Brand ambassadors and affiliate programs are popular ways to promote your brand and grow your customer base. They are often used interchangeably but there are key differences between them. While both employ social proof and relatable marketing through a third-party, brand ambassadors have a more personal relationship with the brand and are often seen as experts in their field. Affiliates, on the other hand, are typically paid to promote a product or service and may not have as much of a personal connection to the brand.
They are both highly effective strategies for reaching a wider audience, especially in this age of technology and social media. They have proven to work over time and are now the primary form of marketing for many businesses. This article will look into each strategy, highlight their differences, and advise you on which one would be best for your brand.
What Is Brand Ambassador Marketing
Brand Ambassador marketing is also known as influencing. It involves hiring a popular figure, usually a celebrity or a social media user with thousands or millions of followers to represent your brand in public. This form of marketing involves advertising the lifestyle as opposed to advertising the product directly.
For instance, a popular female Instagram social media influencer whose genre is strictly related to fashion and health is approached by a gym wear company to be an ambassador. The influencer and the company agree to promote the gym wear to her large following for a set period of time in exchange for an agreed-upon reward (money, free gym wear, or any other predefined payment agreement).
Since her digital content aligns with the company’s goals and visions, the influencer promotes the gym wear by wearing and showcasing them to her followers, highlighting the benefit of using them. The influencer pools in traffic and increases purchases for the company by redirecting interested consumers to the brand’s online store or walk-in store.
After the partnership expires, the company can either choose to renew or find another influencer, or switch up its marketing approach.
Brand ambassadors can often reach a larger audience and raise awareness about a product or service, resulting in increased revenue for the brand. They are long-term marketing commitments. The downside is that since brand ambassadors are an extension of a company, they indirectly represent its standards, and any wrongdoing can harm the company’s image. They are also quite expensive, which may put a strain on the budget.
What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a common marketing approach used by businesses to attract interest in a product by using content marketers (affiliates) to promote your brand to their existing user base. It is a form of word-of-mouth advertising in which affiliates promote your product on their platform, such as a website, blog, or social media account, in exchange for commissions.
Affiliates must already deliver content that is relevant to your brand and target audience, ensuring that marketing reaches the right people who can drive up sales. They include affiliate links on their platform, which redirects customers to your website to perform actions such as purchasing an item. The rule to earn commission is set by the company and affiliates must adhere to them to be eligible.
What Is The Difference Between Brand Ambassador And Affiliate Marketing?
Here are the differences between the two strategies.
Advertising Medium
Brand Ambassador
Brand ambassadors market your brands on their channel (blog, website, or social media account) to their fan base or followers. They are expected to do this in accordance with the terms of their contract with the brand, and each successful referral may or may not be tracked. If a brand works with a large number of brand ambassadors, they may use sales tracking links to track the progress of each chosen ambassador. This can help them decide whether their contract is worth renewing.
In addition, brand ambassadors can also promote your company offline, if it was stated in the contract. You can find brand ambassadors in networking events, brand launches, trade shows, and store openings of your brand.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketers only promote your brand on a digital platform by sharing your personalized links on their blogs, websites, and/or social media accounts. Brands with affiliate marketing programs often employ sales tracking links to calculate revenue for each affiliate, as opposed to brand ambassadors, who receive predefined payments. They are also purely digital and cannot promote your product offline.
Reward
Brand Ambassador
Brand Ambassadors are usually paid upfront or receive an agreed form of payment as stated in the signed contract. This could either be a down payment, mostly salary, or a flat payment for every successful promotional task. Sometimes, it could be a sale commission, free products from the brand, or other incentives.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliates are usually rewarded with cash and the amount varies depending on their referral rate. The more successful referrals you make, the higher your affiliate commission.
Brand Ambassador vs Affiliate Marketing, Which one Is Better?
Brand ambassadorships and affiliate marketing are two strategies that offer distinct benefits for businesses. While both have their advantages, the choice between them often depends on your business’s budget and specific marketing objectives.
Brand ambassador
If you have the budget, consider using the brand ambassador program. It is ideal for promoting products both online and offline. They reach a larger audience and can lead to more sales for your company.
Affiliate marketing
If you are looking to increase your digital presence and increase sales of your product or service, affiliate marketing is the choice for you. It is commission-based, meaning you pay by the number of customers that make a purchase or clicks on a customized affiliate link. It is cost effective and great for targeted marketing campaigns.
Join the PTPShopy Affiliate Program Today!
PTPShopy is a crypto gateway processor that facilitates payments for merchants in over 400+ cryptocurrencies. Among its many DeFi solutions, PTPShopy offers one of the best affiliate programs in the crypto landscape, perfect for both affiliate newbies and seasoned content creators. The crypto affiliate program is also open to both new and seasoned marketers and registration is also easy.
How to Sign Up For The PTPShopy Crypto Affiliate Program?
If you are looking to sign up for the PTPShopy Crypto Affiliate program follow the necessary steps below:
Sign Up as an Affiliate
The first step to becoming a PTPShopy is to sign up here. Once you’ve filled in your credentials, approve your email address.
Generate your unique code/link
After a successful signup, generate your unique sales tracking code or link you can advertise on digital platforms.
Share the link
Share this code or link to your client base on your blog, website, or email list, or social media platform.
Refer Merchants
Advertise PTPShopy, highlighting what we offer to merchants and business owners. You can include our banner to make marketing easier. Once they click on the link and register successfully, they become your referral.
Earn Crypto Commission
PTPShopy offers affiliates a percentage of every purchase made by their referred merchants. This commission is usually in the cryptocurrency the merchants transacted with. Affiliates can easily withdraw their commissions into their wallet anytime.