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Brand ambassadors may help businesses recover from bad press

Some business owners are always looking for new ways to spread the word about their businesses. Every opportunity for growth is one worth pursuing to these entrepreneurs. When businesses face financial challenges from economic downturns, collapsing industries or business litigation, finding ways to bounce back becomes even more important.

In the past, many brands sought endorsements from other big brands or celebrities. However, the consumer market changed to the point where buyers trust each other more than they trust corporations and celebrities. This makes working with brand ambassadors a viable option.

Become the first ambassador

Ideally, business owners should lead by example. This might feel difficult if the business or its executives recently faced embarrassing allegations in court or the media, but there are graceful ways to recover. Forbes recommends the following:

  • Learn how to address negative media as well as positive media.
  • Involve the team in the company’s game plan for responding to allegations.
  • Know when to ignore allegations and move full speed ahead.
  • Know the company brand inside out.

Seek out influencers

Influencers are often as sought after by companies as celebrities. Some might argue influencers are celebrities themselves. However, even a social media influencer with only a reach of 5,000 people might prove a strong force for a media campaign if the person has an engaged following that mirrors the niche of the brand seeking a partnership.

Entrepreneur.com recommends also partnering with contributors. These professionals might work for large platforms and could help companies earn good press.

Note that influencers also need to consider their own brands when choosing companies to partner with. This makes it especially important for companies to handle bad press and litigations well to continue to attract the right influencers who can contribute to the good standing of the brand.