Guide to Finding the Right Influencer Marketing Agency

The power of the right Influencer Marketing agency is simply beyond belief. Aside from being highly customizable, it can expand to an endless audience. In a generation where almost everybody looks up to a favorite social media influencer or two, a single Instagram story or Facebook post can immediately shoot up sales—even for unknown brands.

If you are a business owner who looks forward to working with profit-driving Influencer Marketing agencies, you have come to the right post. In this post, we will share the top tips and key tricks on how to master and win in the Influencer Marketing game, as well as help guide you through finding the right Influencer Marketing agency.

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Key Components to Look For In the Right Influencer Marketing Agency

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of Influencer Marketing, it is crucial to partner up with an agency … and we’re not just saying that because we are an agency. If you do not have the skills and knowledge to manage your business’ marketing affairs, if you struggle with the idea of coming up with strategic Influencer Marketing concepts, if you are not connected with influencers and know how to properly vet and contract with them, then it’s a smart decision to hire an Influencer Marketing agency. But, those reasons are just the tip of the iceberg.

Be warned! Agencies are everywhere and there are too many of them to count. You may feel overwhelmed upon knowing what are the available options, but always choose the agency that works best for you. Being assisted by the right Influencer Marketing agency can be a game changing experience. Do not be shy. Feel free to actively exercise your right to be picky.

There is no hard and fast rule in finding “The One.” However, there are certain indicators that we think good Influencer Marketing agencies should manifest.

Experience In Creating Effective Influencer Marketing Campaigns

Experience is not only the best teacher, it is also the best indicator of a superb Influencer Marketing agency. You may ask, “What kind of experience should I exactly look for when researching my options?” Marketing is about creating campaigns. As such, when looking for an Influencer Marketing agency, you should take into consideration their experience in creating effective campaigns that involve influencers.

While shopping around, ask potential agencies the following questions:

How long have you been managing Influencer Marketing campaigns?
What sets your campaigns apart from other people in the industry?
How do you launch creative and unique campaigns?
Why are creative and unique campaigns important to you?
Do you have examples of past campaigns that achieved massive ROI and exceeded expectations?
Do you have client testimonials?

You’ll want an agency who not only delivers results, but also has the drive and determination to hone in on your campaign goals and create a campaign that will help you achieve exactly what you have in mind (and maybe even beyond what you planned).

Data-Driven Approach to Campaigns

Creating campaigns is the primary job of Influencer Marketing agencies. What differentiates an excellent Influencer Marketing agency from a poor Influencer Marketing agency is the effectiveness of its campaigns. Campaigns are effective if they can attract customers. A data-driven approach to marketing makes campaigns effective because it is based on the analysis of the types of content and visuals your target audience prefers.

While researching potential agencies, ask the following questions:

How does your agency measure campaign metrics?
Are you using reliable software measuring tools?
How do you define specific Influencer Marketing terms (e.g., impressions and reach)?
Why do you think metrics are important?
How do you deliver the data and stats?
How soon after a campaign is completed will I receive the metrics report?
What is included in the metrics report?
Do you have a template of the metrics report so that I can see what is included?
If I have other metrics I want you to include in the report, will you be willing to accommodate those requests?
How do you determine whether or not a campaign was successful?

It’s time to take a good hard look at how agencies track metrics. Yes, times they are a-changin’ thanks to APIs, metrics tracking platforms, and engagement (to name a few). But, now it is more important than ever to get stats in order to set campaign goals and prove ROI. You’ll want an agency that places a strong emphasis on metrics and understands the importance of stats tracking.

Strong Relationships with Influencers and Clients

Influencers are the backbone of any Influencer Marketing agency. After all, influencers are called influencers for a reason. A positive comment from an influencer can keep old customers and attract new customers. Conversely, a bad comment from an influencer can keep away existing and new customers. For this reason, you should choose an Influencer Marketing agency that maintains strong relationships with influencers.

While considering your options, ask potential agencies the following questions:

How many influencers are in your database?
What influencers niches do you include in your outreach?
Do you have a diverse list of influencer options?
Are you willing to go outside of your network to find the right influencers?
What do some of your influencers say about your agency?

Of course, an Influencer Marketing agency should also keep strong relationships with their clients. The best way to know if an Influencer Marketing agency is good or not is to talk with their previous clients. A previous client who had a pleasant experience with the Influencer Marketing agency would normally say nothing but praises.

Flexibility and Adaptability

The world is always changing. Most oftentimes, the changes are unpredictable. Nonetheless, you should be ready to quickly adapt to the changes if you do not want to miss out. Partnering up with an Influencer Marketing agency that is not afraid of changes and knows how to appropriately and quickly respond to changes is an excellent way to stay on top of the game.

