Becoming a brand ambassador has become the new “side hustle” and plenty of college students are reaping the benefits.
Brand ambassadors are those who represent and promote a company’s product or service, where their main goal is to increase the businesses’ clientele and overall sales.
Social media brand ambassadors, specifically, endorse said companies through their social media platforms where their job is to post engaging content that will lure consumers in. Think of them as modern-day marketers, if you will.
According to Zippia.com, between 2018 and 2028, this career is expected to grow 20% and produce 139,200 job opportunities across the U.S. This could be due to many reasons, but it is safe to assume that the growth of social media and our increased reliance on it could play a major role here. This can be supported by the fact that 74% of consumers rely on social media to inform their purchasing decisions, as stated on Pixlee.com. This data makes it understandable for ambassador marketing to be a growing occupation as well as the perfect job for college students, as younger generations are the main users of social media.
There are a few Rattlers who have had the opportunity to work as social media brand ambassadors, and it’s safe to say it has been going pretty well.
Over the summer, senior biology pre-dental student Kerra Kelly, came across the opportunity to become a brand ambassador for Bovanti Cosmetics, one of the few Black-owned cosmetic companies, after being offered the position while she was working as the company’s model.
Not only did Kelly share that this job was flexible with her class schedule, but that she also receives commission-based pay.
“I receive $75 worth of cosmetics a month, and using that I am able to promote the products,” Kelly said. “I then get people to buy using my code KERRA15, and the 15% off they get using my code goes towards me based upon how many customers I can accumulate to use my code.”
Kelly said that what she enjoys most about being a brand ambassador is that not only is she selling the products, but she is also selling herself.
“I think the best part of being a brand ambassador is the connections and networking opportunities,” Kelly said. “You have to go out and promote the products and sell them to customers, and you just meet so many people along the way.”
Senior psychology student, Sabryn Flagler, decided to become a brand ambassador for SHEIN, a popular women’s clothing site, after she realized that she loved their clothing, so posting content with it would be easy for her. Flagler receives a similar form of payment as Kelly, and acquires other benefits from the company, which she said she loves most about this job.
“When people shop with my invitation, they get money off their order if it’s over a certain amount, and the more people that use my invitation is the more money that I get paid,” Flagler said. “The best part is being able to get perks from such a huge clothing company that everyone loves, and I get free quick shipping on most of my orders.”
However, with triumphs come troughs, and Flagler did admit that this can be the case at times, but the job’s flexibility works in her favor.
“One thing I struggle the most with is just trying to remember to be consistent,” Flagler said. “But it is very flexible and not too time consuming since I don’t have to post at a certain time. It’s just whenever I feel like posting myself in their clothes.”
Flagler and Kelly are among the growing number of college students who find being a brand ambassador beneficial in more ways than a few. You can visit their Instagram’s @kerra.alexis and @sae.xx to see them in action.