Who are Brand Ambassadors?

It’s a new month (thank goodness), which means a blog post about a new book. In class, we are now reading, “Social Media for Strategic Communication” by Karen Freberg. Chapter 1 introduced social media and how it has evolved, explained the differences between each platform and how to use them strategically and identified the key characteristics of the science and art of social media.

            One part that stuck out to me was about branded content. In recent years, social media has exploded with influencers being paid by companies for promoting their product or service. Brands utilize brand ambassadors, because social media provides an accessible and dynamic online community. If you think you’ve never seen a brand ambassador's social post, I can assure you that you have.

            On my own social media platforms, especially Instagram, I like to follow people that are considered influencers. If you don’t know what an influencer is, I would describe it as a person you’ve (probably) never met before but look to them for advice and tips. A brand ambassador’s post, including what they say, reflects the image of the brand they’re promoting. Often times, the brand will have to approve a picture or video before posting.

            Some examples that I’ve seen on my own feeds are influencers promoting Fabletics, Hello Fresh, food companies, makeup brands, various online clothing boutiques, Audible and vitamin or supplement brands. Sometimes the social media influencer is provided with a special code for their followers that will offer either a percentage off or something free. To be a brand ambassador, you must have a strong following, have a similar audience to the brand and be a passionate content creator.

            Personally, I take into consideration who is promoting the brand and what they have to say. In the past, I have used a brand ambassador’s discount code for Hello Fresh meals and $20 off concert tickets through Seat Geek. Brands that utilize a group of “ambassadors” provides them an opportunity to reach a new audience. While your scrolling through your own social media, try to see how many brand ambassador ads pop up. Check out my screenshots below that I've seen on my feed. If you look closely under each handle, it says paid partnership and a link to the brand's Instagram. This may appear as a little detail, but a genius marketing strategy. 

Talk to you next time!