Brand Ambassador: Who They Are And The Most Important Things To Know

  • book T-ROC Staff
  • calendar Dec 21, 2020
  • clock 10 mins read

Want To Become A Brand Ambassador? Here’s What You Need To Know:

Brand Ambassadors represent the face, the voice, and the attitude of a brand to its customers. An ambassadorship is a job made for individuals who love meeting and interacting with people. Brand ambassadors are enthusiastic about sharing their brand insights and opinions with the world, both face-to-face and through social media with the help of online content and marketing.

 

What Is A Brand Ambassador?

A brand ambassador is hired by a company in order to bring its products, messaging, and brand image to a community. Some companies might call them product demonstrators as well. Think of brand ambassadors as buzz creators who use their social networks and interpersonal skills to generate interest in a brand. As a brand ambassador, you’ll also represent your brand at special events and in-store marketing efforts. Often, these special visits include conducting product demonstrations for your customers or giving away free samples. Exact job descriptions depend on what type of brand you work with and what products you represent as an ambassador.

 

Companies With Brand Ambassador Programs

Does the idea of being a brand ambassador sound exciting to you? Below are some of the many companies that currently have brand ambassador programs.

  • Asics
  • Bumble
  • Gymshark
  • Kona Surf Co.
  • Lululemon
  • Makers Mark
  • Mophie
  • New Balance 
  • Oakley
  • Pink 
  • Pura Vida
  • Red Bull
  • Sephora
  • The Honest Company
  • Xbox
  • And More!

 

The Difference Between Brand Ambassadors And Influencers

Some articles and online forums use the terms “brand ambassador” and “influencer” interchangeably, but it is important to understand the key differences between the influencer and brand ambassador definitions.

An influencer can be described as a person that has a large social media following, typically more than 10,000 social media followers. Influencers often work with brands and businesses for one-off sponsorships. Some influencers do not create sponsored content at all as it is not necessary for their role. As an example, think of a reality TV star that makes a sponsored Instagram post about an online clothing company. While the sponsored post can make them money, if the post never went up, they would still be an influencer regardless. 

On the other hand, a brand ambassador’s job can be described as working with a brand or a multitude of brands consistently over a certain time period. Unlike influencers, most brand ambassadors are required to create content that in some way connects to the brands they are ambassadors for. A great example of this is a celebrity that is spokesperson for a luxury fashion brand. You will often see them wearing the brand on the red carpet and appearing in product photoshoots and commercials. 

An easy way to remember the difference between these job descriptions is that influencers can be brand ambassadors, but brand ambassadors almost always are influencers or celebrities.

 

What Makes A Good Brand Ambassador?

The most important quality every brand ambassador should possess is the ability to effectively communicate and connect with people. You must be able to engage potential customers both through one on one channels and at special events. You must also be able to reach out through social media and online content as a trusted brand advocate and expert. Execute a good brand ambassador strategy. In other words, you should be a pretty good talker and a creative and intelligent writer.

You also have to like being in the service business. After all, when you’re involved in an ambassador program, your job is to promote the brand positively by helping potential customers understand and believe in it. That means knowing your brand and products inside and out, and being ready to answer customer questions, earn their trust, and prove to them that your brand is the one they want or need. This takes someone who genuinely loves the service industry. Does this sound like something you’re interested in? Then maybe you’ve got what it takes to be a part of a brand ambassador program.

Ready to become a brand ambassador? Check out positions available throughout the United States to find the right one for you.

View All Brand Ambassador Jobs

 

A Few Key Brand Ambassador Traits

A Love Of Learning

As an ambassador, you have to remain on top of what your brand stands for and delivers to customers. For instance, if you’re an ambassador for a new brand or an established brand that’s introducing new products, you have to be among the first to know the ins and outs of these new offerings in order to effectively represent them to the public. A big part of your job is also learning about your competition. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses will make it easier for you to make a strong argument for your brand.

Social Media/Content Savvy

One of the biggest and best platforms brand ambassadors have is social media. The truth is, you should already have a pretty sizeable and active social following if you plan on exploring a career as a brand ambassador. You should know how to optimize social media and generate online content that is constantly changing throughout sales cycles. The company or brand that hires you will likely expect you to already be proficient in Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms.

Ready To Go Where The Brand Goes

Unlike with a traditional marketing role, a brand ambassador position will take you places – literally. Part of your responsibilities will be to attend, if not lead, special brand events and programs. You’ll need a reliable form of transportation. You should also expect to lift and tote a good amount of free products and display materials with you. If you’re able to lift about 50 pounds comfortably, you should have no problem when it comes to getting around in your brand ambassador role.

