How to Become a Brand Ambassador

Your friend on Instagram tags the brand of the shirt he’s wearing in his latest post. Your little sister is twirling a sign on the sidewalk promoting a sale for the store she works at. Your cousin is getting paid to go events. Your dad’s t-shirt displays the logo of his favorite brand. What do all of these people have in common? They are all brand ambassadors.

In this post, we'll run through everything you need to know about becoming a brand ambassador! 

1. Brand Ambasssadors: What's All The Fuss About? 

1. So, Why Are Companies Using Brand Ambassadors?
2. What Does Becoming A Brand Ambassador Mean For You?

2. Why Not Become A Brand Ambassador Yourself?

1. On-Campus Opportunities
2. Blogging Opportunities 
3. Social Media Opportunities
4. Events

3. Becoming A Brand Ambassador: The Run Down

1. The Five Keys To Being A Brand Ambassador
2. Already Have Your Own Company? 

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Brand Ambassadors: What’s All The Fuss  About??

Many companies are hopping on the brand ambassador bandwagon. A brand ambassador represents a company and its mission. They personify company values and identity. Companies task brand ambassadors with the responsibility of promoting their business and products by putting them in touch with the customer base.

Some brand ambassadors are everyday customers endorsing their favorite companies for possible recognition, compensation, or free brand “swag.” Other brand ambassadors are employees of the company spreading brand awareness through word of mouth.

Some brand ambassadors work events for particular companies while others endorse the company through social media and blogging. Social media brand ambassadors, or SMBAs, promote via social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. Online brand ambassadors can increase website traffic. As much as 2 to 3 percent of daily traffic originates from ambassador pages, found Maker’s Row. Taking advantage of social media’s reach is a must for any company trying to reimagine their brand.  

Brand ambassadors can have honest conversations about products with customers and can provide truthful testimony in support of a product. Word of mouth is the secret for between 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions, reported McKinsey & Company. Conversations between brand ambassadors and customers emulate the casual dialogue between friends that can motivate purchasing decisions.  

Do you already have a brand ambassador program in place, but are looking for how to grow it? Click above to learn more.

So, Why Are Companies Using Brand Ambassadors?

Brand ambassadors connect product to person. They embody a company to represent the overarching brand image. A brand ambassador program strengthens company culture, translating it to the customer base on a more personal level. Endorsing increases word of mouth exposure and brand credibility.

As a liaison between sales and marketing, brand ambassadors interact directly with customers assessing the response to products. This form of networking links the company more closely with consumers, and can lay the foundation for future sales and build strong customer relationships. This direct communication allows companies to make decisions and assessments in regards to the successes and failures of current products.

Companies like Starbucks and Coca-Cola leverage the power of brand ambassadors. For example, Starbucks’ holiday cup campaign from 2015 encouraged customers to create their own designs on the red cups, then featured the winning designs on cups during the following holiday season. The coffee giant constantly launches similar campaigns to put people in touch with the company. The passionate Starbucks consumer at your local shop has become a brand ambassador without even knowing it. Coca-Cola’s popular “Share a Coke” campaign sought the same goal.

A brand ambassador can breathe new life into a company, and revitalize the current brand image, as well as increase social awareness and engagement. Sixty-eight percent of B2B marketers are prioritizing freshening up current brand image according to MarTech. Placing brand ambassadors at the front line of marketing and sales is one of the first steps to reenergizing a brand.

What Does Becoming A Brand Ambassador Mean For You?

The good news? Companies are hiring. Thousands of brand ambassador positions are already available and the market for brand ambassador jobs is expected to grow by 18%, reported Job Monkey. Brand ambassador positions are a great side-job that provides a flexible, creative, and interactive opportunity for those who are enthusiastic about their favorite brands. The pay scale hovers around 15-20 dollars an hour on average, but can be more. In fact, brand ambassadors can make over $40,000 dollars annually! Not all brand ambassador positions are compensated monetarily, however. Some companies choose to give ambassadors awesome merchandise and freebies instead.

Why Not Become a Brand Ambassador Yourself?

On-Campus Opportunities:

One tactic gaining popularity is the use of college ambassadors. Colleges act as the perfect hub for engaging with consumers and generating excitement over brands. College students serve as great resources for companies because of the ease of communication on campuses. Students are always within close proximity of one another due to classes, on-campus living arrangements and extra-curricular involvement. These factors contribute to students’ ability to share and spread the latest trends that put a company's brand in the spotlight.  As millennials, they also exhibit the social media golden touch. Pros on popular platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, they easily share their favorite brands and products with the click of a button. Generation Y wins when it comes to word of mouth exposure.

