Today, I have a great post that will teach you how to become a Brand Ambassador. If you are looking to make some extra money, this may be the gig for you. Enjoy!
How does getting paid $18-$100 per hour for representing your favorite brands at awesome events sound? What if you made money simply for making people happy at places like Coachella, the Super Bowl, and exclusive trade show conventions?
Welcome to the best kept extra money secret ever!
My name is Kenny Azama, I hold down the fort at BrandAmbassadorWorld.com, and for the past 3 years I’ve been “working” as a Brand Ambassador and making an average of $2,000 per week.
I’ve represented some of my favorite brands such as Nike, Oculus, Samsung, General Mills, and Chevrolet at amazing events such as Comic Con, E3, The Super Bowl, the US Open of Surfing, and Coachella.
If you have a friendly and outgoing personality and want to use it to get into amazing events and make money, this is the perfect job for you!
Here’s how to become a Brand Ambassador.
What is a Brand Ambassador?
Brand Ambassadors are the friendly people you see wearing branded t-shirts and handing out or demoing the latest products at events and high foot traffic areas.
By definition:
A Brand Ambassador is someone who is hired to represent a brand in a positive light and by doing so they help to raise brand awareness and provide consumers with a memorable face-to-face experience with the brand.
This method of marketing a brand is called promotional marketing.
A common misunderstanding is that Brand Ambassadors are employees of the brand they are promoting, but that’s not the case. In actuality, they are people like you and me who are simply contracted per gig by staffing and event marketing agencies to represent their clients – the brands.
Brand Ambassadors are usually hired in groups to work at large events, music festivals, trade shows, concerts, sports games, nationwide tours, retailers, and pretty much anywhere where there are lots of people and excitement!
One of my favorite parts about being a Brand Ambassador is that you get access to exclusive events for FREE and are able to enjoy the festivities!
What do Brand Ambassadors do?
There are so many different ways to promote a brand and that’s what makes this industry so exciting. No two gigs are ever the same!
A Brand Ambassador’s goal is always to create a fun and memorable experience for consumers and here are just some of the ways we do that:
Giving away free samples and swag (e.g. sampling at events, high foot traffic areas, within retailers, etc.)
Having people test new products (e.g. testing the new iPhone or the new Ferrari cars)
Setting up and breaking down events (e.g. setting up 10×10 tents, tables, feather banners, etc.)
Interacting with consumers face to face (e.g. greeting people at the door, being Emcee, or overseeing a section of an event, etc.)
Increasing brand awareness by wearing branded uniforms or costumes (branded shirts, branded hats, costumes, etc.)
There are also many different job positions within the industry that you can be hired for that all have different responsibilities and even higher pay rates. If you like to manage events, you can be a Field Manager or a Tour Manager. If you like to get on the mic, you can make tons of money as an emcee. If you like to party, you can serve alcohol at events!
How much money does a Brand Ambassador make?
It still surprises me after all these years how much money we can make as Brand Ambassadors. If you want to, you can even go full-time as a Brand Ambassador as many of my friends have. A good handful of them even make 6-figures!
On average, I personally net anywhere from $1500-$2,000 per week (depending on the season, the gig, and if I feel like working that week). The bare minimum you can expect to make is $15/hr but there are gigs that offer as much as $100/hr.
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Count me in! How can a person become a Brand Ambassador?
Not a whole lot is needed in order to become a Brand Ambassador. All you need is:
A computer with internet
A friendly and outgoing personality
A couple of nice photos of yourself
A well-written resume that is catered for Brand Ambassador gigs
Where can Brand Ambassador gigs be found?
There are plenty of Brand Ambassador gigs out there, especially if you live in or near a major city. Hundreds of staffing agencies are looking for outgoing people just like you every single day.
My favorite place to find Brand Ambassador work is…FACEBOOK!
There are Brand Ambassador Facebook groups for every major city and these groups are where staffing and event marketing agencies prefer to post their open gigs.
To find these bountiful groups, type the following into your Facebook’s search bar:
“Brand Ambassadors of” + “Nearest Major City” (e.g. Brand Ambassadors of Dallas).
Once you find your local group, request to join it and start applying to the gigs you want!
What’s the hiring process like to become a Brand Ambassador?
Every gig will be different but for the most part, the hiring process for Brand Ambassador gigs goes like this:
Search through Facebook to find gigs that interest you and that you’re available for
Email the Hiring Manager for the gig you’re applying for with your resume and headshots
If the agency is interested, they will call you for a quick phone interview (Here’s a FREE cheat sheet!)
If you’re a good fit, the agency will call back to offer the job
Have fun promoting the brand at an awesome event!
After the event, payment will either be mailed to you or deposited directly (depending on which agency you work for)
This sounds great! What else should a person know about becoming a Brand Ambassador?
It IS great! With that being said, here are a few things to consider before diving in:
You are an independent contractor. This means no taxes will be taken out of your paycheck so you get your payment in full but you should save a percentage of your earnings to pay later. Depending on how you like to file your taxes and what you decide to write off, this could be a great thing!
Because the brand must pay the agency before the agency can pay you, your payment can take anywhere from 1-4 weeks to get to you. It’s getting faster but it’s important to read your contracts before signing so you know exactly what to expect.
When just starting out, you may not hear back from many of the gigs you applied for. Don’t give up! The more gigs you work, the easier it will be to land future gigs you apply for.
If being on your feet and talking with people for hours at a time turns you off, then learning how to become a Brand Ambassador may not be your thing…but I say give it a shot anyway. It sure beats staring at a computer screen all day in a tiny cubicle!
Working in the Brand Ambassador industry is such a fun and flexible career and the fact that you can get paid $15-$100/hr just to sample and demo products at awesome events and retailers is just icing on the cake – this gig truly is the life hack of extra money!
If you have a friendly and outgoing personality and are looking for a flexible, fun, and lucrative way to make extra money, being a Brand Ambassador may be the perfect job for you!
Author bio: Kenny Azama holds down the fort at BrandAmbassadorWorld.com – a resource website about how to break free from the 9-5 as a Brand Ambassador. If you want to break into the promo industry and become a Brand Ambassador, pick up his FREE digital guide: “7 Simple Steps to Making Your First $1,000 as a Brand Ambassador” today!
Are you interested in learning how to become a Brand Ambassador?
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