According to BigCommerce, 17% of companies spend at least half of their marketing budgets on influencer marketing. Furthermore, Variety reports that 60% of millennials will take advice from YouTube influencers instead of traditional media outlets. Rakuten also points out that 80% of customers have made at least one purchasing decision based on an influencer’s recommendation.
These indicators help reinforce that having an influencer backing your product or service can result in more leads & sales. One key challenge that many companies face is in finding the right influencers for the job. That’s where an influencer marketing agency can add significant value.
What Does an Influencer Marketing Agency Do?
Influencer marketing agencies connect companies and brands with all types of influencers. Some agencies focus on connection alone, and others on maintaining networks of influencers across social media platforms to facilitate positive relationships with brands. Others offer full-service influencer marketing, which means managing campaigns from start to finish. The latter covers everything from ideation to marketing campaign creation, and all while ensuring brands work with influencers that align with their core values.
Therein lies an important key.
Many organizations need help with influencer marketing because they struggle with finding influencers who authentically align with their message. Even a famous influencer will struggle to market a product they can’t genuinely connect with or showcase to their audience. An influencer marketing agency can ensure you work with the right people who can put what you do in front of the right people.
What Types of Campaigns Do Influencer Marketing Agencies Run
Assuming you’re working with an agency that manages campaigns on your behalf, there are several ways you can leverage influencer engagement to effectively market your product, including (but not limited to):
- Product Placement – The influencer uses your product or references it in a post to their followers.
- Contests and Giveaways – Your product acts as the prize in a contest, generating exposure and giving somebody a chance to try the product.
- Handling Your Social Media – In some cases, an influencer may partner with a brand to manage the brand’s social media platforms. Here, you’re leveraging the influencer’s platform expertise to grow your own social media profile’s audience.
- Creative Campaigns – The influencer creates content that reflects your brand’s core values. While your product may get advertised in this content, the real focus is on building an audience of people who connect with your mission.
The Benefits of Working With an Influencer Marketing Agency
Here are the few main reasons working with an influencer marketing agency can boost your marketing efforts:
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Saving Time
If time is money, the right agency can save you a ton of cash. Many agencies can handle a lot of the hard analytical work for you. For example, they determine campaign goals and create key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you understand performance. Many agencies research your audience for you before vetting and negotiating with influencers on your behalf.
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Platform and Audience Selection
Which is the right social media platform for your business?
It’s a tough question because each platform has different audiences and offer varying marketing possibilities. An influencer marketing agency uses its knowledge of your audience to determine which social media platforms are most likely to achieve the best results for your brand.
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Consistent Reporting
Without regular reporting, you’ll have no idea how your influencer marketing campaigns are doing. The right agency keeps track of the key metrics and KPIs to ensure you get accurate reporting that helps when making campaign decisions.
Work With a Top-Tier Influencer Marketing Agency
Choosing the right influencer marketing agency is a challenge. At Cogent World, we make it easy to overcome that challenge by providing quality entertainment marketing services. Since our founding in 2011, we’ve negotiated over 5,000 celebrity and influencer deals for more than 500 brands. If you’d like our help connecting your brand to authentic influencers, get in touch with our team today.
