What Makes You a Great Brand Ambassador

Nowadays there is an array of marketing tools to suit all tastes. However, personal recommendations about products and services are still the most powerful. Digitalization, of course, makes its adjustments and prompts people to follow not only the advice of their friends but also of people from the internet. The good news is, if you’re a professional brand ambassador, you’ll have a job for at least a few more years.

An opportunity to represent a brand is alluring to many. Therefore, the number of advocates is huge now, and it’s sometimes a challenge to beat the competition. There is only one solution: to be the best of the best to stay ahead.

Here are our tips on how to stand out from the crowd, become a great brand ambassador, and win collaborations.

Is a Brand Ambassador somehow related to an Embassy?

If you call each brand an embassy, then yes, brand ambassadors are related to them. Just kidding.

But seriously, the ambassador in the classic version is a diplomat of the highest rank as well as a representative of a large company in the negotiations of high importance. A brand ambassador is a face and voice of the brand that is essentially the same thing in a sense. They have various purposes but both are equally significant.

To define a brand ambassador a winning wording is the following: it is a person who represents and promotes a certain brand. He is socially active, famous, and with a good name both offline and online. An advocate of the brand represents it on social media, in commercials, clips, interviews, during events. Being a celebrity or a social media star, he uses his popularity to increase brand awareness and, accordingly, increase sales.

The key thing is that a brand ambassador should be really adherent to a company, share its philosophy, and have a set of certain beliefs.

Roughly speaking, brand ambassadorship is a marketing tool but, at the same time, there is a real person in the center with lots of followers (read people who trust him), and he can’t disappoint them in any case.

To cut a long story short, the key mission of a brand ambassador is to convey to people the philosophy of the brand, its concept, and form a loyal audience around it.

What skills do you need to be a Brand Ambassador?

Being a brand ambassador is a very responsible task. At first glance, it seems that he just sells his face, pronounces highly polished phrases, and does nothing else. You should know that a celebrity who has become an advocate can either improve or harm the reputation of a brand. It leads to a thought that he should be a true professional to benefit the brand and himself too. Each company has its own brand ambassador requirements. However, let’s try to form a basic set of ambassador skills and qualities it’s desirable for a candidate to have for this role.

Self-presentation

An ability to present and sell oneself is an art that must be learned by everyone who is aiming at becoming a brand ambassador. It’s vital to learn to demonstrate your advantages and to present disadvantages in a favorable light as well. If you strive for becoming the face of the brand, you should find yours first. Hone the mode of speaking, take your facial expressions and gestures under control, learn how to break the ice. The most important thing here is the belief in yourself and your abilities, and then the skill of self-presentation will come easy.

Knowledge of Sales and Marketing

There is no need to get a degree in this field but it’s necessary to understand the scenes. The role of the brand ambassador is tightly connected with marketing objectives, therefore, he should know how to help companies to achieve them. In general, marketing is the science of the client’s choice. The latter delegates his choice to an ambassador, thinking that he is unlikely to recommend something bad. In his turn, a brand advocate should represent a product or service in such a way that a client just can’t get past. Knowledge of sales and marketing is invaluable in helping to make a brand known, recognizable, and ultimately popular with buyers.

Analytical Mindset

The skill in analyzing is also indispensable. The representative of the brand must be able to assess his actions and results they bring. Overall, a person with an analytical mindset usually makes deliberate decisions, knows how to plan and forecast his actions. What is also important is that the analytical mindset allows a brand frontman to dive into a detailed study of the issue, make an emphasis on small things, compare data, and draw conclusions. A person with such a skill can help a brand shine bright in the market firmament.

Communication Skills

Great brand ambassadors are great communicators. Desire and ability to mingle with people is crucial for brand representatives. They need to know how to strike up a conversation and generate the interlocutor’s interest. By the way, both verbal and written skills are equally important. Sociability opens a lot of doors, and it can’t be ignored in any case if you want to call yourself a great brand ambassador.

