The Importance of Ambassadors
illustration by Greg Chinn for Outer Voice
An ambassador is an audience member, client, fan or anyone who serves as a voluntary evangelist for you and your work. This is the person who shares everything you do on social media, who recommends you to new people and shows off your work to every guest and co-worker.
This is the person who is absolutely gobsmacked everyone hasn’t heard of you and isn’t already your biggest fan.
Chances are, you already have at least one ambassador. If you’re lucky, you may have scores of them.
Here’s the thing. We take them for granted.
Our focus is on our work. It’s on keeping afloat. Getting seen and/or heard. Our ambassadors’ focus is on us, and our typical response is to ask them to buy more, give us more attention, share even more than they already are.
The importance of an ambassador is linked with the importance of kindness.
Whether you have an enormous audience or you’re just starting out, ambassadors are the lifeblood of audience growth and happiness.
Creating Ambassadors
In his book Company of One, Paul Jarvis talks about “the true north of audience-building.” He says, “To create an audience of people who are keen to support your business by purchasing from you, a real relationship is required first — one that includes trust, humanity, and empathy.”
That relationship is built. Ambassadors are created, by giving without asking for anything in return.
Musicians are a great example of this kind of relationship building. They offer exclusive pre-release downloads and streaming to mailing list fans before broader release. They maintain a safe level of social media communication with ambassador fans. They offer exclusive merch to select fans (often through Patreon, mailing lists or fan clubs). And little-to-nothing is expected in return.
What does this do? It makes ambassadors feel valued. And, as a result, they value that artist all the more because they feel seen and appreciated.
Does this apply to all arts disciplines? I believe it does. It just takes a little imagination.
First, nothing does more to build relationships than saying “thank you.” Actors can thank casting directors with postcards. Podcasters can thank listeners with stickers. Visual artists can thank show attendees with a parting gift or even just a note.
And none of these things need to come at great expense or have a “come see me here” or “buy this thing” call to action attached.
How can you thank the people who support you in a meaningful way?
Keeping Ambassadors
For those of us who have ambassadors, we need to appreciate them and explore how to keep them engaged.
Audiences make judgments with their values. Note this does not mean you have to share the same values as your audience, nor does it mean you have to shift your own values. What it does mean is that you should share your values and be true to them. Natural ambassadors will be drawn to this. Those who disagree… well, at least you’ll earn your trolls.
Remember that your audience watches more than just your curated self. They watch how you act after shows, in conversation, on Twitter.
The rule of thirds is useful in keeping and cultivating ambassadors. Divide your social media interactions into three categories:
Updates about your work
Shared content from others
Personal interactions to build and foster relationships
If all of your social posts are about you … well, we all know that person, don’t we?
Taking Care of Yourself
As important as it is to build and sustain relationships with your ambassadors, it is even more important to keep those relationships in perspective.
Safety, loved ones and mental health come first.
They’re more important than fans, work or money.
Communicate safely with your ambassadors.
Don’t let them know how to find you when you don’t want to be found.
Have clear boundaries.
Make your boundaries a part of your values. Let your audience know that you can’t, or won’t, respond to certain types of communication.
In our conversation for this week’s feature, Cecil Baldwin said,
“When I was growing up pre-internet, you didn't have immediate and unfiltered access to your heroes or to creators. And so I find that a little disconcerting … somebody will tweet at me, and they'll just be saying random things because they have the ability to interface with me. But that doesn't mean that they should. All they want is to feel a little bit better, and they want to feel heard by someone that they admire. But that doesn't mean that there's not a protocol. But there's not an acknowledgment that I am a living breathing human being … they live in a world where they can say, ‘I didn't like what you did with this last episode, you should do something different.’ And they can tweet it at somebody and that person has to see it. It's tough.”
Take breaks.
Shut it all down when you need to. Take mental health days to close up the public stuff and hunker down with work.
Keep all this in perspective.
We need audiences and audiences need artists, but remember there are more important things.
Remember what Neil Gaiman said to a fan of George R.R. Martin who complained about having to wait too long for a new book: “George R.R. Martin is not your bitch...People are not machines. Writers and artists aren't machines.”
In the end, it comes down to this: Empathy. Honesty. Boundaries.
Isn’t this what all good relationships are about?
Need help defining your voice or reaching your audience? Give me a shout. I offer consulting and services for all kinds of individual artists and arts organizations.
