So you want to start using influencers in your marketing strategy, huh? What was once an underestimated marketing trend has now become an increasingly popular and important strategy for any and all brands out there. Predicted to become a $15 billion industry in 2020, more and more brands are finding innovative ways to tell their stories through real people’s experiences with their products. Whether you’re a jewelry startup or a non-profit fighting for social justice, influencer marketing can be the relatable, real world voice you need to build your presence. In fact, popular makeup brand, Glossier credits their triple-digit growth and income to influencer marketing.

If you’re going to start working with influencers, rest assured, you want to do it the right way. Influencers are still a niche strategy in the marketing world and at the end of the day, they’re real people with their own opinions, unique audiences, and cost structures. As an agency that specializes exclusively in influencer marketing, we recommend outsourcing your efforts to a trustworthy agency. The years of experience and the lessons learned — both big and small — mean you get the targeted, strategic campaign concepting, management, and influencer sourcing and contracting skills that ensure you both the biggest bang for your buck and safety needed for your brand.

So, “what else do influencer marketing agencies have to offer that I can’t do internally?” you might ask.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE KEY:

When it comes to working with influencers, who you know matters. It’s important to remember that influencers aren’t just digital robots, they’re real people that require human connection and conversation in order to get the results you want. As an established agency (that just turned 10 years old!), we’ve had plenty of time to build and get to know a widespread and diverse network of influencers from a huge range of genres and backgrounds. This means we know the right person for every single campaign. Whether it’s a foodie, a fashion blogger, or a sports fanatic, our agency knows exactly which influencers are the best in their niche.

TECHNOLOGY BACKS US UP:

And when it’s a needle in a haystack we’re hunting down, or a fresh new voice, agencies have the tools to find even the most unlikely of influencers. (Our campaign for AGCO is proof — imagine needing to find millennial farm boys who actively blog and love tractors.) Technology also allows us to navigate campaigns with influencers in the smoothest way possible, while also empowering clients in the content and influencer approval process.

We love our partnership with CreatorIQ, which helps us ensure that we’re matching brands not just with great influencers, but with influencers who have the right audiences and ideal engagement rates. It also helps us filter out fraudulent or inappropriate accounts, keep track of campaign drafts and live posts, draw statistics and insights, and filter influencers and their audiences based on content themes, platform proficiency, following, and location. So, let’s just say we can get very granular with our sourcing.

And with an agency behind-the-scenes pulling the levers of sponsored content, your paid dollars are more impactfully spent, too. Bonus: agencies also have access to the branded content tool on Instagram which recently became a requirement for all sponsored posts on the app.

WE’LL ENSURE YOUR BRAND SAFETY:

Another perk of working with an agency like ours is that your campaign is not the first one we’ve ever done. And it’s probably not the first time we’ve worked with a brand in your niche, either. The benefit of this? Old campaigns inform new strategies! We know what did and didn’t work last time and we are constantly taking what we learned from past experiences to advise us on what steps to take next.

Agency experts also know how much an influencer is worth and they’re not going to pay more than necessary. We want to be sure that your brand is represented in the best way possible online. Once we negotiate contracts, we can create tailored creative briefs WITH our clients to make certain that all influencers are clear on the deliverables expected of them. Creating trending hashtags, outlining talking points, and advising creative guidelines are just a few of the ways that agencies know how to get the most out of their influencers. Not only that, but we also adhere to strict FTC guidelines to ensure that campaigns run smoothly.

WE’VE GOT MAJOR INDUSTRY EXPERTISE:

Influencer agencies strive to be experts in their niche marketing strategy, which means we are always up to date on all the latest news, trends, and changes within the industry. We know which platforms are the ones to use to reach specific audiences, (ahem.. TikTok + Gen Z) and we know when Zuckerberg decides to mess with the algorithm once again.

We’re not afraid of the new ‘likesless’ Instagram world we’re entering in 2020 because we’ve faced past changes, taken them in stride, and we know which insights are really the most important (spoiler alert: it’s not likes). And at the end of it all you’re left with a detailed report of the entire campaign’s performance, and insights for how to move forward with new tactics and improvements that will continue to reach goals for your brand.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get to the storytelling!