Ever daydreamed replacing the Oscar-winning celebs who are the “face” of a big brand? Well, becoming a brand ambassador is no longer a lofty dream reserved for the A-listers. Anybody with a big enough circle of influence can become a brand ambassador for a product or company. As a social media authority, you can use your influence on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, blogs, or TikTok to engage with your audience on behalf of a brand and make a career out of it.
Are you looking to elevate your influencer status to that of a brand ambassador? In this tell-all blog, we will guide you through the nitty-gritty of becoming a brand ambassador.
What Is A Brand Ambassador?
A brand ambassador is employed or asked by a company to represent its product, service, or event. This person acts like a spokesperson who promotes a brand in their unique voice within their social circles.
Influencers and faithful fans who promote brands and have a certain level of influence on their followers get noticed by brands then signed up as brand ambassadors.
Ambassadors can be anyone passionate about a brand/product, such as an employee, customer, or partner. These people use various marketing tactics to promote the brand or its products and services on social media platforms, emails, direct marketing, etc.
There are four major types of brand ambassadors:
1. Influencers
Brands are no longer limiting their marketing efforts to only known celebrities. Those who have become influencers and built a rapport with their online community in a niche like the brand can also achieve similar marketing results. Influencers are either paid by a brand or given free products to use and review in exchange for promotions. They also partner with the brand in online campaigns and physical events.
2. Customer ambassadors
They are satisfied customers who have turned into super fans by repeated interaction with a brand. They perform brand ambassador duties like supporting and promoting a brand by encouraging others to make a purchase. In return, brands may give them premium customer service (first sales views, loyalty cards to events) or gifts to show their gratitude. Customer ambassadors are usually happy to see a brand they appreciate succeed, and have a long run in the market.
3. Expert ambassadors
They may not be a customer of a brand, but they are experts in a field/niche. Their recommendations can work in favor of a brand by appealing to their followership. Expert Ambassadors are more common in the health and wellness industry, such as renowned doctors, fitness experts, etc.
4. Affiliate ambassadors
These people, typically bloggers, receive a commission on sales/referral fees when their audience purchases them. They receive a discount code from brands that they can give to their audience to promote buying a product through a link they share on their platform. These ambassadors are required to make a public disclaimer that they are affiliated with a certain brand.
Figure 1: Actor Neha Dhupia was a brand endorser on behalf of JustHumanIndia. Source: Instagram
Why Are Brand Ambassadors Gaining Popularity?
Gone are the days when people fell for advertising attempts from brands putting their best foot forward through repeated commercials. With the rise of influencers and global brand ambassadors, consumer behavior has shifted in favor of trust and authenticity. So a brand ambassador is a link between the customer and the brand.
People tend to favor the reviews of someone they know and relate to more than the brand talking about itself. A genuine word-of-mouth review that talks about the good and the bad parts of a product and convinces customers that an influencer is worth considering. A brand ambassador can refresh a brand’s image while also promoting social awareness and engagement.
Brands are looking to build alliances with people who can naturally align their content within their content without risking the audience “changing the channel”. In short, influencer marketing is crucial and brands are now putting their money where their mouth is, i.e. an influencer.
What Makes A Good Brand Ambassador?
Unfortunately, not everyone can represent a company in the greatest light. Thus, there are some prerequisites for those interested in becoming a brand ambassador.
Healthy grasp of marketing
When scouting for brand ambassadors, a degree in marketing is not what brands are after. However, advocates must understand how modern marketing evolves. Influencers need to be aware of how digital marketing and campaigns work while being authentic with their audience.
Thriving social media presence
A brand ambassador without a substantial following is like a preacher without believers. More than the size of their following, ambassadors must have access to a highly engaged, trusting, and strong network. Ideally, you should be the first source of information/recommendation for your audience.
Highly professional
Even though brand ambassadors and influencers are not employees of a brand, they still represent a brand. Hence, brands will only be willing to associate with those who embody their values and USPs while publicly talking about them. Any misses reflect poorly on the brand too. A good brand advocate will be professional in all circumstances.
Self-led leader
A brand ambassador should be able to lead themselves without requiring the brand to supervise the work in minute detail. Such brand advocates rise to the occasion even when there are last-minute changes, collaborate, and do not cancel events without notice.
Passion for the work
Ambassadors aren’t in the business of making only one-time sales. They strive to foster commitment and lasting bonds between customers and the brand. Ambassadors should be passionate about the brand and have good knowledge about the products or services. If they genuinely love the brand they are promoting; they will be able to convince others too.