If you are currently a student, research opportunities around your campus to get involved with. Popular on-campus brand ambassadors include PINK by Victoria’s Secret, Vera Bradley, Red Bull, and Vans. Companies frequent campus career fairs and often post openings on college recruiting websites. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your favorite brands and ask about their participation on college campuses. If they don’t currently have a brand presence on your school’s campus, present a proposal to the company to see if they would be interested in expanding to your university.  

Blogging Opportunities:

For the avid blogger, your website is the perfect platform to become a brand ambassador. Depending on what your blog's focus is, you can integrate products you use and promote the brands you love. As your exposure increases, it is possible for companies to reach out to you to sample products and write about your experience. Bloggers can showcase a company’s product in a more personal context, demonstrating how it can be used in a relatable way.

Social Media Opportunities:

Social media functions a lot like brand ambassadors: It links company to customer. Social networks open up dialogue providing consumers with instant access to their favorite brands. SMBAs demonstrate how a product can be integrated into customers' day-to-day life.

By building a presence on popular sites like Instagram, companies may reach out and offer opportunities to feature their brand on your page. Doing this expresses your own mark on the product. Forty-three percent of consumers said that learning about a product on social made them more likely to buy it, according to a Nielsen survey. Being a SMBA allows you the flexibility of tailoring products to your lifestyle on your own timetable. The beauty of social media is it can be done anywhere (internet permitting) and fits in well with busy schedules.

**TIP** - Connect with a brand ambassador agency or work with sites such as brandambassadors.com to link with companies to promote

Events:

If you’re a people person and prefer to be the face-to-face with customers, this is the outlet for you! Companies host different events and offer samples to highlight their products. Being an events brand ambassador allows you to attend exclusive promotional events at sporting events, concerts, clubs and more! Responsibilities range from discussing the features or benefits of a product, performing demonstrations, and set up/take down for the event. This is the perfect way to open up opportunities for travel as well, especially with companies that do cross-country tours.

Here's a two-minute training from Kathryn Berta, Regional Sales Manager at Health-Ade Kombucha, on how to run the perfect tasting event for your brand. Take notes! 

Becoming A Brand Ambassador: The Run Down

The Five Keys To Becoming A Brand Ambassador

• Network: Network in person. Network online. Network wherever you go. The more you strengthen your social circles, the more reach you will have in the eyes of brands. Getting to know more people, or more importantly, getting more people to know you, increases your exposure and makes more contacts for potential brand ambassador positions.
• Find what you love: Don’t settle for brands or products you don’t particularly like. Find companies, values, styles, trends, and items you would like to incorporate into your lifestyle. Then, hone in on these to uncover what you love. Becoming a successful brand ambassador depends on your ability to embrace and advocate for a company and their reputation. This will be much easier if you can identify with what you are sponsoring.

• Engage: Brand awareness is a two-way street! To generate awareness, you have to be in touch with the customer base. Research your target audience and learn about strategic characteristics that will help link you to them.

• Build your own image and brand: Before becoming a brand ambassador, you have to solidify your own personal brand. Define your image and assimilate it into your networks. You have to find out who you are and share this with companies to distinguish yourself from a sea of others vying for the same position. With a strong personal brand backing, businesses can better assess how you fit into their culture, which will lead to better matches.

• Be Creative: What makes you stand out? Companies look for individuals with a spark that will bring life to their brand. One of the best parts of being a brand ambassador is the creative nature of the position. You get to devise your own methods for marketing through your personality and interaction with customers. Thinking of unique and fun ways to display products and present them is where your creativity can come into play.

Already Have Your Own Company?

Become the face of your own company! Starting from the inside out – motivating employees and strengthening your brand – translates to the public. Put together your own events, optimize your company’s social media accounts, and communicate directly with customers. Even start a company blog and reach out to other organizations whose mission coincides with your own.

Getting your employees on board is the best kept secret to word of mouth exposure because happy employees lead to glowing recommendations. Your internal team is the best set of brand ambassadors because no one knows your company better than them. Be sure to endorse and support the people working with you, and they will do the same for your business. Remember that, together, your team is the backbone of your company.

Related: How to Grow a Brand Ambassador Program to Scale