If you are thinking of a brand ambassador career, you are in for an exciting time! Being a brand ambassador is rewarding, fun, and interesting. However, it also comes with a great deal of responsibility and certain requirements. So, if you are thinking of becoming a brand ambassador and whether it’s the right fit for you, the first step is having a clear understanding of exactly what you can expect.
To help you with this, this article takes a close look at what it means to be a brand ambassador, what makes for a successful brand ambassador, how can you start towards becoming one, and what you can expect to have on your plate should you decide that it’s the right fit for you. Let’s jump right in!
What is a brand ambassador?
A brand ambassador is someone who is promoting a brand to increase brand awareness and help them eventually increase sales. Typically, brand ambassadors are celebrities or people with a considerable social following who are paid to share their experience with the brand among their audience. They act as the representatives of the brand, representing not just a specific product, but the entire company through their words and actions. Additionally, brand ambassadors are viewed as experts on the brand due to extremely close collaboration.
Historically, brand ambassadors were mainly celebrities. But today, with the rise of social media, social media influencers, company founders, or even employees can be brand ambassadors—there is no limit or specific qualifications.
The benefits of being a brand ambassador
Being a brand ambassador is a great way to help grow the brands you are passionate about, but as an ambassador, you also have personal benefits. And they often go beyond the financial reward for your efforts. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Free stuff
When you work with a brand, often you’ll be on the receiving end of some free products. This is often done so that you can use the products on your pages to promote the brand, as a thank-you gift, holiday present, etc. Sending out free stuff to brand ambassadors is quite common among companies, and you can then use the products as you see fit. Many brand ambassadors choose to donate items to charity, sell them at garage sales, organize giveaways, or use them in their daily lives.
Discounts
Another great benefit of being a brand ambassador is the discounts you get when working with the brand. Similar to free stuff, this is the brands’ way of showing the ambassadors that they are grateful for their cooperation. Again, you can use the discounts to purchase items you like, and then use them as you see fit.
Flexibility
A brand ambassador is not a full-time or even a fixed-time position, meaning there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to working schedules. Even if you have a schedule packed with meetings or classes, brand ambassador positions are easy to fit into, as they, if planned correctly, don’t require a lot of time. The workload will naturally depend on your contract, but usually, it shouldn’t take more than 3-5 hours a week.
Meeting new people
The last one on the list of benefits of being a brand ambassador is all the wonderful people you’ll meet along the way! They can be people working in the company you work with, other creators collaborating with the brand, or a new audience that discovers you through the collaboration. As a brand ambassador, you have the chance to interact with hundreds of people worldwide, sharing with them your love for the brand and interest in different products.
How to become a brand ambassador
If you enjoy reaching out to your community and interacting with them, being a brand ambassador may be a great and rewarding fit for you. This is especially true if you are looking for flexible and creative work. But how do you become a brand ambassador? Let’s take a look at a few practical steps
Do your research
To become a brand ambassador, you need to first understand how the market works, and how brands and creators collaborate. Start by digging deep into the industry. As everywhere, in working with brands too, there is more than meets the eye. Learn as much as you can about the job of a brand ambassador: what does it mean, how does it work, what are the do’s and don’ts, and more. This is a key step you shouldn’t miss, as it will lay the foundation of your effort to become a brand ambassador.
Find the right fit
Next, you’ll need to find where you fit in the market. There are millions of brands available online, belonging to thousands of industries, and as much as you may want, it’ll be hard to cater to them all. That’s why you’ll need to understand what is the niche you see yourself working in. If you’ve been active online for some time, and have an established community already, the choice will be easier. For example, if you are an avid traveler, cooperating with companies directly or indirectly related to traveling will be the best option.
However, if you are just building your online presence and are unsure where you fit, you can start by asking yourself a few questions:
- What do I like?
- What am I an expert in?
- What industry would I be happy to work with for a long time?
Answering these questions will give you a clearer idea about what it is that you want to do.
Reach out
Once you’ve found your niche and are ready to start working, it’s time to get in touch with brands. Some brands throughout your work will contact you through cooperation, it’s true, but chances are, initially you’ll need to start by reaching out yourself. For this, you must know what you are offering and what it is that you want to receive in return. Have several pitch versions ready, where you state who you are, and what is your, share some of your account statistics, how the brand can benefit from you, and what are your expectations in exchange for collaboration. Then send your pitches to the brand you want to cooperate with, and don’t forget to customize them!
