This Is What It Really Takes To Become A Brand Ambassador

We are in the age of information overload, thanks to the overwhelming number of media outlets that we have access to in a free market today. That means it doesn't take much to spread the word about a positive experience about a product, person, or company, especially if you're the kind of person that a large number of people generally listen to. 

If you're passionate about a particular brand or product and are well on your way to becoming an expert on the subject, you could become a brand ambassador for a company or its products. As a brand ambassador, your only job would be to promote the brand by sharing your insights on your different social media platforms (via Ad Leverage).

Brand ambassadors are important for companies who want to stand out with a certain crowd, because these people have the social media clout to cut through the noise and make themselves heard. Some of these people can be unpaid (and mostly unofficial), which means they are just naturally enthusiastic about a brand or product. Others can be paid, which means they receive either financial compensation or free products and services in exchange for supporting a brand on social media.

Media Kix considers paid brand ambassadors to be one of the most important parts of any advertising or outreach campaign today. Because these brand ambassadors have access to a large number of loyal connections or followers, they are most able to spread the word within a target market, and sometimes more quickly and effectively, than a mainstream media advertising campaign ever could.

If you're adept at using social media to get other people to listen to you and you have a solid number of followers, you could be on your way to becoming a good brand ambassador. When looking for brand ambassadors, companies in general look for a few qualities: they want you to have an interesting social media profile — which means that simply having a few thousand followers isn't going to cut it. These followers will also have to be interacting with your posts on a regular basis. 

They want you to use your content in a way that gets the company's attention, and not just your followers. Companies on the lookout for a brand ambassador want profiles that are visually attractive and use keywords that help your profile come up on top of the right searches. They also want you to be professional, and to keep a cool, calm, and collected tone online, even in the face of trolls (via Inc.com).

Unless you are a celebrity, becoming a paid brand ambassador could mean you have to spend tons of time and plenty of resources. Remember — you'll need to build influence and network, not just with the company you want to represent, but among the folks who are likely to fall as deeply in love the brand as much as you are... so it may be best to keep your day job in the meantime, as it can be hard to get paid an actual salary you can live on.