Beyond fitness ambassador programs for with Athlete brand ambassadors
If you're looking to build a successful brand ambassador program, athlete influencers are the way to go. Not only do athlete influencers have highly engaged followers, but they are also incredibly passionate about their sport and can bring energy and excitement to your brand. An athlete-driven brand ambassador program is just what you need to create meaningful connections with your audience and drive sales for your business.
In this blog post, we'll discuss how to effectively build a brand ambassador program with athletes and why it's so important for brands today, including a case study of how OpenSponsorship has helped a sports tech company, Diamond Kinetics, set up the perfect Athlete Brand Ambassador Program with college athletes. From finding the right athlete influencers for your program to promoting them through social media campaigns, we'll cover all the necessary steps for creating an effective athlete-powered brand ambassador program. So let's dive in!
Step 1: Identify Your Ideal Athlete Ambassador for Your Brand
The first step in setting up a successful brand ambassador program with athlete influencers is to identify ideal partners. Consider what kind of athlete would best represent your brand and will be the biggest asset to your campaign. Take into account attributes like skill set, experience, popularity, reach, and how well they fit into your long-term goals. You can also look for athletes who are already talking about or using your products or services; they might be more motivated to become an ambassador for you.
Step 2: Reach Out and Pitch Your Ideas to the Potential Athlete Ambassador
Once you’ve identified potential athlete ambassadors, it’s time to reach out and pitch them on the idea of becoming part of your brand ambassador program. Make sure to clearly explain what you’re looking for and the value they can bring to your program. Highlight how their participation will benefit them, such as increased visibility or promotion of their own brand.
Step 3: Create a Contract for the Brand Ambassador
Once you have secured athlete ambassadors, it’s important to create a formal contract that outlines expectations, responsibilities and compensation. This agreement should include details such as payment schedule, duration of engagement, advertising rights and deliverables. All parties involved should sign the contract in order to make it legally binding.
Step 4: Provide Support & Promote Your Athlete Ambassadors
Finally, now that your athlete influencers are part of the team, it is important to provide them with the support and guidance they need to promote your brand through the content the athletes are going to create. This includes access to resources such as marketing materials, product samples, written copy and more. Make sure you stay in communication with your athlete ambassadors and promote their endorsements on all available channels.
Case Study: Diamond Kinetics' Brand Ambassador
Diamond Kinetics reached out to OpenSponsorship with the goal of managing their entire athlete influencer program. From sourcing athletes to paying for their work - they needed a platform to manage it all. Their team wanted to ability to find, sponsor, and manage college baseball players. They focused on rising stars because their line of products supports the growth of these players as they aim for the big leagues.
Before working with OpenSponsorship, the Diamond Kinetics team used a combination of Instagram DM, email, and an Excel spreadsheet to manage their athletes' relationships. Not only is this time-consuming, but it can also lead to long lead times, unsafe payments, and missed deliverables. Their team needed a solution to keep their entire athlete influencer program in one place.
With OpenSponsorship, Diamond Kinetics has sponsored over two dozen college baseball and softball players. Our team focused on recruiting pitchers and big hitters as they benefit the most from the product and can immediately apply it to their practice routine. We concentrate on college players because this allows their budget to go further and stands by the mission that they help players improve their game.
With a reach of over 300,000, this Campaign was just what the Diamond Kinetics team was looking for. A college athlete-led campaign featured many diverse players that authentically promote their brand and use their products. Each athlete has a rapidly growing follower base, many of whom can utilize the Diamond Kinetics products for their own pitching and batting training. Their engagement rates are also very positive; having small content creators means their followers are more engaged, leading to engagement rates of over 10%.
Learn more about the Diamond Kinetics' Athlete Brand Ambassador Program here
Final Thoughts On Building an Athlete Ambassador Program
Taking the time to build a successful athlete influencer program will result in increased brand visibility, loyalty, and sales. When executed properly, athlete ambassadors can be an invaluable asset for any brand’s marketing efforts. Sign up on OpenSponsorship for free HERE today to build your own Brand Ambassador program with athletes.
