Influencer marketing, once the darling of digital campaigns, has had its day. Plagued with reports of fake followers, bots, fickle fans, and unwieldy expenses (The Rock can pull in $1 million per Instagram post), savvy brands including Spax, Specialized, and the University of Central Florida are turning their backs on influencers. For them, content ambassadors are the future, and with good reason.

So, what exactly is a content ambassador?
Content ambassadors are an evolution of brand ambassadors (kinda like brand ambassador 2.0)—someone you choose to represent your company in a positive way. This person can be a member of the public or an employee who typically speaks on your behalf at events, in ads, on social media, or through branded content. And these “superfans” are more than happy to create content because they love what you do, and you can utilize their energy and reach to promote your brand.

Why use content ambassadors over influencers?
One word above all can sum up the power of the content ambassador: authenticity. It’s what your customers crave (especially millennials) and influencers just don’t have it. Everyone knows they’re saying whatever they’re paid to say. They’re in it for money not the passion.

Content ambassadors need little encouragement to share their love of your brand. In fact, most of them are actively pushing great content to their followers already, without being paid. When you bring them on board to help create content for your followers, you can do so at a fraction of the cost of even a C-list influencer. Many times, some simple swag will get them jumping for joy. And, with content ambassadors, you get a continuous stream of high-quality content. Compared to a cool million bucks for just a solitary social post, it’s a no brainer.

How to use ambassadors for amazing content
There are many kinds of content to consider including blog posts and photography, but by far the most powerful kind is short-form video. It gives people the most authentic (there’s that word again) way to view people interacting with your brand, and it’s easily digestible.

Several platforms exist that make it easy to onboard ambassadors, with some getting them up and filming within minutes of downloading an app. For example, Cinebody makes it foolproof for anyone to film incredible footage using their smartphone. Features like auto-uploads and forced camera specs ensure that the content you get comes in fast and can be edited together seamlessly, for posting on your channels and theirs for maximum reach. Mixed with traditional film-crew footage captured, you can create branded content that has both a polished look and forms a genuine connection with your followers.

Make no mistake, as marketing budgets continue to get shaved and influencer strategies become even more expensive, content ambassadors are a smart way to spread the word.