So you want to be a brand ambassador?

Here at Equissimo we love our brand ambassadors and appreciate all they do to promote us. 

You can read our brand ambassadors blogs here.

We receive many requests everyday from people who want to be brand ambassadors so we have written this guide to help people who may want to be a brand ambassador.

What is a brand ambassador?

So many people want to be brand ambassadors because they will receive free and/or heavily discounted goods.

In return the brand ambassador promotes the company in a positive light across social media, at events and in person.

One thing to be aware of is that as a brand ambassador you will be expected to work hard. Businesses can't afford to give away free or discounted products without getting something in return, only the very top riders can expect sponsorship without having to actively promote products and/or services.

You will be expected to be proactive in your approach to promoting the business. You will have to write blogs, create detailed product reviews, hand out leaflets, shout out about brands online in short do everything possible to increase the number of customers for your brand.

If you achieve all this, your brand will reward you and you may even have other related brands approach you to become their brand ambassador.

So do you still think this is a role for you? Read on for our top tips on how to become a brand ambassador.

1. Identify the brand you want represent carefully

It is imperative that you are passionate about the brand that you represent. Don't target companies that offer high end goods if you love cheap and cheerful brands and vice versa. You won't be able to authentically engage with the brands if you wouldn't use their products without being a brand ambassador.

Also think about the image that you want to project, If you love bright colours ensure that you look at brands that have the same vision. 

2. Set up your personal brand social media and/or website.

Everyone has their own social media accounts these day. People use them to make jokes, gossip etc. This isn't always the right image for you to project. In addition an equestrian brand doesn’t want to link to a page showing your latest holiday snaps or your latest night out.

Be careful about the language that you use on your page. A brand won't want to be associated with bad language or political views unless that is something that your brand projects.

We would always recommend setting up your own brand pages. Check out our brand ambassadors (link at the top of the page)

If you can build up your followers it will also help make you more attractive to your targeted brands.

3. Engage with targeted brands

Once you have found the brands that you love it is time to engage with them.

Under no circumstances should you send them a message, when you haven't ever contacted them before asking if they want a brand ambassador. Every brand receives cold messages like this everyday from people (and sometimes from the parents of aspiring brand ambassadors which is an even bigger no no) who have never even liked their social media pages or purchased a product from them. Brands receive too many requests to reply to and most of these requests will usually be deleted.

Please do not contact brands giving out your personal details, although the vast majority of people are trustworthy you never know who is sitting at the other end of the computer.

What you should do is start getting yourself noticed. Like their social media, follow their posts and engage with the brand. This is essentially an interview process. This is your opportunity to shine and show off what you can do for their brand. Remember the old saying, actions speak louder than words? well it fully applies here.

When you talk to brands you need to make sure you are authentic. If you copy and paste the same comments to multiple brands then you won't be noticed for the right reasons.

Post your competition pictures, interesting features and blog posts. Recommend the brand you want to become a brand ambassador, make the brand think "wow, this person loves our products, if they promote us this much when they aren't a brand ambassador how much will they promote if we work with them"

Ultimately your chance of becoming a brand ambassador is in your own hands, and remember that there are hundreds of equestrians looking for the same opportunity as you. You have to be committed to work hard and do things differently to the competition to ensure you stand out.

How should a Brand Ambassador behave?

You have followed our advice and been offered a Brand Ambassador position. Here are our top tips to ensure both you and your brand remain happy and create a fulfilling relationship.

1. Communication

Your brand will want to feature you as much as possible, make sure you stay in contact with them. Proactively tell them of your plans and results. Don’t just expect them to pick up your results, companies are incredibly busy and often have more than one brand ambassador to follow. 

If you post a picture and you are wearing an item of clothing or piece of equipment that you have been given do make sure that you mention it. It doesn't have to be the main story but mention it as a footnote so that anyone who reads your blogs or posts knows where you get your amazing items.

2. Feature your brand as much as possible.

Your brand will give you free and/or heavily discounted products. The only reason you are given these is to promote the company. When you have been given a product you should always thanks your brand publicly and tell your social media followers about the products.

You should use the products as much as possible. Ensure you regularly post pictures of you and your horse wearing the products and always write a review for your brand to use.

If you have been given branded clothing, you should wear it at every opportunity and certainly at every show/event you attend. The equestrian community is a very close knit community and if your brand hears or see’s you aren’t wearing your branded clothing it will cause friction. Branded clothing is very expensive to produce and the only way it can start to pay for itself is if it is worn.

Your brand will most likely ask you to post online or distribute leaflets a certain amount a month. Make sure that you do what is expected of you, especially if you would like to receive extra products or for your association to continue in the future.

3. Show loyalty

Advertise the brands products that you love, even if you don’t yet own them. It will help your brand understand more about your tastes and what product should you would promote well. Plus your brand will be so thankful for the advertising.

Be discreet about using other brands unless you have prior agreement from your brand to discuss them. Nothing upsets a brand more than seeing social media praising a competing brand.

The equestrian industry is a very small one and most brands communicate regularly due to having contacts within the industry. If you behave in an inappropriate way your reputation will be impacted and you may struggle to get brand ambassador roles in the future.

4. Ask your brand for feedback.

No one is perfect, but feedback can help people get closer. Ask your brand if you are doing everything you can to promote them.

If you want to get the most out of being a brand ambassador, you need to put the effort in. If your brand is unhappy with your efforts, the free products will decrease and/or stop and it is unlikely the contract will continue. 

It is very important to understand how much it costs for companies to give out free products and the cost of their time writing and advertising your efforts.

For every person who has successfully won a brand ambassador position there are at least 100 ready and willing to take their place.

Your success is in your own hands, If you are given an opportunity, please work hard and don’t waste it.

To coin an old Yorkshire saying, You don't get owt' for nowt'