Based on the findings of a recent survey, the role of brand ambassadors is paramount for the ultimate success for a given brand in today’s social media crazed world.

Not long ago a survey was conducted by Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council and Lithium, a social media tech firm. One particular finding speaks directly to the power of suggestion and the power of peer pressure in many ways for it shows just how truly powerful a brand ambassador can be and how much influence they can carry with their friends.

The first two numbers in the chart above should jump off the screen screaming to all marketers “We need more brand ambassadors!” The power of the people is clear, present and yes there is an element of danger for any brands that do not engage their fans, their customers, etc., are very much in danger of losing their loyalty to those brands who do engage them.

Then there is this line right from the survey findings that is perfectly stated… “The more consumers engage in social media, the more they inspire each other to engage with new and different brands.”

Making one minor tweak to that line so it reads: “The more consumers engage in social media and brands engage them, the more they inspire each other to engage with new and different brands.”

Now as to how to turn your fans into brand ambassadors and in turn start wielding that power they hold over their fellow consumers, there’s a fantastic article written by Todd Wasserman of Mashable appropriately titled How To Turn Fans Into Brand Ambassadors which I highly recommend. In his article Todd provides five distinct ways to do this including offering exclusive offers that are not available to “general public.”

Ok, brand marketers and product managers and CMOs and marketers of all ages…

What are you doing to get brand ambassadors?

How are you engaging them?

How are you rewarding them?