The Marketing Behind Being a “Brand Rep”

For this blog post, I decided to provide a closer look at what it means to be a “brand rep” for a company. Notice here how I included the term “brand rep” in parentheses. This is because what I’ll actually be focusing on today is the use of affiliate programs, promoted as brand representative/brand ambassador programs, especially prevalent for smaller startup companies. I intend to use my own personal experience and knowledge regarding being a brand rep for the company I currently help promote. Although I am choosing not to disclose this specific company for the sake of this post, a quick look at some smaller, trendier, “Instagram brands” such as Pura Vida Bracelets, Elevated Faith, and Serengetee, just to name a few, should reveal what I mean when referring to an affiliate program disguised as a brand rep or ambassador program.

Before I dive any deeper into what being a brand rep looks like for me, let me briefly explain the difference between being a brand ambassador and an affiliate. Unlike affiliate programs, true brand ambassadors do not have to rely on sales in order to earn money. They are paid solely to represent a brand rather than making commission. As a brand rep, whatever I make depends on the sales I inspire. In addition, I earn rewards based on various sales benchmarks.

How Does This Benefit the Rep?

While this may sound like a lot of work with little pay off on my part, this strategy works well for the right person, as well as for the right company. For starters, I enjoy being a brand rep for the company I support because I was already supporting the brand anyway, and now I get rewarded for it. The program I am a part of connects me with other reps pursuing similar goals, provides me the opportunity to have a voice in the marketing decisions of the company, and serves as a great way to help inspire me to create more content. Not to mention, because I have a relatively small following, especially on Instagram where the brand primarily exists, getting featured on the company’s account helps me gain exposure for my own. I’m not worried about earning enough commission as a brand rep because I’m more so excited about the opportunities and experience this role allows me.

How Does This Benefit the Company?

On the flip side, this strategy works extremely well for startup companies who are limited to a smaller marketing budget. Hosting a rep program is highly cost effective for a brand, helps to encourage brand loyalty and consumer feedback, and is a great way to garner word of mouth and electronic word of mouth attention. Featuring the typically smaller personal bloggers and content creators who participate in the rep program on the company’s main social accounts can help jumpstart conversation when these reps in turn share their features to other friends and family. Brand reps also serve as a great way to encourage user generated content for the company to then share with others, ultimately providing highly authentic material for new and existing consumers.

Whereas micro-influencers and content creators with larger followings might want to steer clear of brand rep and affiliate programs, as the payoff might not be worth the effort put into it, these programs serve as a great way for smaller bloggers and creators to express themselves and further support new brands they are already loyal to. It provides them with fun rewards and access to a community of others who love the brand just as much as they do. It is also highly beneficial for small startup companies seeking to further brand loyalty, increase exposure for their brand, and acts as a great source of additional content for the company.