Ambassadors are something most charities either have or wish to have, but have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? It can be incredibly exciting to have a celebrity you admire join your team, but away from the initial excitement, they have tons they can offer to your organisation's communications team and their ongoing strategy.
If you're still on the fence about whether having an ambassador is right for your charity, take a look at some of the ways they could help your comms team in the long run...
Building Trust
Having a familiar face on your website, or posted on your social media can help build trust with the general public, and could be a cost-effective way to do so. While many larger charities build trust with TV ads or newspaper spreads, ambassadors can build trust without the expense of paying for advertising. Familiar faces who are passionate about your cause or familiar with your work should represent your organisation with no hidden costs, which cannot be said for other trust-building activities.
People tend to trust the celebrities they have seen before, so be sure to select your ambassador based on who your audience is likely to know. For example, a charity encouraging participation in sports may benefit from an Olympian (especially in an Olympic year).
SEO Benefits
SEO (or Search Engine Optimisation) is crucial for your site to build authority with search engines, most specifically Google. The better your SEO, the higher your website will appear in search results. With a strong domain authority (DA) searches for your chosen ambassador will likely include your organisation, driving more people to your website through searches you would not have appeared in otherwise.
By featuring interviews with your ambassador, a permanent profile, and attributed quotes on your website, you boost the potential of being featured in searches. And after all, the more your charity appears on Google in front of curious web surfers, the better!
PR Tie-Ins
Unfortunately for some publications, an inspiring or emotional story just isn't enough, especially when pitching to national (or even international) publications. There are times when having a familiar name associated with a press release may increase the likelihood of your news piquing the interest of the editors you're relying on. Asking your ambassador to provide a quote about why they support your organisation or the campaign you're seeking coverage for can turn your email pitch into something worth publishing.
It could be the case that your ambassador won't be able to provide a quote for every single press release so having a handful of general quotes about your organisation on hand to add to a press release when needed could be the difference between a small mention and a larger feature.
Influencer Marketing
We all know influencer marketing works for businesses all over the world, but did you also know that it can be utilised within a charity communications strategy? Having a contract with your ambassador can tie them into a handful of social media posts per month, or even talking about your charity in any media interviews they are lined up for, thus getting your organisation in front of many more people than relying on your profiles alone.
Remember, getting a charity ambassador on board with a smaller, engaged audience who is relevant to your cause may be a lot more beneficial than a celebrity with a larger following but whose audience isn't likely to be inspired by your mission. Selection is key, no matter how much your ambassador will be involved with.
Final Word
Why do charities have ambassadors? The answer is simple: exposure. Having one or two ambassadors on your team is not only exciting for staff and service users, but can also bring great benefits to your communications strategy. Getting your charity in front of people who are likely to care about your mission and take action should be the goal for every charity, why not make it a little easier for yourselves?
Feeling a little stuck on who would make a great ambassador for your charity? Get in touch and let's brainstorm some names we could reach out to!
