Ever wonder what’s a brand ambassador and how to become one? Brand ambassador marketing is becoming popular with the birth of nano influencers and micro-celebrities from different platforms. Yet, becoming a brand ambassador isn’t easy. And making a full-time income from it is more complex than it may seem. Becoming a brand ambassador would be the right career option for those who crave more flexibility in their schedule.
Those who interact with others have higher chances of becoming successful brand ambassadors. Indeed, those with a capable and confident personality will find this work easy. But, like any business, starting before the results flow in takes considerable effort. In the end, all the hard work can be rewarding.
Becoming a brand ambassador
A brand ambassador is an influencer who promotes brand awareness on social media. Pre-internet, becoming a brand ambassador was only limited to celebrities. But today, the scenario is very different right now. Anyone can become a brand ambassador from scratch with effort and strategy. Along with fame, one can also earn money from it.
Companies hire brand ambassadors to promote their products to reach ordinary people. The task of a brand ambassador is not limited to posting content on social media but extends to attending events as a company representative.
You can promote products in person (at events) or use social media.
There are two types of brand ambassadors:
- Online
- In-person brand ambassador
The first increases awareness through social media, and the second promotes the brand through marketing events or conferences.
In this post, I’ll shed some light on what it takes to become a successful brand ambassador.
Create an engaging social media profile
A social media profile is the resume of a brand ambassador. That is what brands will look at to decide whether to work with you. And there are plenty of ways to create an engaging profile on Instagram or Facebook.
Have a solid theme for your page. Stick to one or two things. Don’t jump all over the place by posting dog videos one day, yoga the other day, traveling on day three, or something else on day 4. So, like any other platform, try sticking to a niche. Remember, you’ve been followed for a specific niche. Now, if you switch that, you might lose followers.
Mix up your content. Posting repetitive things can turn out to be a disaster. Use high-quality stock images if you don’t have enough pictures. To gain views, produce amazing content with different concepts. That is how your engagement rates increase. And once you reach a considerable following, brands will approach you.
Try to be unique and not copy somebody else. Because copying someone is not impressive. Be authentic and post valuable content. Pictures, presets, or editing could also be unique. So, create an impressive social media profile. You should look at your social profile as a brand and promote it.
Be active on the platforms
Whether you are an in-person or online brand ambassador, you should be active on social media in both cases. Brands monitor how much people love you and how they respond to your posts. That is why I maintain consistency and focus on engaging with people on social media.
Every time we open our Instagram or Facebook account, we want to see something exciting and want to see it consistently. So, don’t vanish after posting once a week. Try to post a couple of times a day. Also, creating a Facebook story in between your postings is essential. And if you’re active on Instagram, consider frequently posting to keep your audience engaged.
Engage with your followers
Once you see a steady gain in your followers, try to interact and bring some engagement to your audience. If one or two people comment on your post, make it a must for you to respond. So, that creates an engagement. Have an interactive session with them. When you post a new picture or video, ask a question in the caption, prompt them to engage with you, and leave a comment below. Try to keep that engagement flowing. You want to keep your audience involved. This is something that brands look at.
Brands don’t just see the number of followers you have. They also see how engaged your public is. They can see how many people respond to your photos and videos, how many people comment, or how many people click on your Instagram story. So, if you are not creating that engagement with your audience, how will you sell their products?!
It takes time. Be patient with it. If you consider the most famous people on social media right now, it took them years and years to create that.
Learn marketing
Brand ambassadors should know the basics of marketing. Brands love people who can guarantee them engagements and sales.
Plenty of courses will teach you to learn SEO or about Instagram or Facebook ads. Learn and implement them. You will soon start to see some positive changes in your engagement rate.
Think of brands you love and reach out
Aside from being active and networking on social media, here is another thing you must do.
Research and discover companies that are looking for brand ambassadors like you. Approach those brands that match your interests. Be it a traveling company or beauty products, after shortlisting the companies, it will be easier for you to focus. Study the social media of those brands, and by understanding their requirements, you can easily present yourself as a perfect brand ambassador.
Hence, instead of shooting in the dark, first research, study, and then proceed after shortlisting compatible brands. Once you get attached to one successful brand, you will get numerous offers from reputable brands.
Network with people
Be it online or in-person, build a strong network. Brands look for people who have a strong network. Networking with others in the same field will strengthen your resume, and you will have a higher chance of getting hired by the brands.
They might be your competitors but don’t be afraid to bond with them and work together. You never know who will notice you. Take whatever opportunities that will come your way.
Don’t buy followers
This ugly trend will get you nowhere. People still buy followers and likes. But, it does not bring you closer to your goal of becoming a brand ambassador or becoming famous on Instagram or Facebook. Buying followers is not only a waste of money, but it will look bad when brands see your followers, likes, and comments are not organic.
Brands have tools to verify if followers got bought.
It is a waste of money as brands ultimately determine whether your followers are paid or organic. It also doesn’t bring you any engagement. Of course, people are there to mark the number up for you because you paid for it. They will not comment on your posts or click on your pictures or stories. That is just a bunch of dead audiences that would make your followers count more significantly but will not help you.
Agree to work free of charge in the beginning
If you have the talent to become a brand ambassador but are having trouble reaching any company, you should initially be ready to work for free.
