With 12 million US students now enrolled in full–time college courses, brands are constantly seeking out new ways to influence this extremely prosperous demographic. To help elevate their reach even further, these brands often rely on influencers and content creators to promote their products to like-minded individuals across a plethora of campuses. In turn, Netinfluencer has everything you need to know about how you can become a brand ambassador at your academic institution. 

Why Do Universities Use Brand Ambassadors?

Brand ambassadors act as key voices within a business’s marketing strategy, spreading their branding across a variety of dynamic market segments. Universities are no different in this approach and often use student ambassadors to encourage more candidates to enroll in their courses. These individuals often have the ability to relate to their fellow peers, helping them to build a bustling audience of loyal potential candidates. Brand ambassadors can also be viewed as representatives of the institution and are often asked to use their past experience to soothe the anxieties of any new student arriving on campus. 

It is also seen as more cost-effective to recruit students as brand ambassadors than employing a conventional member of staff. This also allows students to earn a steady income whilst on campus, helping to lessen the financial strain of balancing both school and work. Colleges and universities from around the world also host student ambassador programs, where candidates are asked to show new cohorts around the campus and answer any of their burning questions. As such, universities can now utilize their existing population to elevate their levels of engagement and enrollment. 

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Best Practices for Becoming a Brand Ambassador

Apply to Student Ambassador Roles on Campus

One of the easiest ways of becoming a brand ambassador for your university is to apply for the role of a student ambassador. Information about these openings is usually available in your online student portal or you can ask a member of staff for more details. These roles act in a similar way as any other part-time job, meaning that you will have to provide a resume and examples of previous work experience. A student ambassador role is a useful way to gain experience in working as a team and using branded material to strengthen your engagement. 

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Create Social Media Content Surrounding Your Course

Student influencers have made an incredible impact on the growth of influencer marketing as they are able to express the nuances of college life from their own personal perspective. If you are extremely passionate about your field of study, it is beneficial to create high-quality content surrounding your work. This can be in the form of Day in my Life videos or study streams. This content helps to attract other students and makes you more attractive to brands who are looking to work with influencers who can sway the purchasing decisions of their audiences.

Collaborate With Other Students

If you wish to build a devoted audience across all of your active social media channels, it is important that you work alongside a series of other influencers. These could be your fellow classmates or others who study elsewhere. Collaborations help influencers to delve into a range of new markets, reaping the benefits of each other’s engagements. As students, it can be helpful to create content such as a Q&A video to help your viewers to gain a better understanding of your studies and daily life on campus. 

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Network With Brands Who Are Looking for Student Influencers

The growing success of influencer marketing relies on a selection of paid brand partnerships as they ensure that creators are effectively compensated for the work they produce online. Student influencers are encouraged to make use of a range of outreach practices to help them communicate with brands who are looking to improve their next influencer marketing campaign. This can be carried out via more professional networking platforms like LinkedIn or by joining a creator marketplace. 

Merits of Becoming a Brand Ambassador at Your College

College is a crucial time for any young adult as the experience enables them to collate a wealth of employability skills. By becoming a brand ambassador at your college, you have the chance to develop your portfolio of business skills and gain a head start in the developing world of influencer marketing. Thus, students can use their own experiences of life on campus to promote a selection of popular products.

Universities also rely on a wealth of sponsorships and endorsements to gain new funding initiatives, a process that can be aided by influencers. Take for example student athletes who often use their social media platforms to share their achievements on the pitch. In turn, students can now create engaging content surrounding their work at college to help them secure a range of prosperous opportunities like brand deals and employment offers. 

Brand ambassador roles often aim to work around your hectic academic schedule, making it an ideal position for those with multiple commitments. Students will often be asked to work at important events and open days, giving them a lot of time to focus on their studies and social life. As such, it seems that student ambassadors will not miss out on the more vibrant aspects of college life during their time in this job. 

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The role of a brand ambassador at college allows students to gain a ton of useful skills to boost their potential within the transformative world of influencer marketing. As such, the next generation of workers is helping to add more validity and value to this bustling industry.