What Does a Brand Ambassador Do?
What does a brand ambassador do, and who can become one? Well, if you enjoy creating content, and you’ve got an online presence, it could be you! Businesses of all sizes and types want to collaborate with people who can offer genuine and relatable endorsements of their products.
In this post, we’ll explore what it’s like to work as a brand ambassador. We’ll cover:
- What it means to be a brand ambassador
- Why businesses want to work with brand ambassadors
- Some examples of companies that work with brand ambassadors
- What a brand ambassador does
We’ll also share some examples of real-life ambassadors along the way. Let’s dive in!
What Does It Mean to Be a Brand Ambassador?
A brand ambassador is someone who represents a brand and promotes their products or services. But their role goes beyond simple promotion. Authenticity is essential for brand ambassadors. As the “face” of a brand, they need to embody – and genuinely believe in – its core values, mission, and vision. They will typically be users of the product or service they are promoting, making their advocacy more genuine and impactful.
Some brand ambassadors are celebrities or influencers with huge online followings. For instance, actor George Clooney has been appearing in Nespresso commercials for years, embodying the brand’s luxury image.
However, a huge online following is far from essential. Lots of brands prefer to work with niche content creators with smaller followings (often known as nano- or micro-influencers). These ambassadors tend to be people who have built a community of like-minded individuals with shared interests and experiences. While their follow count may be smaller, their audience really trusts their opinions. This means their endorsements are much more natural, more persuasive, and more likely to generate engagement. And engagement – likes, comments, shares, clicks, etc. – is exactly what brands are after. More engagement means better customer relationships, greater brand awareness, and, ultimately, increased sales.
A brand ambassador’s role can be formal or informal. Formal brand ambassadors will usually have signed a contract with a brand and have been given specific guidance on the content they should post. Informal brand ambassadors are people who naturally promote a brand because they genuinely love it. They may also be part of a referral or affiliate marketing program.
Brands with Brand Ambassador Programs
Large and small brands, in all kinds of industries, work with brand ambassadors. Of course, we can’t list every one – but here are a few well-known brands that work with ambassadors:
- BECCA Cosmetics
- Duolingo
- GoPro
- Lululemon
- Nike
- Patagonia
- Pepsi
- Sephora
- Tampax
- Xbox
What Does a Brand Ambassador Do?
A brand ambassador’s main responsibility is to promote a brand in a way that resonates with its audience. The goal is to increase brand awareness, build a community of loyal customers, and generate sales. While the specific duties can vary depending on the brand and the ambassador’s platform, the essence of the role remains the same: to be a passionate advocate for the brand.
Like the idea of becoming a brand ambassador? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to getting started in our How to Become a Brand Ambassador blog article.
Here are the main responsibilities of a brand ambassador:
1. Creating Content
Content creation is at the heart of being a brand ambassador. This includes writing blog posts, creating social media content, filming videos, or taking photos that showcase the brand’s products or services. The content should be authentic, engaging, and tailored to the ambassador’s target audience.
For example, travel vlogger Indigo Traveller films and shares his travel experiences on his YouTube channel and often mentions travel-related brands such as NordVPN or Duolingo. He shares the benefits of using these brands while traveling, making the content relevant and engaging for his particular audience.
2. Building an Engaged Audience
A successful brand ambassador needs to cultivate and maintain an engaged audience. This involves regularly interacting with followers, responding to comments and messages, and building a community around the brand. The more engaged the audience, the more influence the ambassador has – positively impacting the brand’s reach and credibility.
3. Gathering Analytics Data
To demonstrate their effectiveness, brand ambassadors often track and gather analytics data related to their promotional activities. Examples can include metrics like engagement rates, website traffic, and sales conversions. Providing this data to the brand helps both parties understand the partnership’s success and make informed decisions.
4. Writing Pitches
Brand ambassadors sometimes take the initiative to reach out to brands they align with by proposing potential partnerships. To achieve this, they write cold pitches that outline how they can promote the brand, the type of content they would create, and the potential benefits of the collaboration. Here’s a great guide to pitching brands from Hootsuite: Brand Pitch Guide for Creators: Deck and Email Templates.
5. Negotiating Contracts
Negotiating the contract terms is crucial once a brand is interested in partnering with an ambassador. This can include discussing compensation, the scope of work, content deliverables, and the duration of the partnership. While you might be intimidated by signing a contract, remember that it protects you as well as the brand! A well-negotiated contract ensures that the brand and the ambassador are clear on expectations and can work together harmoniously. It is crucial to thoroughly read the contract, ensuring that you agree to all terms, before signing it.
6. Acknowledging Brands
In addition to promoting brands, brand ambassadors will often acknowledge the brands they represent with a simple “thank you” in their social media content, videos, blogs, or photos. While this may seem like a minuscule detail, thanking brands for the opportunity to represent them goes a long way – just as it does in our daily lives! Indigo Traveller (the travel vlogger mentioned earlier) often thanks brands in his videos for the opportunity to work with them. After all, who doesn’t appreciate a simple thank-you?
Becoming A Brand Ambassador
Do you dream of putting your content creation talents into being a brand ambassador? If so, consider our Becoming A Brand Ambassador course. You’ll learn everything you need to know about getting into this booming profession, from building an engaged audience to negotiating lucrative collaborations!
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