OPINION COLUMN
trade talk PeakyPlumber with the
WHILE THERE ARE MANY POSITIVES TO BEING AN INFLUENCER AND BRAND AMBASSADOR, MAKE SURE YOU LEARN YOUR TRADE FIRST, ADVISES LEE BROWN IN HIS LATEST COLUMN…
What’s it like being an influencer/brand ambassador? This
bad product that I said was good, regardless of whether I’ve been paid or not. A few years back, I was offered a considerable amount of money to promote a product – I’m talking an annual salary figure for some people. I can and will change if something better comes along, for example changing boiler manufacturer after years of loyalty if a superior product comes out. But while some would happily take the money, for me, it’s about my credibility. Thankful, there have been many positives to being an influencer and brand ambassador. It’s offered me great opportunities, and I’ve met some amazing people along the way, even getting to travel the world and write columns for magazines! Also, I will be attending the world plumbing finals in Shanghai so, yes, it’s a good life. People also ask, how can I do it all? Two reasons: the great support of the wife and scheduling time to shoot videos etc just as I would book in a boiler service. Would I advise someone to become an influencer/brand ambassador. Of course - if
question was put to me on Instagram after I posted a story, ‘ask me anything’. This is just how I see it, and others may differ. The first thing I replied was, ‘learn your trade first - this is your priority and will pay the bills; a few free tools won’t’. I’ve seen so many apprentices fall into this trap. They appear online, claiming a product is the best ever. No disrespect but, in most cases, I can see it’s the only product they’ve ever used. You can’t convince people to buy it if you don’t have the experience to know the difference between a good and bad product. Learn your trade first.
you enjoy it, crack on, but don’t do it for free and learn your trade first. A heating engineer by day, Lee Brown is also @thepeakyplumber with a combined audience of 21.7k followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. “While some would happily take the money, for me, it’s about my credibility.” @thepeakyplumber www.instagram.com/thepeakyplumber Want to know more?
Even I have gotten it wrong and chosen to work with the wrong manufacturers but, in
most cases, I get it bang on. A good manufacturer will listen and respect any feedback. Sometimes I won’t post a video if I don’t like a product or agree with its claims. It’s about my credibility as a time- served veteran. I don’t want someone trolling me because they bought a
82 | PLUMBING & HEATING MAGAZINE
FOLLOW US ON:
www.plumbingmag.com
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online