Storytelling

People adore listening to stories, especially if you are a skilled storyteller. Stories attract and captivate. It is really one of the best ways to convey information to a person so that he feels it and remembers it. When an ambassador knows how to involve a person in yarn and tell interesting facts on a topic, he will definitely be able to take your brand to the next level. A naked outline of facts doesn’t work anymore, stories rule.

Strategy and Planning

A clear plan of action and a well-thought-out strategy are needed for everyone, and brand ambassadors are not the exception. They should know their target audience, and also know how to choose the right keys for their souls. With the goals in mind, the strategy helps ambassadors select the topics for posts, visual presentation of the account that will resonate with people. Every step must be thought out because chaotic actions will get you nowhere.

Generation of ideas

Unique content comes from unique ideas. A brand advocate should be able to generate them himself and not wait for instructions from above. It would be perfect if an ambassador is familiar with creative techniques and methods to produce a wide array of great ideas and then turn them into cool projects. Innovative solutions always let a brand stay ahead of the competition. Isn’t it that an ambassador should strive for?

Time Management

Being creative people, brand advocates sometimes have trouble managing their time. It’s difficult for them to live according to a schedule. Nevertheless, such a skill is of high importance for efficient work. They should learn how to organize a day to get all the things done as well as to allocate some time for rest to prevent burnout.

If a brand representative knows how to manage his time, it means he is likely to be responsible, reliable, and a real professional.

Being a Team player

It may seem at first glance that spokesmen for brands act on their own. Actually, there is a team from the brand’s side and sometimes from the ambassador’s too, and they need to get on well together. The ability to work in tandem affects the success of not only an advertising campaign but also the brand and the ambassador himself. Sharing and discussing ideas with other people and then realizing then together you can accomplish much more than alone.

Comfort with getting feedback

A great ambassador should be open to feedback. He should learn to accept both good and bad commentaries about his job, but carefully. Wise and experienced ambassadors can tell the difference between constructive criticism and unfounded remarks. When the first one can be very helpful for self-development and further improvements, the second one does not make any sense. All in all, a brand advocate should learn to deal with both, and switch on an internal filter to separate the one from the other.

10 Characteristics of a Successful Brand Ambassador

We have just figured out the skills a great brand ambassador should have. Now, let’s take a look at key characteristics for an ideal candidate for this role.

Proactivity

The proactive approach opens up new horizons. Ambassadors who can characterize themselves as proactive people always take the initiative and make changes. They have the ability to think ahead, anticipate potential issues, and even feel upcoming trends to implement them the first. Such ambassadors are trump for brands, and, I will not exaggerate if add, – a miracle.

Commitment

When an ambassador truly loves the brand and believes that he offers people a really great product or service, everyone wins in that scenario. It is always felt and is always a huge advantage in brand promotion. Everything will be at the highest level if only an ambassador puts his energy, soul, and time into work to the maximum. In a word, beneficial collaborations are impossible without commitment to a cause. This is the bedrock.

Confidence

According to statistics, self-confidence is a key on the way to success. When an ambassador doesn’t question his skills and boldly tackles projects, he will get far. If a brand representative believes in himself, there are no obstacles for him. He generates lunatic power that turns out into breakthrough ideas as a result.

Responsibility

To be responsible means to be disciplined and reliable. In fact, the brand gives the most valuable thing to the ambassador – itself. Since then, a brand advocate is responsible not only for himself but for the reputation of the company too. He must do his best to conscientiously accomplish all the tasks, admit mistakes (if they have been made), and deliver on his promises.

Creativity

Stale solutions do not lead anywhere. The desire to break stereotypes, expand boundaries, and invent new things define successful ambassadors. People with a creative mindset are not subject to any prejudice and always act decisively. They are used to looking at the world from different angles and not being afraid to be original.