The knack to collect feedback and offer creative ideas
There is no such thing as a perfect scheme, product, or service. Brand ambassadors will invariably collect feedback based on their interactions with products or services and exchanges with customers and competitors. They can then suggest the brand ideas to improve based on the data.
How To Become A Brand Ambassador
Build a Strong Network/Platform
If you don’t have a strong base of connections yet, start networking extensively. Create a large following. Try new ways to boost your social media follower count and subscribers. The stronger your social circles are, the more reach you will have in the eyes of brands. Increasing your exposure and making more contacts for potential brand ambassador opportunities is as simple as getting to know more people or, more significantly, getting more people to know you.
Find your “Brand-Fit”
Look for brands that embody your passions or are relevant to the content you already create. It may be easier to become an official ambassador for a company or brand if you already publicly support them. Brands are interested in influencers who have values, personalities, and personal brands similar to their own.
A travel business, for example, would be searching for an ambassador with an extroverted personality who loves traveling and someone with significant travel experience and who takes great photos. Look at a company’s social media posts and find out who their existing influencers are to get a sense of what they want in a brand ambassador.
Engage consistently
Getting likes and comments on your social media helps you build a positive image in your community. It is a perfect approach to pitch yourself to companies as a prospective brand ambassador. This includes creating quality content on social media platforms that your audience loves and expects from you.
Build a personal brand
Developing your personal brand is something you should do before becoming a brand ambassador. Define your identity and integrate it into your social media platforms. To stand out from the crowd and be a key opinion leader, you must first figure out what sets you apart and make it visible. Brands can better judge how you fit within their culture if you have a strong personal brand, which translates to better matches.
Be one-of-a-kind
What is the uniqueness that you bring to the table? Brands are on the lookout for people with out-of-the-box personalities who can bring life to a company’s brand. The creative side is the best aspect of being a brand ambassador. Leading with your personality and interactions with customers, you get to design your marketing strategies.
Brand Ambassadors X Brands
Most brands utilize brand ambassadors or engage with accounts promoting their products on social media. Two brands that are doing this well are:
SoulCycle
Most of SoulCycle’s engagement on Instagram comes from its highly energetic instructors who share the same energy on social media. They are encouraged to engage with customers and share after-hour tips and encouragement, resulting in a committed customer base. Besides these, there are many top-notch influencers on Instagram who can inspire you.
Figure 2: SoulCycle’s engagement on Instagram. Source: Instagram
Sephora
Sephora encourages clients to try new styles and products by collaborating with micro-influencers to come up with new and innovative concepts. The brand gains further credibility as the one-stop shop for all things beauty by closely collaborating with experts in the makeup industry. This is one of the many ways brands use to maximize their presence on social media.
Figure 3: Sephora collaborates with experts on Instagram. Source: Instagram
How Much Can You Get Paid As A Brand Ambassador?
On average, a brand ambassador in the United States makes about $696 a week.
The amount of money paid to brand ambassadors depends on several factors. The influencer’s experience, the value of the product they are endorsing, the content standard, and the working history with the brand all play a role in the pricing.
However, some common payment methods include but are not limited to:
Cost per engagement by platform
A common formula used for calculating pricing rates for Instagram brand ambassadors is as follows:
Instagram CPE (cost per engagement) = Recent average engagement (likes) x $0.32
Similarly, for other platforms:
- YouTube: $0.01
- Twitter: $4.29
- Pinterest: $0.05
- Facebook: $0.43
To come up with an approved pay rate, use the average CPE as a starting point. For example, if you get 1,000 likes on Instagram on average, you can charge $320 for every post. Based on the CPE formula, if your agreement requires you to publish twice a month for six months, the total cost would be $3,840. But the brand may offer a mix of say, $2,000-$3,000, and the rest in freebies.
Commission earnings
Ambassadors can also become part of an affiliate marketing program and earn through commissions. Affiliate marketing is a win-win situation for all parties involved. Consumers are frequently given discounts or introduced to new products that help the influencers they care about at no cost. A referral arrangement may also result in more income, depending on the ambassador’s reach.
Ambassadors Rewards
Other than the money and free products, brands may choose to reward their ambassadors and loyal customers for their efforts in other ways. Some of them include:
- Repost ambassador content on their social media, websites, and other marketing channels to increase their visibility.
- Invite ambassadors to exclusive events.
- Give an exclusive sneak peek at new products.
- Let high-performing ambassadors co-create their products.
Interested in becoming an ambassador for the brands you swear by? Focus on building your social media engagements and show the brand some ‘social’ love. Get ready to get noticed or reach out to the brand. Sign up with Atisfyre now to ensure you get the best out of its AI-based matchmaking expertise!