Use influencer marketplaces
The process of finding the right brands and reaching out to them, if done manually, can be time-consuming. It can be made more effective through the use of influencer marketplaces like ViralMango, which are unified platforms created to make the collaboration between brands and creators smooth and fast. On these platforms, you can access brands looking for collaboration, and pitch them directly in the platform instead of on social networks, where you risk your message getting lost.
What does a brand ambassador do?
So, what does a brand ambassador do? In simple terms, your job as a brand ambassador is to raise brand awareness and create a relationship between a customer and the brand. For this, you can use various social media channels, blogs, and personal websites, depending on your audience and niche. On the platform of your choice, you will talk about the brand, showcase the products, discuss benefits, and more, to let your audience know about the brand and your positive experience with them.
How much does a brand ambassador make?
There is no single answer, when it comes to the earnings of brand ambassadors, because of a large number of variables. For example, some ambassadors are compensated through free products, while others can receive thousands of dollars for their efforts. Many brand ambassadors work with commission-based models, where they receive a certain percentage of sales they drove. Per-hourly pay is also not rare, especially in the case of longer and more regular collaborations. When determining average earnings, the social following plays a big role, but so does the engagement rate: the higher the number of the audience and their engagement, the more brand ambassadors can get.
Because of all of these factors, the range of brand ambassadors’ potential earnings is quite wide. Websites like Glassdoor and Comparably report that the average earning of brand ambassadors is somewhere between $20,000 and $58,000 annually.
Brand ambassador vs influencer
The terminology of today’s word-of-mouth marketing can be quite confusing. As a result, the terms influencer and brand ambassador are sometimes used interchangeably. However, they are not the same. Brand ambassadors can be influencers and vice versa, but they are not the same.
The main difference is that brand ambassadors are people who love the specific brand and their product, are knowledgeable about it, use it in their daily lives, and want to share it with their audience because they are passionate about it. Brand ambassadors aren’t trying to push opinions, but promote something because they genuinely believe that the brand and the product will bring value to their audience. They are also ready for long-term collaboration with the brand.
An influencer, on the other hand, is someone who has short-term collaboration with brands, and the relationship between them isn’t that strong. They usually have a social following, among which they promote not the brand itself, but, for example, a specific product by showing how to use it, what are the benefits, etc.
Brand ambassador examples
Thousands of brands around the world have realized the benefits of brand ambassadors for their business. Many have started to work with creators and individuals who publicly support the company, achieving amazon results. Here are some examples.
- Gymshark x David Laid
Gymshark has grown its business if not solely then to a great extent through its collaboration with brand ambassadors. So much so that “Gymshark athlete” has become a term in its own right. Fitness model David Laid is a Gymshark athlete who’s been using Gymshark apparel for a long time and is currently advocating it on his social platforms.
- NAKD Fashion x Andrea Norrman
Fascinating brand collaborations happen in the fashion industry left and right, and one between NAKD Fashion and fashion creator Andrea Norrman is one of those. Andrea has been a fan of NAKD fashion for quite some time, regularly wearing brand items and styling them with her outfits, and eventually becoming an ambassador of the brand.
- Seed x Kelly Kline
Seed is a brand of probiotics well-loved by health enthusiasts around the world, who always take the opportunity to share their love for the brand. Seed took the opportunity, and started to collaborate with its advocates toward growing the brand. The example of Kelly Kline, a fitness and healthy lifestyle enthusiast, is a great example of such natural collaboration.
FAQ
● Do brand ambassadors get paid on Instagram?
Yes, brand ambassadors do get paid on Instagram. The payment options may vary depending on cooperation, and even take the form of free goods in exchange for promotional posts, but Instagram is one of the best platforms to make a living as a brand ambassador.
● Is being a brand ambassador worth it?
We think the answer is a solid YES! Being a brand ambassador brings with it quite a few benefits and opportunities, apart from the financial. As a brand ambassador, you’ll get access to new people in your industry, build close-knit ties with your audience over shared interests, and much more.
● Is it hard to be a brand ambassador?
Being a brand ambassador isn’t a walk in the park. As with any other occupation, being a brand ambassador comes with its hardships. As a brand ambassador, you are responsible for the image of the brand, so it’s safe to say that a team of people who worked hard behind the company you represent rely on you. In addition to the responsibility, there is also an expectation of performance. However, if you understand the company’s values deeply, and are dedicated to your work, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be successful.
Reviewed By Rem Darbinyan
Revolutionizing industries with AI, Rem Darbinyan is the CEO of ViralMango and an entrepreneur, AI expert, and influencer marketing strategist.