Charisma

Something that is hard to explain with words but you can feel it. Charismatic people have a special energy. They can easily inspire and convince, therefore, a lot of people fall under their spell. These people are admirable, adored, so they easily grab someone else’s attention. It plays into the brand’s hands if it is lucky to collaborate with a charismatic ambassador. He knows how to make all eyes on himself and then shift them to the product or service he is promoting.

Authority

A successful ambassador has become one by strengthening his authority in the niche, among followers and colleagues. An authoritative person is able to influence decisions, prompt them to take action. In addition, he is capable of creating and conveying a brand vision to his followers. He has invisible power inside and people give in to it. This is an invaluable skill for great brand advocates.

Passion

Everything that is done with passion and a twinkle in the eyes is always successful. A brand ambassador is a person who your company will be associated with. If he does his work with enthusiasm, it’s contagious. Followers and customers can easily feel it, and then believe that a product or service is worth trying. When the excitement is boiling up inside an ambassador and he is motivated to get an excellent result, he is bound to get it.

Leadership

Leadership is one of the ambassador qualities without which this list would not be complete. A great brand representative should encourage and guide people. They say if your actions inspire people to do more and to become more, you are a real leader. There is no doubt that this is one of the most in-demand characteristics an ambassador is expected to have to increase brand awareness and improve engagement with it.

Curiosity

Curiosity and lust for discoveries are more important than deep knowledge. This means that a person will always have a desire to self-develop and learn something new. An ambassador with such a trait of character will always ask questions to investigate all the details and nuances of the advertised product/service. Thus, he will be able to present it to the full. An inquisitive mind prompts to delve deeper into an issue and get to the root. Such ambassadors are worth its weight in gold for brands.

5 Examples of Great Brand Ambassadors

Over the years, the ambassadorship has strengthened its position. Global brands do not miss the opportunity to establish cooperation with celebrities and social media stars. The results of campaigns are tangible because they bring profit. Let’s have a look at brand ambassadors who have proved themselves on the market as great ones.

Gigi Hadid

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Gigi Hadid is a famous supermodel who became the face of the Ree:Dux collection by Reebok. It’s interesting to know that she was an accomplice in the creation of a collection of sportswear and footwear, not just its representative. In the past, Gigi was the captain of the tennis team and also was engaged in horse riding. Sport is not alien to her, therefore, the choice of Reebok was no accident.

Kendall Jenner

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9KLbopD_rq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
American model Kendall Jenner is a brand ambassador of Calvin Klein. She appeared in more than one advertising campaign. Therefore, it can be assumed that this is long-term cooperation between the model and the brand. Kendall often posts himself on social media dressed in Calvin Klein underwear, showing that she’s an integral part of the brand.

George Clooney

Recognized actor George Clooney is famous not only for his roles in films but also as a face of Nespresso. An actor starred in several intriguing commercials, appeared on posters in brand boutiques and various billboards. Such a collaboration became so catchy that people cannot but remember George Clooney when thinking of Nespresso.

Keira Knightley

A French fashion house Chanel collaborated with many celebrities. Nevertheless, English actress Keira Knightley became one of the most recognizable brand ambassadors. Their collaboration started with an advertisement for the Coco Mademoiselle fragrance in 2007, which Keira promoted for several years in a row. In 2018, an updated version of the perfume was released, again with Kira in the leading role.

Dilireba

French luxury skincare, cosmetics, and perfume company Clarins chose a Chinese actress and singer Dilireba as a brand ambassador in 2019. This collaboration is not by chance. Dilireba shared her story, telling how Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil helped her achieve better skin condition. Before becoming an ambassador, she has already been loyal to a brand. In addition, she shared its philosophy. “The brand is authentic, friendly and respectful of women — something I feel deeply connected to.” – says Dilireba.

Conclusion

The job of the brand ambassador is riveting but not that easy. To be a great brand ambassador requires several times much more energy and commitment. Having gained the skills and possessing the characteristics mentioned above, you’re on track to succeed in this endeavour. This is your chance to be on top. So, go ahead!