Do you feel that the best way to promote your product is through an exceptional customer experience? To give you an example of adaptability, we want to share a little bit about our Head & Shoulders campaign that we managed in 2020—yes, the year of the pandemic.

When we originally launched the campaign, it was all about having influencers invite their friends over for a fun girls’ night in. The influencers were going to be given the product to share with their friends. Well, COVID-19 reared its ugly head and we immediately had to adapt and change with the trying times.

Instead of having friends over for a girls’ night, we turned the table and changed the campaign into a virtual spa night. Everyone was in desperate need of TLC during the pandemic and we figured women would love a virtual spa night. By practicing safety, the influencers dropped off spa goodie bags at their friends’ houses and then hosted a virtual spa night with their friends. The campaign was a success because it still gave the influencer and their friends first-hand experience with the product all while making the best of the situation and creating a fun *virtual* night in with friends.

When trying to find the right agency, ask the following questions:

What if something happens and we need to switch things up?
How willing are you to be adaptable?
Are you flexible with our needs?
Are you willing to accommodate our needs and address our concerns?
What if the influencers don’t like the product? How do you handle those issues?
What if negative feedback starts to show up (whether in the content shared or in reader/follower comments)? What will happen?

You’ll want to work with an agency that is open to change and ready and willing to be adaptable.

Familiarity and a Long-Standing History with Social Media Platforms

Do not limit yourself to one social media platform. Sure, Facebook has millions of users. We all know it is a great place to market your business. However, you should also consider other people who rarely or never use Facebook, but who are on other social media platforms, such as Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. Look for an Influencer Marketing agency that is both familiar and maintains a long-standing history with social media platforms and knows how to maximize them to your advantage. At Forward Influence, we’ve been doing Twitter Parties for the past 10 years. That’s right, most would consider us dinosaurs in the world of social media.

Want your business to be the talk of the town? Check out our various services to help your business grow. We know the ins and out of social media platforms, as well as how to make the most of campaigns on various social media platforms. Find an agency that has that type of passion and know-how to drive your campaign forward and push the boundaries while achieving your goals.

When trying to figure out if agencies are familiar with social media platforms, ask the following questions:

Does the agency have a presence on social media?
What types of social media platforms does the agency use in its campaigns?
Does the agency keep a finger on the pulse of current social media platforms, as well as up and coming social media trends and tools?
How does the agency stay informed about the do’s and don’ts of social media?
Does the agency practice FTC-compliance on social media?
Does the agency perform quality assurance checks to ensure social shares are FTC-compliant?

Having a strong familiarity with social media is key in the Influencer Marketing agency world. It’s also important to have sponsored posts be FTC-compliant, so make sure the agency is on point with the FTC rules and regulations.

Knowledge of Platform Trends

You should choose an Influencer Marketing agency that is not only familiar and has a long-standing history with social media platforms, but also holds immense knowledge of platform trends. Anyone would want their product to be seen anywhere on social media, right?

Influencer Marketing is growing faster than ever. With the increase in the use of influencers as a marketing activation, Influencer Marketing strategies are increasingly changing as well. Just taking a look at this last year, new platforms quickly rose to the top of our social space, changes in social algorithms influenced yearly benchmarks, and movements in cultural trends called for change socially and politically.

When trying to determine whether or not an agency knows about platform trends, ask the following questions:

What are current trends that are happening in the industry?
How do you use current trends in campaigns?
What trends do you predict for the future?
How do you stay current with trends?
How likely are you to adapt with the new trends?

Influencer Marketing will continue to have exciting, new platforms to embrace and new platform features to include in Influencer Marketing plans. It’s important to find an agency that stays in the know about upcoming trends and can get creative on how to use the trends to the brands’ advantage.

Broad Range of Influencers and Options

Do not go for an Influencer Marketing agency that limits the number of influencers you can work with or the options from whom you can select. Remember that the more influencers you enlist in your campaign and the more campaign techniques you apply, the more effective your campaign will be.

With no signs of slowing down, Influencer Marketing will continue to grow along with the number of influencers in the social space. With 2.5 billion+ monthly active users on Facebook, 1 billion+ monthly active users on Instagram, 800 million+ monthly active users on TikTok, and 330 million+ monthly active users on Twitter, the numbers will only continue to increase. Those incredible stats are filled with countless influencers who are ready and willing to represent your brand. So, how can you identify the right influencers for your brand?

