When working with an influencer marketing agency, you have to be able to trust them. This is a new area of marketing that hasn’t been around very long. How can you tell if an influencer platform is legitimate, trustworthy, and has what it takes to achieve the results you’re looking for?
Influencer marketing agencies
The first thing to consider when choosing an influencer marketing agency is their experience. What kind of influencer campaigns does the company have experience with? Ideally, you want to choose an agency that has a proven record of success in executing campaigns with businesses in your niche.
If you do decide to go with a firm that is newer, be sure to ask for an outline of their plan to manage your influencer campaign as well as how they plan on selecting the influencers taking part. In addition, notice how the agency handles its influencers. Do they maintain a healthy relationship between the influencer and the brand? The dynamic between the two is key to a successful campaign.
Your brand should also take note of how involved they would like to be in the process of choosing an influencer. This will make it easier to choose the right agency for your needs. No matter how involved you are, it’s vital that the agency remains transparent.
Pricing is another variable you have to take into account. The influencer marketing agency you choose ought to have a clear structure that will allow your brand to comprehend any fluctuations, giving you the power to plan your budget accordingly. It’s also a good idea to check up on how the agency approaches FTC compliance.
Measuring the effectiveness of the campaign is crucial. Without analytics data, you’re in the dark with regard to how well your influencer campaign is doing. So, learning everything you can about how an agency manages its analytics data should be a significant factor in your selection. Your brand ought to inquire about calculations relating to reach and engagement once a campaign has been completed.
What about cross-channel competency? While no agency is going to be great at everything, any agency you choose should be active on multiple platforms. Having proven experience and competency across all the major social media platforms and maybe some minor ones, too. The most active platforms include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Other platforms account for a smaller share of user activity, but can also be important. Ask an agency about smaller sites like TikTok, Vero, or Minds and see what they have to say.
You can also look at how the influencer agency differentiates itself from others. What makes it unique? How do they stand out? Most of all, how can their unique approach and experience benefit your brand? You’ll find that agencies like Grin answer important questions like these quite well.
Types of influencers
An influencer is loosely defined as someone who has a large social media following and can influence consumers to have a positive disposition toward a particular brand. There are several different categories that influencers fall under.
Celebrities play a big role in our culture. They signal what’s trendy and the topics they talk about tend to get publicity. Celebrities are the most obvious type of influencers.
Another type of influencer is journalists. By informing us about current events, they have the power to shape how we view things to a significant degree. What journalists are publishing content about makes up a big part of what is considered relevant in the public share from day to day.
Thought leaders are also influencers. They use a multi-channel approach through consulting with companies, writing thought-leadership articles, or speaking on panels. Influencers often use apps like tagboard, too. Many other kinds of influencers like reporters and journalists look to this kind of influencer for their unique perspective and expert input of a situation or issue. Brands are getting more creative with the way they implement this kind of influencer into their marketing. Online classroom service Udemy, for example, invites specific influencers to teach its specialized courses.
In short, you want to choose your influencer marketing agency with careful consideration. And from there, you will have to choose further what types of influencers will work best for your brand.