How to Create an Ambassador
When I was 4, I made a critical decision.
It changed me forever.
My older brother was a committed Chicago White Sox fan and growing up on the Southside of Chicago, most people around us were too. Ever the competitor, I decided I would carve a new path and become a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan before I even knew what that meant.
I donned my Cubs hat to White Sox games, as I got older I got jeered by Sox fans who playfully sneered, “Nice hat!” and I settled more and more into this identity-by-contrast worldview.
2016 vindicated all my years of suffering. IYKYK. (If not, they won the World Series and for you non-Americans, it’s more like the “American Series” but I digress.)
As I reflect on this identity, I still am a dedicated Cubs fan to this day. And yet, how did I get here? Why am I a fan when no one asked me to become one?
The process of creating a super-fan or an ambassador isn’t cut-and-dry.
How does someone come to believe in what your brand stands for?
Why do some people become life-time brand advocates and others don't think twice about your brand?
The fact is that 90% of you reading this don't currently have companies positioned to become the next Coca Cola or Lululemon (or Chicago Cubs). Creating a "cult-following" might be a bit of a misnomer to begin with. I also don’t believe that many of you really want to lead a brand with a cult-following either.
And if not, then what’s the next step?
Building a community from scratch is one step to consider taking. No one is expecting you to become the next Justin Welsh or Ali Abdaal, but you can make a significant impact with the people you do know well already.
Besides, they’re often the same ones who are your “biggest fans.”
We want to start with these folks when launching a community. Deep down, you might be bummed because that person happens to be your brother or your coworker. But the secret beauty to this is that these are the exact kinds of people who will amplify your mission because they want to see you succeed. They'll mention you naturally to their networks. They'll be involved in what you're building because they care.
Start with them… But not forever.
What an Ambassador Is
Once you have a core of 5-50 of these "believers" in you or your community, they need to know exactly what you’re building. Once they’re clear about where the community is headed, it's time to get to work. Here's where you build the momentum. You invest in them and they will improve your offering. (You can read more about this process here.)
And as you grow, so will your network.
More folks begin to engage with you over time, strangers. You'll begin to realize there are folks who are engaging because you're creating value that they're hungry for. They probably like you. They probably want to learn from you. If they could get 20 minutes to run ideas by you, it would be an absolute honor for them.
They are:
Highly active contributors
Passionate about the subject matter
Often building or wanting to build similar projects to you
These are people who will give freely of their time because they belong to this growing community, they feel a sense of ownership and pride in the community. They feel like their presence matters.
How to Make the Shift
These are folks to begin empowering within your community. While you may not be able to replicate yourself, you should be able to delegate communal activity to them so that the community can begin to take on a life of its own.
Last week, a founder asked me the age-old question: “Should I pay these people?”
If these are people that you’re hoping will lead events in your community, who will run forum(s), etc. You can consider paying them, but I’d suggest aiming for intrinsic motivators instead.
Help them to feel empowered. They need to have a reason to be investing more of their time in the community. And if they have been committed already, then all you need to do is to curate extra-personal value for them:
Give them a monthly coaching call on their business.
Introduce them to key players in your network who would benefit them.
Give them a role they can happily take ownership of within the community.
Take them out to dinner/coffee if you’re in the same area.
Creating ambassadors shouldn’t necessitate paying them to contribute. They were already contributing. Help them to feel seen, more valued, and often that’s enough.
It’s not the money that matters in this case. What matters more is ensuring that they continue to build the community with and alongside you for a dedicated amount of time.
Give them a role with structure, boundaries, and more than anything… clarity. What are they responsible for? How do they know if they’re succeeding? How do you ensure they’re receiving enough value to keep contributing? It’s all important. And you’ll figure it out more as you go.
You don’t need to create a community on your own. Besides, it will be way more fun for you to build with others.
