While brands may have a specific goal in mind when they set out to organise an experiential activity, the activation will not exist in a vacuum. Such activity is typically part of a broader marketing campaign, and the advertiser will need to justify the associated spending in terms of time and money against set targets. Yet it can often be hard to determine event success due to the challenges involved in data capture and analysis. This is where an experienced event agency can really help, providing key promotional staff who, besides being Brand ambassadors, know how to capture this essential data. What do you need to know about your brand ambassador selection, and how can they help gather this crucial information?

Providing Justification

It has become increasingly important for any advertiser to justify live event spend, especially in the post-pandemic days. After all, live events practically disappeared for a long time, and other activities became primarily virtual. Events are only one part of a broader marketing plan for big corporations, and there is a lot of pressure on the promoter. They need to provide evidence to support the company organising complex live events, rather than diverting funds to other marketing activities in the future.

Decision-makers need data in order to make an informed decision and be confident about their choice. They will need to trust the reporting data you provide them with and in order to deliver on this, you need to have a robust framework in place.

How to Work Out What You Need

To start with, you need to define the key performance indicators (KPIs) that clearly explain why the company should organise this type of event in the first place. For example, are you staging the event to get more engagement, reach more potential clients, amplify their message, interact with potential buyers or introduce a product?

Ideally, the organisation should have some existing benchmarks to compare the data generated from this event against past information. If they have previous experience, they can apply any lessons learned to make the “new” data more valuable.

Moving forward, you need to set the methodology and apply it consistently. You may need to refer to industry best practices so that any samples gathered are statistically robust and therefore valuable in the post-event decision-making process. Investing in software or hardware may also be necessary to make data capture easier or more efficient.

Moving from Planning to Activation

Once you have carefully considered planning and strategy, it’s time to think about activation. And this is where that personal touch will be crucial. Remember, this is not a case of offering a free download in exchange for a name, email address, or other basic details and purely digital interaction. Rather, this is a face-to-face, one-to-one meeting with a live prospect and represents an opportunity to gather high-calibre data.

What Does a Brand Representative Do?

Each member of the event’s promotional staff is a critical brand ambassador. But what is a brand representative? The ideal candidate must have some crucial interpersonal skills and be willing to put the prospect at ease while the exchange continues. The ambassador must fully understand the strategy and know why you want to gather the information in the first place. They should be provided with plenty of information rather than simply a bare summary. Then, they must interpret it correctly and ensure their tone and presentation is appropriate.

Getting into the Detail

As a marketer, you should want to know what your customers or prospects “feel” about your brand. They can often display this in more subtle terms, and an experienced brand ambassador would be able to look for any such display or prompt a value response through a strategic question. However, you will need to set the benchmarks so they know exactly what you are seeking, even though you may need to give the representative a certain amount of leeway as they gather the data.

How Brand Ambassadors Gather Data

Brand ambassadors not only represent the company’s forward-facing image but may have a crucial role in gathering actionable data.

Take an example of a brand ambassador giving out product samples to prospects. As they talk to consumers, they may encourage them to sign up for a competition where they could win a long-term supply of the product. As they gather the critical name, email address or phone details, they should ensure that the prospect gives the necessary “opt-in” permission for future marketing communication.

Another brand ambassador may interact with consumers at an automotive event. In this case, they may persuade them to leave those contact details so they can schedule a test drive in the future.

Brand ambassadors in these situations may often encourage consumers to fill in survey forms so that the organisation can analyse public perception. These forms will ask pertinent questions that will help company analysts measure levels of brand affinity.

How to Choose the Right Type of Brand Ambassador in This Situation

Clearly, actionable data is key, and each brand ambassador must know how to approach the prospect and how to gather this data most effectively. They must be persuasive and understand how to deal with potential objections. The best candidates must also be able to deal with rejection, even if such a reaction is robust. They should be ready to deliver with a smile and know when it is time to move on to another prospect if needed.

Understanding the Value

Successful interaction in the field can certainly increase brand affinity, even as it delivers information that can help justify ROI. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to do the groundwork first and fully understand why you require data, what type of information you need and how your staff should gather it.

Working with an Agency

As you can see, your promotional staff will have critical brand representative responsibilities, and selecting them carefully is crucial. After all, they represent everything you stand for whenever they are in front of a prospect, so the quality of the interaction is key. Your brand ambassadors must also know how to approach people correctly, be persuasive and must be able to deal with rejection as they gather your critical data.

As there is so much on the line, you need to work with an experienced agency like Eventeem. Reach out to our professional team today for further advice.

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