Hey Outliers āļø
Happy Sunday!
When I started writing this I was sat by the sea and the weather was as miserable as anything. Iām glad summerās now returned, even if for a short burst, but itās the rain, wind and waves that reminded me of what Iām about to share with you...
A story I think ANY small brand thinking about working with influencers should hear and remember.
Thereās a lot of advice out there suggesting influencer marketing is easy. Just send your products out to people on Instagram or TikTok and the sales will come rolling in.
Donāt fall for it.
Sure, itās easier for some brands than others but there are a few things you HAVE to get right in order for any influencer marketing to be a success for your brand.
Letās get into itā¦
Hereās what to expect today:
š° Story: How Finisterre built a lovable brand with authentic ambassadors
š§ Insight: The right ambassadors > more ambassadors
šŖš¼ DIY: How to find the right ambassadors for your brand
šĀ Good links: Common Ground, Pearly Queens and how to start an ambassador programme
š°Ā Story: How Finisterre built a lovable brand with authentic ambassadors
Working with ambassadors can transform your brand, helping you build trust within the right communities and reach new audiences.
Nike needs to be taken seriously by the best athletes and Apple wants the attention of the worldās top creatives.
Why? Because they help them tell an authentic story.
They build trust and make it easier for others to follow suit ā āif itās good enough for them, itās good enough for meā.
But this only works when you have two things:
A deep understanding of who your brand is for
The right ambassadors, not just anyone with a big following
When you get it wrong (which is easily done) it can cost you a fortune.
But Finisterre (one of my favourite brands in the world) got it right right from the beginningā¦
Hereās howā¦
Finisterre is an outdoor + surf clothing brand that was started by Tom Kay from an honest love of the sea and the need for a better product.
Most surf brands that existed before Finisterre produced board shorts and flowery bikinis, and came with a sunny Californian vibe that just didnāt meet the needs of those facing the ferocious winters of the UK.
There wasnāt a brand out there for hardy British surfers and definitely not one that designed its products with sustainability and a love of the ocean at the core.
Finisterre filled that gap.
Naturally, their ethos and high-quality products attracted their early customers, people who spoke the same language. They were cold water surfers, those who instantly understood the brandās reason for being.
And Finisterreās ambassadors were no different.
Instead of looking for influencers on social media, Finisterre reached out to friends in their world. Scientists, farmers, conservationists. Surfers. People their ideal customers would already know and trust.
The group grew slowly and with great consideration. They started out with a group of five, connected by their love of the sea but each of them with a unique and interesting story to tell.
There are now 10 of them, each one as inspiring as the next.
Finisterreās ambassadors are and always have been an important part of their growth. They take part in photoshoots, host events, join protests, tell stories and keep the brand true to its roots.
They are an irreplaceable part of the brand and its community.
With 10 stores across the UK and a huge online presence, Finisterre is going from strength to strength and a lot of that is thanks to the ambassadors they work with.
š§ Ā Insight: The right ambassadors > more ambassadors
Humans need social proof.
When we feel unsure of something, we tend to look to others for how we should think and/or behave. Needing social proof comes from our innate desire to fit in with others for survival.
Whilst itās not about survival anymore, when it comes to making a decision like associating ourselves with a brand, we want to make sure weāre making the right choice ā we want to fit in.
So finding a footballer with millions of followers to promote a surf brand probably wonāt work.
Finding the right ambassadors ā people your audience naturally aligns themselves with is far more important than finding a huge celebrity to promote your products.
šŖš¼Ā DIY: How to find the right ambassadors for your brand
Forget Instagram accounts and follower numbers, get to know your brand and your audience properly first. Before you even think about reaching out to someone to become a brand ambassador, consider these questions:
Who could easily convince your audience to trust your brand?
Whose life does your product naturally fit into?
Who would genuinely tell their friends about your brand without being asked to?
Who could help you improve your product? Who could you learn from?
Who shares your purpose and ethos?
Once you have the answers to these questions, you should have a much clearer idea of who you should be talking to. But before you reach out, make sure you have an offer ready for them ā hereās how to go about setting up your own ambassador program.
Or you can take it slowly, reach out to 1 or 2 ambassadors and get a feel for what might work for them ā thereās no right or wrong as long as both sides feel the agreement is fair.
šĀ Good links
šĀ Meet Finisterreās first ambassadors š¹
š Meet Mother of Pearlās Pearly Queens
š Starting your own ambassador programme
šĀ Tell us what youād like help withā¦
We started this newsletter for entrepreneurs just like you, and we want it to be as helpful as it possibly can. So tell us what youād like help with and weāll dig into it.
Or if thereās a brand youād like to know more about, let us know and weāll reach out to them.
Until next weekā¦
Keep being an Outlier,
J + K