When searching for an Influencer Marketing agency, ask the following questions:

How many influencers do you have in your network?
How do you go about finding and vetting influencers?
Do you have examples of influencer work on past campaigns?
Do you have examples of influencers who would be a good fit for my brand?
How many influencer options do you typically provide?

You can blindly choose influencers based on their followers and engagement. That’s always an option. But, to really achieve high ROI, you’ll want to dig deeper and find influencers who truly represent the look and feel of your brand. In doing so, the content the influencer produces will be authentic since the brand fits the influencer’s lifestyle and image. The last thing you want to do is simply work with an influencer who has a high reach but doesn’t match your product or service. That mismatch can possibly do more harm than good and waste both time and money. Instead, working with the right influencers (maybe even influencers who have lower reach) will help you reach your desired audience in a more effective approach. An Influencer Marketing agency will help you find the right influencers.

Fair and Ethical Strategies

Marketing is a profit-making scheme, but it does not have to be dirty. Working with a transparent and honest agency pays off in the long run. After all, this kind of relationship is built on trust and mutual growth. Also, associating your brand or business with an honest company will help build positive self-image and brand awareness.

Here are the questions to ask when considering fair and ethical strategies:

Are you transparent with your clients?
Are you transparent on social media?
Do you observe honesty with your clients?
Do you practice fair and ethical strategies?
Have you ever been in trouble in regards to ethical strategies in campaigns? If so, how was the situation handled?

Over time, consumers have grown to be more meticulous and conscious with their purchases. Products and services that are endorsed by unethical personalities and/or brands tend to get canceled easily. It’s important to do your due diligence prior to signing up with an agency.

Interactive Following

You can decide on what Influencer Marketing agency to contract with by looking at their followers. Following is a crucial factor in digital marketing because it is a strong indicator of the type of niche a certain group of people looks for based on the content shared. Just like influencers themselves, the agencies have different audiences. Thoroughly investigate the demographics of your chosen agency and assess if the same is compatible with your intended audience.

Ask potential agencies the following questions when diving deeper into their following:

Who typically follows your content on social media?
Do you hone in on brand loyalty?
Do you share relevant information and topics?
Is your following engaged with the content shared?

Mention emphasizes how important brand relevance is. Consumers identify with products and companies that reflect their lifestyles. Most of the time, consumers develop an essence of loyalty to the brand. If brand relevance is properly played, interested consumers will be redirected to the selling company and more engagements could happen.

Key Components to Know Before Working with the Right Influencer Marketing Agency

Influencer Marketing agencies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. If you look hard enough, you might find one that is tailor-fitted to suit your needs. Some agencies specialize in long-term marketing while others are good at triggering sudden spikes in market demands. When you are on the hunt, do not hesitate to ask questions. Discuss what you want to happen. Be clear with your vision and disclose any foreseeable issues and/or concerns.

Before you proceed to work with the Influencer Marketing agency you selected, take note of the following:

1) Understand their influencer community.

Find out what type of influencers they work with and if they are in line with your values.

Do they have the influencer(s) who can deliver your messages?
Does the agency have influencers from a specific age range or target ethnicities or niches?

2) Know how they find and vet influencers.

Learn more about the influencer vetting process to see how the agency can provide influencers who are a great fit for your brand.

How does your agency vet the right influencers for your campaign?
Do they also factor in inclusivity?

3) Understand the process.

Do not be afraid to ask questions about how the work will be performed.

How does the agency select the influencers?
How does the agency ensure that the campaign messages are correctly delivered?

4) Discuss the different services and strategies they offer.

Do not hesitate to talk about the social media platforms they will utilize and how they will be compatible with your business.

What strategies will be put in place to drive results?
What platforms will be used and why?

5) Share expectations.

Figure out whether or not the agency’s expectations are aligned with your expectations.

Do you want to boost your sales and/or drive awareness?
Do you have a specific target you want to reach?

6) Review the organization and systems.

Know the persons behind the Influencer Marketing agency.

Are they trustworthy?
Do they exceed client expectations?

7) Get a feel for what clients say about them.

Read testimonials both on the agency’s website, as well as on Google searches.

Does the agency have a good reputation?
Are they easy to work with on campaigns?

Wrap It All Up

In summary, there are several aspects to consider before finding the right Influencer Marketing agency and trusting that agency to do its job. While there is no perfect way to succeed in Influencer Marketing, remain persistent and resourceful. By following this guide on how to find the right Influencer Marketing agency, “The One” agency will eventually come along and help revolutionize your brand.

What do you look for when choosing an Influencer Marketing agency?

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Posted in Creating an Influencer Marketing Campaign, Influencer Marketing Tips, Influencer Marketing Trends and tagged Influencer Marketing, Influencer Marketing Campaigns