What is a brand ambassador? 

A brand ambassador is a person who acts in a professional capacity as a representative of a brand to promote its products or services. This person, often a celebrity,public figure or social media influencer, must embody the brand’s values and reflect them in a positive way. This brand ambassador meaning indicates that the role of a brand ambassador is an official position within the company. The brand ambassador can be hired as an employee on a full-time, part-time or contractual basis to actively advertise and market the brand’s products based on their popularity or public platform. 

What does a brand ambassador do?

Brand ambassadors exist on large and small scales, and their respective duties depend on which type of ambassador they are. If you’re hiring someone with a significant public following or platform, such as a local celebrity or television personality, to be your brand ambassador, you might expect them to promote your product to their audience. This might include posting online about it, discussing it live on air, attending events on behalf of your brand to share information about the product and making other public appearances that link them to your brand. 

However, if you’re hiring a brand ambassador without an established audience, their duties and role will be slightly different. The brand ambassador must be an exceptional conversationalist who can easily strike up a discussion with potential customers and share their passion for your products backed by their own personal experience. The brand ambassador uses their positive experience with your product or service as a testimony to convince others to engage with your brand. On a smaller scale, this might look like attending conferences or local events where they can engage with the public. They may attempt to connect with your target demographic through other means, such as email marketing, text campaigns, phone calls or even door-to-door promotion. In all instances, the brand ambassador’s enthusiasm and positivity act as a testament to your exceptional product and is the leverage that convinces customers to take action. 

Qualities of a good brand ambassador

Since the brand ambassador’s role is to inspire others to take action by purchasing your products or services, the role requires a specific type of person. You’ll want to hire a brand ambassador who is: 

• Personable 

• A strong verbal communicator 

• A good role model for others 

• A leader 

• Passionate about your brand 

• Excited to learn about the brand and competitors 

For a brand ambassador to be effective, their enthusiasm for your products and services should be genuine. As part of your hiring process, ensure you’re seeking an individual who sincerely likes your brand, uses your products and is knowledgeable about them. Even though you’ll provide additional training and information after hiring, your brand ambassador’s connection with potential customers will be more authentic if they’re already an advocate for your brand in their everyday life.

For this reason, it’s also critical that the brand ambassador’s values align with those of the brand. For example, if the brand is a vegan footwear company, the brand ambassador will be more convincing and aligned with the company’s values if they live a vegan lifestyle. 

Are brand ambassadors the same as influencers? 

Once you understand the answer to the question, “what is a brand ambassador?” you might wonder how they differ from the overwhelming number of social media influencers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Based on the brand ambassador definition, influencers and brand ambassadors are not always the same. 

An influencer is someone with an online presence, such as an Instagrammer with more than 10,000 followers (a micro-influencer), a YouTuber with more than 100,000 subscribers or a TikTok star with more than a million followers. These individuals are influencers regardless of whether or not a company is paying them to promote a product. Their influencer status exists simply because of their immense online following. Some influencers can be brand ambassadors if a brand approaches them for a long-term collaboration whereby the individual uses their account to promote the brand’s products through posts, reels and stories. 

It’s important to note that influencers can also work with a brand in a one-off capacity without being a brand ambassador. If a brand sends them a product and they share that on their account, potentially granting the brand exposure, this doesn’t necessarily make them an ambassador. 

A brand ambassador has an exclusive relationship with the brand and is committed to promoting its products as part of their job. They’re paid to perform this service and will likely need to sign an agreement that they won’t promote your competitors’ products while they’re being paid to promote yours. 

How does your company benefit from hiring a brand ambassador?

What is a brand ambassador, and how is it beneficial to your company? There are many advantages to hiring a brand ambassador, regardless of whether your business is small or a corporation. The primary advantage of a brand ambassador is the credibility they lend your brand through their testimony and endorsement of the products. When consumers see someone reputable promoting your brand and confirming that the product or service has the effect you’re advertising, they are more likely to make a purchase. Therefore, the primary benefit of a brand ambassador is converting prospects into leads. 

Here are some other ways that a brand ambassador can help your company gain an edge over its competitors. 

They protect your reputation 

No brand is immune to scrutiny and scandal.. If this happens to your business, a brand ambassador can help you navigate this obstacle by endorsing your company in a positive light and reaffirming people’s enjoyment of your products. 

They promote a positive image of your company 

Hiring a brand ambassador is one of the most effective ways you can advertise not just your products, but your company’s values. When you work with a brand ambassador who embodies your core values and has a positive public persona, consumers will associate this likable, inspiring individual with your brand. 

They can help you grow your online presence 

A brand ambassador is typically someone with a preexisting platform they can use to promote their experience with your brand. This might be an actor, musician, activist, reality television star, TikTok dancer, author or even a politician. By hiring a brand ambassador with a strong online presence, you can expand your business’s social media following by having the brand ambassador tag your brand account on their posts, stories and reels.

This growth online means that even if the brand ambassador is working for you only on a contractual basis, the benefit to your brand can outlive the partnership. The followers you gain from the brand ambassador’s endorsement are likely to stick around as long you continue posting and sharing valuable content.