Influencer marketing is one of the most talked-about marketing strategies available to brands—and for good reason. Influencer marketing has proved itself to be an impactful method of raising brand awareness, building communities, driving sales and more. But, it has to be done correctly. You need to use influencers who are relevant to your brand and niche; failing to do so can be detrimental for your brand. Working with an influencer marketing agency can ensure influencers chosen for your campaigns align to your messaging, values and will be a positive brand ambassador.
Debating whether influencer marketing is a necessary strategy for your brand isn’t an option anymore. You need to be using it or risk being left behind your competitors.
So, what are the steps an influencer marketing agency takes to ensure influencers chosen are authentic and within your budget?
The first step an influencer marketing agency will take in searching for authentic and affordable influencers is to completely understand your given brief. This kind of seems like an obvious one, but if an agency doesn’t fully understand exactly what you want in terms of content and regions, they won’t be able to accurately create an estimated budget.
Once a clear brief has been outlined, they can begin the hunt for influencers. Influencer marketing agencies have access to influencer databases and platforms that the average brand won’t. This gives them a larger potential pool of influencers to sieve through, ensuring the influencers chosen are right for your brand, and ensure you get the most bang for your buck.
Often, people think working with influencers is expensive, but an experienced agency has practice in negotiating prices that work for both parties. Having worked on hundreds of influencer marketing campaigns before, agencies know how much content should cost based on audience and engagement. If they notice an influencer is asking for more than expected, they will either negotiate a new price or find an alternative.
Another reason influencer marketing agencies are so successful in finding authentic influencers is because they take the time to completely understand your brand. Knowing who your brand is from the inside out, influencer marketing agencies are able to make executive decisions on whether an influencer is the right fit.
Influencer marketing agencies have rigorous vetting processes for influencers. Not only will they assess your typical social media metrics (engagement, audience demographics, follower count etc.), but they will assess an influencer’s tone of voice, previous brand partnerships and conduct general desk research to find out if an influencer might be a PR risk for your brand.
The vetting process of influencers can take a significant amount of time—something you may not be able to dedicate if you keep it in house. The initial pool of influencers will be huge due to the fact influencers are now available in all sizes, on all platforms, in all niches. Narrowing this down isn’t an easy feat.
When an influencer marketing agency has found a group of potential influencers that they think will be a good fit for your brand (and you have approved each one) they’ll begin to reach out and start the conversation. If all goes well, an agreement will be made and the campaign can begin being brought to life!
If you’re looking to integrate influencer marketing into your overall marketing strategy, partnering with an influencer marketing agency is the best way to ensure success. From finding authentic and relevant influencers to negotiating pricing to briefing and reporting, an agency will handle all the heavy lifting so you can focus on other aspects of your business.