The social media marketing world is full of terms and jargon. Some of that jargon, like “engagement” and “impressions”, is easy to make sense of. The meaning of other terms, like “social media influencer” and “ambassador”, aren’t always as clear.

“Social media influencer” and “ambassador” are often used interchangeably, but there certainly is a difference between them. When brands understand the two roles, and start building relationships with the right individuals, they can reap the rewards of greater brand awareness on social media platforms.

The media update team has been learning about both social media influencers and ambassadors while using social media tracking and reporting service amaSocial.

The service allows us to stay up to date with news circulating on social media about the industries we cover.

It can also help companies and organisations identify potential influencers and monitor both influencers and ambassadors on social media.

We delve into the world of influencers and ambassadors and share exactly what they are.

What is a social media influencer?

amaSocial uses this term to describe the people that mention a brand most often in social media posts. The service cleverly finds the social media posts across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube that are most relevant to a brand and identifies the people that talk about it most often.

So, what exactly is a social media influencer? They are social media users that have a targeted or significant reach and are considered as credible authorities on a specific topic by their followers.

They are sometimes paid by a brand, either in money or free products and services, to make their audience aware of the brand’s offering – and hopefully influence followers to buy what the brand offers.  

There are a few things that generally make influencers what they are:

1. They have knowledge about a specific field, industry, interest or topic.

This is what makes them credible and trustworthy to their followers when they discuss a specific topic.

2. They have a niche audience.

Social media influencers that post information about their field of expertise often attract an audience of people interested in the topic. Unless the influencer is also a celebrity, their audience is mostly made up of people who are all interested in the same thing. Therefore they have significant reach within these niche audiences.

3. They have influence over their followers.

If a social media user is interested in the topic an influencer is posting about, and they trust that influencer, they’re also very likely to trust the recommendations the influencer makes. That gives the influencer the power to affect their audience’s buying decisions – and the ability to steer their followers towards your products.
Disclosing the relationship between a brand and influencer on social media is both good practice and fair to consumers. Read about it in our article, Should South African influencers disclose their brand relationships?

What is an ambassador on social media?

The term “ambassador” in marketing is not exclusively used to refer to a social media role. In the marketing world, brands use ambassadors to promote their products and services via any media channel or word of mouth.

Social media ambassadors are similar to traditional brand ambassadors, but their focus is on communicating with social media audiences specifically.

The phrase “social media ambassador” isn’t as clearly defined as “social media influencer”. What many descriptions of this role have in common though, is that the relationship between an ambassador and a brand is more official.

There’s often a contract between the two parties that outlines how long the social media user will be an ambassador and what is expected of them during that time.

With this in mind, an ambassador on social media can be defined as a social media user that is paid to promote a brand and its products to social audiences.

Ambassadors often become the face of a brand and work exclusively with that brand – or, at the very least, not for any of the brand's competitors. These individuals are given insight into the brand's vision and PR and marketing strategies, allowing them to align their actions with the goals of the business.

People also often aspire to be like these individuals. This is what makes them more likely to buy the product or service that the ambassador promotes on social media.

People also often aspire to be like these individuals.
amaSocial enables businesses to measure the performance of their ambassadors. To do this, brands first set up Contribution Targets for their ambassador. If the person agrees to mention your brand at least three times per week, for instance, you’ll set the contribution target to that number.

The service then tracks whether the ambassador has reached this goal. The information is made available to you in a report that amaSocial generates – showing you whether targets were reached or missed.

amaSocial does the same for influencers. Once you’ve come to an agreement with an influencer, you can set Contribution targets for them and get reports that show their performance against these goals.

The great thing about both social media influencers and ambassadors is that they either have experience with the offering they’re promoting, or have some expertise in the industry that the brand plays in. This makes their opinions credible, meaning their followers are more likely to trust their recommendation.

The result is an authentic relationship between a brand’s products and its potential customers – all made possible by the reliable content influencers and ambassadors share with their followers.

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Social media platforms give brands information that helps them connect with their customers. Learn why user location is a treasure trove in our article, BLOG: Make location data on social media work for your brand.