A brand ambassador positively reflects a company’s brand through public forums and social media platforms. If you like interacting with your followers and building relationships with companies, becoming a brand ambassador might be the perfect position for you! 

What Does a Brand Ambassador Do?

A brand ambassador serves as the "face" of a brand. Primarily, through strategic representation of a brand in public, at formal events, and online, brand ambassadors increase sales and positive brand awareness. Furthermore, ambassadors provide informal customer support and are often responsible for sharing new product.

However, the role of a brand ambassador has changed over the years, becoming increasingly potent for B-to-B branding as well as consumer businesses. 

How to Be a Brand Ambassador in 5 Steps

While it may take some time and sweat equity to start your brand ambassador career, commit to working online on evenings and weekends, or any free time you have. If you build up enough of a following and online credibility, you may be able to make being an ambassador full-time! Read on to see our five steps in how to be a brand ambassador. 

#1. Build a Following

Earning likes and shares on social media is just one way to showcase your influence. To become more attractive to potential brands as an effective ambassador, build your following with engaged audiences that like and comment on your social media posts. Remember, the more followers you have who engage with the brand, the more money you will make as a brand ambassador.

If you are new to the world of brand management and ambassadors, it starts with building a large following. Whether you have 1,000 or 10,000 followers, you always have potential for growth. Even if you are an in-person brand ambassador, you can advertise when you attend certain events, invite friends, and build an online following to complement your in-person activities.

Therefore, continue using social media even if your posts don't (yet) mention a partnership with companies, because it will give you an opportunity to establish connections that can lead to more opportunities. Furthermore, increase your following by responding to any comments you receive on your messages and commenting on well-known pages.

#2. Increase Engagement with Your Target Market on Social Media

Earning a positive reputation among your community by posting about what you like on social media is a great way to get noticed by potential companies as their brand ambassador. An effective way to increase engagement with your target market on social media is to share content from relevant companies, write engaging content, and post intriguing photos or videos that will keep your followers' interests at bay. Furthermore, adding a personal touch to social media will encourage your followers to like, comment, and subscribe to your content.

To encourage active engagement, invite followers and others who are interested to share their own experience. You should also request questions or reply to any comments from your audience. Want to increase engagement in-person? Host public meet-ups at a café, park, or shopping mall to interact with your followers in person!

As another method of boosting engagement, find other influencers in similar markets and explore how you can collaborate with each other through product testing videos, Q&A segments, competitions, and giveaways. Not only will this increase engagement with your existing followers, but it also serves as an opportunity to boost your following!

#3. Create a Cohesive Online Personality

When companies are choosing which brand ambassadors to partner with, they look for those who share the same values, aesthetic, following, and target market. Positioning yourself well will depend largely on a consistent online and in-person branding as a result of your wardrobe, personality, photo and filming aesthetic, and passions.

Social media content should be cohesive, including a voice, look and set of interests that distinguish you as an ambassador. Do you only represent makeup lines, shoe brands, or coffee companies? Make sure your branding and online content targets these specific areas!

#4. Discover Compatible Brands and Build Credibility with Them

Preparing how to be a brand ambassador can be an involved process. Effective influencers partner with companies that offer the same or similar values, personality, and brand.

For example, a travel agency may be looking for an outgoing adventure-seeker with extensive travel and cultural experience and notable photography skills. Therefore, it is critical that you research the companies you are considering before applying to be an ambassador and consider how your lifestyle and passions specifically align with what the company is looking for. 

To better gauge their company aesthetic, values, and personality, explore their social media accounts and determine if what you offer as a brand ambassador matches theirs. If you already publicly support a company or brand, it may make it easier to become an official ambassador for them.

One of the best ways to become noticed by companies and improve your chances when applying for a position is by becoming engaged with them as a follower. Make a list of companies you’re interested in, then narrow it down to the top three or four. Once you have done that, make sure that you are subscribed to their email newsletter so they can send you offers for free or discounted products or services. Doing such will help you build credibility with the company as a loyal customer and dedicated brand ambassador.

We all know that even after giving someone a product or discount code, thanking them for their time is applauded. Sending a personalized email or a guaranteed letter to thank the company goes far in building an exceptional relationship with these brands and organizations. By establishing a relationship with companies, you might be more susceptible to partnering with them in future opportunities. 

#5. Seek Brand Ambassador Opportunities

The final step in becoming a brand ambassador is to partner with a brand! Therefore, contact companies you would like to represent to learn if they are seeking ambassadors and the type of representation they desire. This step can be as simple as sending a message to a company's social media account, asking them if they would like your help in representing their brand. If interested, they will send more details.

Additionally, explore in-person opportunities like attending local events. Businesses including consumer technology companies, clothing designers, and alcohol breweries or distilleries often hold in-person marketing events. Then, approach a brand representative at one of these events and begin networking and building relationships with the company’s other employees.

Some companies recruit brand ambassadors through informal processes, such as online forums and social media messaging, while others might operate out of a traditional job posting. As a result, if you are looking for a brand ambassador role, visit the company website's career page and check online job boards for any openings. With all your efforts above, hopefully you’ll receive a partnership soon!

Be an Effective Brand Ambassador and Marketer with Perspectiva

At Perspectiva, we offer a full suite of strategic and promotional planning services to help brands connect and engage with their audience and grow business right from the start. From research, brand assessment, and competitive analysis to insights generation and planning, we will be with you from brand activation and beyond.

If you are ready to partner with our team and get your brand up and running, contact us today! We are eager to help with your brand activation and experiential marketing strategy regardless of where you are at in the process.