Confident And Willing To Offer Your Opinions

Companies want brand ambassadors who are real assets to the brand. They want you to provide honest feedback on the programs that you’re working with and that help you perform your job better. You might be asked to test out a new brand and give your opinion or evaluate new products to find their strengths and weaknesses. Plus, you’ll be on the front line of retail, so you’ll enjoy first-hand knowledge of how effectively brand marketing and messaging are when connecting with your audience. Don’t be afraid to be a sounding board for your company. It’s what a good ambassador program expects.

 

Your Steps To Becoming A Brand Ambassador

1. Determine What Your Personal Brand Is

Your “brand” should be a combination of your personality, interests, goals, etc. This personal brand should allow followers on social media accounts to easily understand the type of person that you are.

Choosing a niche is a great starting point to use when determining your personal brand. For example, if you are someone that actively participates in and is interested in the world of personal fitness, use that as your niche.

After you understand what your niche is, use your personality and other unique factors to set yourself apart. Are you someone who is great at making animated videos? Maybe you can create animated videos that are related to your niche of personal fitness. 

2. Consistently Create And Upload High-Quality Content To Grow Your Following

When companies hire ambassadors, they are looking for people to consistently promote the brand online and boost the company’s reputation. The phrase “consistency is key” is absolutely true in the world of brand representation and ambassadorship. Algorithms used by many social media companies almost always look at consistency when determining what to push forward to their audience. 

Another great way to grow your following is to ensure that the content you create is high-quality. Planning out content that is both consistent and high-quality can be stressful at times, which is why using planning tools and calendars can be extremely helpful. 

3. Start Your Ambassador Journey Brands That Fit With You And Your Audience

Once you have created your personal brand and have started the process of creating and posting great content, try to find an ambassador program that aligns with you and your followers. When you work with businesses that compliment your personal brand, your audience is much more likely to reward you in terms of engagement.

To go with the above examples, at this point you’re someone who is interested in fitness, that makes animated videos as part of an ambassadorship with a fitness company. 

4. Expand Your Reach With Larger Brands

This is the moment you have been waiting for! After you have determined your personal brand, created and consistently uploaded high-quality content, and worked with a brand that fits your audience, the time has come to expand. 

At this point, you will be in the perfect position to negotiate bigger and better deals with brands that are willing to pay the rates you have always wanted. This is the time when you can finally make the money you want, all while deciding your own hours.

 

Brand Ambassador Salary

How much money you can earn as a brand ambassador varies quite a bit. There are a number of ways you can get paid. None are right or wrong, it really just depends on the company you’re working for, their ambassador program, and your own preferences.

A Brand Ambassador On Salary

Sources like Glassdoor, Indeed, and Payscale put the pay scale for brand ambassadors on salary anywhere between $20,000 and $58,000 per year. You can figure a standard salary would be somewhere in the $40,000 ballpark.

Brand Ambassadors Paid Hourly

The average amount for a brand ambassador being paid hourly is somewhere between $10 and $16 per hour.

Commissions on Leads

Some companies use a commission structure to incentive their ambassadors to get out there and build the brand. The compensation structure differs for each company, but the general idea is that brand ambassadors are paid for the leads they generate. The more leads brought in, the greater the earning potential and potential for cash bonuses. If you’re just starting out as an ambassador, this payment structure may not be the right choice. It’s good to get your feet wet first and your skills established before jumping into a commission-only pay structure.

 

Final Thoughts

If you are interested in becoming a brand ambassador, it is important to understand how the process works and how mutual benefits for both parties involved can be achieved. 

Like any other job role, the more work you put in, the better results you will see. Being a brand ambassador is not something that happens overnight, but with the right mindset you can do it!

Become A Brand Ambassador Today!

 

About T-ROC & How We Can Help

If you’re interested in exploring jobs as a brand ambassador, there are countless opportunities across the United States, from Washington, D.C. to Washington State. You’ll find them on popular job search websites like Monster.com and Indeed.com. You can also find great opportunities with The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC) by searching the company job portal.

 

TROC is the leading provider of premier staffing outsource, software, managed technology services, and consumer insights for the top global brands, retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and distributors. The company’s distinctive solutions address the entire lifecycle of brick and mortar brand and retail operations by combining retail expertise, best practices, and technology to help its customers achieve sales and operational excellence as well as a sustainable competitive advantage. As a Retail 4.0 thought leader, T-ROC enables companies with high-value products in the physical world to thrive through the digitalization of the physical shopping experience. To learn more about T-ROC, visit www.trocglobal.com.

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