Why Be a Brand Rep?

It comes in many names… ambassador, model, brand rep, and even influencer! What these titles mean can differ from brand to brand, but they all have many things in common and the main thing is that they all involve representing a brand by promoting their goods or services, often for some form of compensation, whether that be in the form of payment or free items. So what’s so great about being a brand rep?

image by @tailsfromthedarkside

passion

You get to be passionate and have fun with a brand that you love! If you’re working closely with a shop where you believe in their products, use them, and think others would like them too, it’s easy to be involved. Now, it’s not uncommon to promote or advertise products you don’t necessarily use or love; however, this is more focused on working with a brand you actually know. It is incredibly satisfying to help grow a business that you stand behind, especially if you’re connected to the shop’s owner, which is usually the case when working as an ambassador! Having your code used, earning rewards, and helping generate sales, as well as bringing awareness to a company that you enjoy rarely has a dull moment!

creativity

Coming up with new and unique ways to promote your brand’s products can be such a creative process! Depending on what the shop sells, there are all sorts of methods of promotion. For Mutt Pack, taking my dogs out on an epic and usually muddy adventure gives incredible and fun opportunity to photography my favorite gear in action!

image by @voyagewilder

flexible

While this isn’t always the case, some companies will even pay you for your work. Regardless if you are paid through actual currency or free product, you are paid for the work you put in. This flexible “job” can be very fun and rewarding. You work on your own time and often, your own terms. You usually get out of it what you put in and often make a ton of friends along the way!

family

Some brands, with their customers and following, build a community that you, in turn, get to connect with! Making lifelong friends, having meetups, and bonding over your mutual love for dogs, Instagram, and the brand you’re working for is one of the main perks of being a brand rep for some shops!

image by @idyllwanders

challenges

This isn’t to say that being a brand rep isn’t without its challenges. It’s not always a walk in the park and real effort and work goes into being an ambassador. Depending on the brand and your involvement in the brand, you can put a lot of work into your photos, promotions, and Instagram in general. Working hard to build your own audience and keep up with the demand of Instagram itself while being an influencer can be very time consuming. If it’s not something you enjoy though, the beauty of it all is that you simply don’t have to do it. From my experience and from many others though, the effort is often worth it and the time put in is time well spent!

Happy Voyaging!

— The Wayfinder

featured image by @uponakatana