Advertising reminds consumers that your business is truly the best out there. You've got the lowest prices and the highest quality!

Unsurprisingly though, shoppers are bound to be skeptical of your thoughts on your business. After all, you're a biased source.

The most trusted source for consumers remains earned media, which encompasses everything from social media recommendations to family/friend referrals and blog posts. In fact, 78 percent of shoppers trust each other more than any form of advertising, according to recent research by the Society for New Communications Research.

So, how do you get more earned media spots for your business? Set up a social brand ambassador program. Establishing an ambassador program puts your product in others' hands and lets them tell others how great it is.

People trust those they see as a legitimate brand advocate 92 percent of the time. And 77 percent of the time they influence buying decisions, according to Nielsen.

Plus, the ROI for ambassador programs is amazing. The only cost is often your time and the free products you give out.

Here are the three basic steps to setting up a social brand ambassador program for your brand.

1. Pinpoint ambassadors

Your brand ambassador program should have three prongs — news media, social influencers and customers.

Working with the news media allows you to garner press and backlinks to your site, which in turn boosts SEO. Plus, you can showcase this earned media story on your website, which can persuade browsers to buy.

Connecting with social media influencers won't always result in a story, but it will increase traffic and sales. Additionally, you can share the image on your social, and see if you can use their image other places with credit.

For these two brand ambassadors, analyze their followers. You want to align yourself with influencers who talk to your target demographic. Then, crunch the numbers. Look at their Google page rank, number of followers and average post engagement.

Finally, you want to include your most loyal customers and fans in your brand ambassador program. They won't drive much traffic, but doing so will help gain you a customer for life. Plus, they'll definitely talk you up to their friends and family — online and in real life.

2. Connect

Follow your ambassadors for at least two weeks before reaching out. During that time, comment, like and share their content. You want to continually stay top of mind with them.

Then, see if they'd like to participate. Connect over email or social media. Make them feel special. Tell them why you want them to participate and highlight what they'd bring to the table.

Outline clear perimeters of your program, specifying what they'll get and what you expect in return. Make this crystal clear to avoid confusion later. Most often, you'll be sending them your products in exchange for feedback, social promotion or a story feature.

3. Build community

Now, keep your ambassadors happy. Introduce your ambassadors to each other and build a community they will never want to leave.

Send them prototype products for testing. Throw glamorous cocktail parties or fun adventures for them once a quarter. Pop a handwritten, thoughtful note in the mail to thank them.