The benefits of being a student brand ambassador in college are infinite & enduring. If you’re like most of the 20-plus million college and university students in the United States, this probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard the term “student brand ambassador.” And while being familiar with the role is great, odds are better than not that you haven’t considered the many short-term and long-term benefits of being a student ambassador. However, as you become more familiar with the role of student ambassador, you’ll quickly begin to realize the myriad of unique opportunities and benefits associated with being a student ambassador in college. So why would you want to be a student ambassador? Student ambassador programs require little experience to start and provide real compensation and networking benefits with flexible hours as you develop your professional marketing skills. It also provides an opportunity to give back to your school and campus in a unique way. Not sure where to start your research about becoming a student ambassador? Below, we’ve highlighted a few benefits to get you started in the right direction:
What Exactly Is A Student Brand Ambassador?
A student ambassador is someone hired by a brand or company to promote its products and services to fellow students on campus. Ambassadors help generate brand awareness, grow the prospects of student engagement with the brand and ultimately lay the groundwork to help the brand or company convert prospects into customers. For example, a student ambassador serves as a de facto “face” of a brand at their institution. From TikTok to YouTube to Nike, Shein, M&M’s and a host of others, brands popular among Gen Z are increasingly leaning on student ambassadors to become brand advocates. Enter campus marketing powerhouses like Campus Commandos, a partner at more than 1,000 colleges and universities throughout the country, providing a seamless way to connect brands with student ambassadors at partner schools.
Why Would You Want To Be A Student Ambassador?
No Experience Required
By and large, brands don’t expect a prospective student ambassador to have a resume full of advertising and marketing experience. Instead, brands are attracted to applicants who are ambitious, self-confident, and strong communicators.
Compensation – Financial And Otherwise
Whether compensated in the form of free brand products & services, actual earnings deposited into your favorite cash app, or anything in between, student ambassadors are compensated, if not also incentivized, for their work.
Work Flexibility
Brands work around your schedule. For example, while a brand you’re representing may require you to create a minimum number of social media posts each week as a term of your work agreement, a certain level of freedom and flexibility are common is common.
A Sweet College Gig
You know that brand of yoga apparel you seem to wear no matter where you go or what you do on any given day of the week, imagine being hired (and compensated) by that brand to do what you already do, with a few new wrinkles. Pretty sweet gig, huh?
Professional Networking
How many times have you been told, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know?” In your role as a student brand ambassador, you will have the opportunity to meet and grow professional relationships with various full-time employees. However, to take full advantage of the opportunity, you must take the initiative and communicate well.
A Unique Experience
When reviewing job applications, employers consider far more than a candidate’s academic achievement and participation in campus clubs. Employers like to see applicants taking the initiative in college and stepping outside their comfort zones for unique opportunities. And guess what? Working as a student ambassador for a private brand is one.
Intangible Professional Skills
You can become a master in everything from astronomy to zoology by learning inside the classroom; however, there are intangibles like personal and professional skill sets that you simply cannot know inside a classroom. On the other hand, you can develop transferable professional skills, such as effective business communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving, among others, by seeking unique professional opportunities in school, such as being a student ambassador.
Future Opportunities With The Brand
In the corporate world, it’s far less expensive, risky, and time-consuming to promote a strong candidate from within than hire one from an external pool of candidates. That being said, by getting your foot in the door as a student ambassador and building professional relationships with more tenured employees, you can greatly enhance the possibility of future opportunities with the company.
New Question: Why Wouldn’t You Want To Be A Student Ambassador?
Now that you’ve learned a little more about what it means to be a student brand ambassador and a few of the many benefits associated with the role, what do you think? While the initial question posed in this article asked why you “would” want to be a student ambassador, the question to ask yourself now is why “wouldn’t” you want to be a student ambassador on your college or university campus? Check out more of our student ambassador content to see if it’s what you want or look at our brand collaboration opportunities and see the benefits for yourself!
Who is Campus Commandos?
Our college marketing agency functions to serve two purposes; to provide opportunity for college students, and to market products and services on behalf of brands to students on college campuses and universities across the United States. Contact us to learn more.
