen on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. They can be celebrities or just an average person. Nowadays, there are different types of influencers, depending on their number of followers.

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Micro influencers: 5,000 to 10,000 followers
Influencers: 10,000 to 100,000 followers
Macro influencers: 100,000+ followers

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Basically, anyone with a medium to a large, loyal following can become an influencer. The influencer typically receives an incentive for promoting your brand, like free products, discounts for their followers, or money. The price of working with an influencer varies based on the number of followers and posts and the type of posts.

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These partnerships are normally short-term. The influencer will talk or post about the promoted product on social media, but maybe only once or twice, and then the agreement is finished.

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How does it work?

For example, you’re an outdoor brand that sells running shoes. You may hire a fitness influencer with a large following base of runners. The influencer will create content to post on their social media platforms. Maybe they talk about how they just got back from a run with your brand’s running shoes, how comfortable the shoes are, and how amazing the experience was.

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The influencer may include a link to where their followers can purchase the same shoes and sometimes even a discount code. And boom, later that day, you have an influx of new purchases.

What is a brand ambassador?

Brand ambassadors, however, are quite different. A brand ambassador is someone who is considered to be an expert in your brand and has knowledge about the industry.

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Think of them as your ride-or-die fans. They love your brand and its products and frequently use them. Therefore, it’s easy for them to represent a brand and casually promote it by word of mouth marketing and on social media.

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Brand ambassador marketing has evolved over the years with the increase in social media and digital platforms. A brand ambassador used to be someone who was dedicated to spreading the word about your brand or product. Now, a brand ambassador typically posts about your brand on social media.

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However, unlike an influencer, maybe they don’t have such an extensive network of followers or receive any incentives, but they are committed to you and your brand. An ambassador and brand usually build a long-term relationship.

Influencer Vs. Brand Ambassador: Key Differences

Now that you’ve seen a general overview of each position, here are some key differences between Influencers and Brand Ambassadors:

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	Influencers	Brand Ambassadors
Promotion Tactics	Show followers how they use your product via social media	Promote brand via word of mouth and social media
Compensation	Money, Free Products, Discount Codes	Oftentimes will promote your brand for free
Duration	Short-term (maybe promote your product once or twice)	Long-term (Usually will promote your brand for an extended period)
Nature of Relationship	Usually never used the product before or a late adopter	Active product users
Selection Criteria	Based on their existing reach and following	Find existing die-hard fans of your brand
How to Reach Them	You will need to reach out with sample products; usually these products align with their personal brand	Invitation to your brand ambassador program

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Selecting an influencer or brand ambassador depends on your brand’s needs, budget, and goals. It is also important to consider the personal brand and messaging of the people you select. Some questions to consider before reaching out would be:

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Do their values align with the brand’s?
Does their follower demographic match our target audience?
Could their content change our brand image?

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Remember, the purpose of influencers and ambassadors is to help your brand, not hurt it, so be sure about who you pick to attach your brand to.

How to Determine Which one to Use?

As said above, there are important things to consider when selecting an influencer or ambassador to represent your brand. Another huge thing to consider is your company’s goals.

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For example, suppose you are working on sharing your brand identity and creating a relatable image. In that case, a brand ambassador is a great option since they already love and use your products. Ambassadors are excellent at humanizing a brand and making a company feel more relatable.

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If your goal is to increase sales, an influencer is awesome for that. They can make a product more desirable if their fans see them using it. So, investing in an influencer can have a huge payoff.

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Each selection is personal to the brand and should be made carefully. That being said, influencers and brand ambassadors are great ways to spice up your marketing strategy and help you reach your target audience!

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