The brand ambassadors should represent themselves so that getting involved with the company is their priority instead of earning money. By doing this, you might get noticed by them. It is because every company looks for sincere and dedicated team members.
Target small businesses
So, now that you have set up your profile correctly and are doing everything right, you may think, how does it work? Do brands come to us? Or do we reach out to the brands?! Both!
But don’t expect an offer from a big company immediately. Companies love to hire famous faces as their ambassadors. So, start by working for small businesses and startups. By doing so, you will gain exposure and work experience. With time, you will get noticed by the more prominent brands.
Start your research by looking at pages you may want to work with. So, if you are on a Fitness related page, check out your favorite fitness brands. The selection process varies from company to company. Some brands may reach out to you, and you can choose whether to work with them. At the same time, others may ask you to fill up a form and then decide.
Be professional
Brand ambassadors should have a professional attitude from the very beginning. A brand ambassador’s image is attached to a company’s image. If your mistakes lead to the company’s failure, your career might be at risk. So, practice from now and be polite to everyone. Avoid taking part in controversial conversations or using aggressive social media comments.
Apply for an ambassador vacancy in your dream company
Don’t wait for someone to contact you. You need to take your future into your own hands and reach out to those relevant brands.
How do you reach out to them?
If a company has a website, you can find opportunities on its career page.
Like any other job, your brand ambassador program pays or gives you free things. So, it would be best if you treated this as a job. It can be a part-time job or a long-term commitment. You must sell yourself to the brand to make those companies come to you. You need to bring something to the table and show them what you can do to help their company and promote their product. When you send DMs on Instagram or Facebook, mention your YouTube channel so you can cross-use these two platforms to promote their products.
Don’t underestimate the power of cold emails. Send emails to brands that you love working with. The worst thing that can happen is to get rejected. But, if you never ask, the answer is always “NO.”
You never know who will see the potential in you! So, don’t be afraid of reaching out to your favorite brands as part of a cold email marketing strategy.
Visit brands in your area
If you have local restaurants or beauty shops in your area, they might ask you to create content for them with an offer of free products. You can try that as well.
Analyze your campaigns to understand what works and what doesn’t
Convert your Instagram account or Facebook page into a business account.
Upon doing so, you can see insights on your profile, how many people you have reached, and how many people saved or clicked on your profile. You can also learn which hashtags for Instagram or Facebook performed better or which kind of posts at what time of the day performs better. Note down all of them and post accordingly. Also, changing your email on Instagram and Facebook is best so it’s a single address.
Start affiliate marketing with brands that are a good fit in your niche
You can also start affiliate marketing with your favorite brands. Apart from paying per post, you will also get a commission on pay per sale.
You can use the affiliate link in your Instagram bio to promote the product. When people click on the link and purchase the product, they will get a commission for generating sales. You can affiliate with your favorite brands to earn a commission even if you are not a brand ambassador.
Work with a brand network
One of the best ways to start is by signing up for a brand network site. Aspiring brand ambassadors must have a readily built or established social media profile to get accepted by these networks. Once you get accepted, you can find brands and connect. The best thing is that they will facilitate the whole process for you. Some famous brand networks include Socialix, Linqia, Insense, etc.
How much can you make as a brand ambassador?
Established brand ambassadors have a lucrative salary. Depending on your followers and engagements, you can make between $50 per post and $1000 per post. The ones with millions of followers charge an average of $1000 per post or story. The micro-influencers charge around $50 per post.
Things to keep in mind after you become a brand ambassador
Becoming a brand ambassador on its own doesn’t guarantee anything. You might fall flat on your head, or you might become successful. Here’s some “food for thought” after you become a brand ambassador.
Maintain a healthy relationship with the brands
When it comes to marketing strategies, every company approaches them differently. Some companies are very organized, and you must follow their guidelines’ flow.
Some companies let you do things on your own, giving you more freedom, but don’t miss an action after receiving a free product from them.
So, if you want to keep the relationship ongoing, continuous, and long-term, you need to work on it continuously.
Use a professional camera
Once you become a brand ambassador for a company, shoot some exciting content. So, use a decent camera to create eye-catchy and quality posts. A brand does not want to see some crappy post with its product in it.
Over-selling a product will be frowned upon by your followers
Do not oversell. Your audience you for a reason. They appreciate that you work with a brand but don’t want to see it daily on your feed or in your stories. So, do not oversell whichever brand you represent.
Also, don’t post too many of your promo codes. Trust me, your followers don’t really like that.
Zero in on your niche when it comes to your brands
Representing too many companies at the same time is not a good idea. It can be very contradicting if you are representing too many companies. So, if Dominos reached out to you, don’t become a Mcdonald’s ambassador. Because those are two competing companies. True ambassadors sell when they show they like the product.
If you promote too many brands, you are just there for the commissions; It means you don’t care about your audience and want them to buy stuff with your discount code. Brands don’t appreciate that either. You can grab a good opportunity by following all of these.
Final Thoughts on Becoming a Brand Ambassador
It is never too late to try something new. Brand ambassador programs have many perks, like high salaries and flexible schedules. Hence, it is worth giving it a try. Becoming a brand ambassador will open the door to many exciting opportunities for you. Once you enter the door, brands will slowly notice you, and you can earn a living online.
