To build its presence on Instagram, Spyder Products had successfully relied on positive reviews from social media influencers to drive end-user awareness and generate new followers. However, unpaid product seeding was clearly not the only way to drive engagement. While the influencer program produced almost universally positive reviews, a paid “brand ambassador” program could establish a true “hype machine” and take the brand to the next level. Formal, contracted relationships with key influencers would allow Spyder to more quickly and easily share the impact of their marketing efforts with retail partners such as Lowe’s. The brand would be able to precisely and rapidly deliver key messages that their retailers needed them to convey to the huge universe of contractors and tool junkies on social media. Additionally, Spyder had a constant need for fresh, new content for their own channels, and the company occasionally required field-testing of products in development. An ambassador program could solve all of these needs.
Solution
Relying on established relationships with influencers, Freeman singled out 14 brand ambassadors with a combined audience of more than 1.7 million followers. Each ambassador is a working construction professional, tradesperson or woodworker who is trusted in his or her field. The program is completely turn-key — Freeman handles contracting, NDAs, renewals, billing, content approvals and other management tasks — and it has proven to be a massive success. Every month, Spyder content is viewed between 2 and 5 million times, and it receives 30,000 to 50,000 likes. Spyder’s follower count has exploded, and user-generated content from ambassadors keeps Spyder’s feed fresh and fills content gaps. Crucially, Spyder’s retail partners have taken notice, increasing orders and expanding display space as new customers flock to try Spyder tools.
Ambassadors: 14 Combined Audience: 1.7 million Likes: 250,000 Reach: 30 Million Follower Growth: 12,000