Brand Ambassadors and Influencers, What’s the Difference?
At Heartbeat, the Brand Ambassador is just as important as the brand itself. Simply put, Ambassadors are real people (like you and me) and are responsible for driving brand marketing on Instagram. But how do they differ from influencers? Both are great for marketing but who will really drive those conversions, engagements, and reach?
Engagement Rate
It’s all about engagement on Instagram. People love connecting with their followers and those they follow. It makes them feel connected, valued, and heard. On average, Ambassadors have 16% engagement whereas influencers have between 1-2%. This is for a number of reasons, but the simple fact that those following Ambassadors on Instagram are friends, family and other loyal followers who invest their time into liking and commenting on their photos. On the other hand, Influencer followings are so large that it’s sometimes hard to be heard when commenting on their posts. The likelihood of hearing back from an Influencer is often very small.
Post Content
Brand Ambassadors are regular people on Instagram – your sister, boyfriend, yoga instructor. Therefore, their posts are authentically theirs. They regularly post content from their daily lives. Influencers tend to have highly curated, thematic content to attract what they’re intention is for the post.
Motivation
The motivation behind most Influencer posts is a willingness to promote a brand because they’re being paid. Ambassadors who sign up to promote a brand have existing brand loyal and motivation for participation.
Followers
One of the biggest differences between a Brand Ambassador and Influencer is their amount of followers. An Influencer like Chiara Ferrangi and Cameron Dallas have over 10 million followers on Instagram, while a Brand Ambassador has less than 5,000.
Payment
Negotiating rates individually with Influencers can be time-consuming and isn’t based on ROI. Working with Ambassadors is highly scalable, standardized, and set around the brand’s goals.
Customer Acquisition
75% of Brand Ambassadors surveyed after participation in Heartbeat campaigns said they would buy the products they promoted whereas Influencers normally don’t have an intention to buy the products they promote.
