Reasons Why (And Why Not) To Work with an Influencer Marketing Agency
Bookkeeping, social media, website updates, payroll, consult calls, team management, inventory, supply orders, email, email lists, marketing, invoicing, customer support, onboarding, and never-ending to-do lists- I'm sure you're triggered now, rightfully so. Running a business is a lot. Plain and simple. Business owners must be a special kind of crazy to do what they do and succeed. But what sets apart the overwhelmed business owner who doesn't have time to eat from the cool, calm, and collected business owner? Outsourcing.
In our current day and age, it's easier than ever for the average person to start a business. There are never-ending digital tools and services that make start-ups cost-effective and doable without going to college and getting an MBA or a degree in your chosen business industry. Along with the influx of new small business owners, there are now many digital products to support them in their endeavors. Automation within businesses, as well as new job opportunities for those who are computer savvy, like virtual assistants, are both ways entrepreneurs can outsource their more straightforward, repeatable (yet still time-consuming) tasks. Outsourcing and delegation are two things many business owners have a hard time with because there is a certain amount of control that they need to relinquish for it to actually take a weight off their shoulders. Without properly outsourcing and delegating to people they trust, it can make them feel like they need to be involved in every single decision and thought process along with the people they are paying to do it. This is not an effective form of outsourcing because you pay to watch someone do the work for you- which is counterproductive.
When done correctly, outsourcing is a powerful tool that allows business owners to work on their business rather than IN their business. This is what often separates business owners from being self-employed with a team. When you work ON your business, you can take steps to grow your brand. Obviously, when starting out, it's essential to be a significant part of the day-to-day operations. Still, as time goes on, you should spend more and more time creating a network of people that support your brand so that you can take time off and not be worried, grow your company, and lead your teams effectively.
Marketing is one thing that is commonly outsourced- and for obvious reasons. Marketing is a massive industry in and of itself, constantly changing and evolving. For many business owners, it can be very overwhelming to keep track of and manage all their marketing- from websites to social media and graphic design to running influencer campaigns and pushing out paid advertising- even business owners who aren't involved in the day-to-day operations have a hard time wrapping their heads around it. For those of you who are still heavily involved in your business operations, it can feel like you're drowning while handling marketing tasks.
Influencer marketing has been a big part of marketing over the last few years. Influencer marketing is a popular marketing strategy brands use to effectively reach and engage their target audiences. It involves leveraging popular media personalities' influence on their follower base to help promote a company's products and services. The influencers can be celebrities, social media personalities, bloggers, etc. By leveraging their reach and influence, companies can reach a wider audience and generate more leads and sales.
If you are considering outsourcing your brand campaign creation and management and working with a social media influencer agency, this article is for you! We're about to dive deep into all the benefits of working with an agency and whether it suits your business right now!
What would an influencer agency even do to help me, anyway?
Depending on your chosen agency, each offers a different range of services. Here at The Social Strategy, for our brands, we offer:
Brand Campaign Management
We will create, implement, and manage your brand campaign from start to finish. This includes planning, execution, finding the right influencer for your brand, deciding which channels to use, measuring the campaign's effectiveness, and managing the influencers for you.
Influencer recruiting
Suppose you have a campaign planned or an idea for your business ready to go, but you need influencers to carry out the campaign. In that case, The Social Strategy can match you with an influencer whose content, personality, and audience fits your ideal demographic. This service is also excellent for pairing you with an influencer before you develop an idea that meets your needs, and then you can base your campaign around their community.
Web Design & Content Creation
Your website’s design can make or break a deal, sale, or booking. A clean, updated, modern, eye-catching website will set you apart from the crowd. No matter what industry you’re in, having an impressive online presence is necessary in today’s world. Whether you’re a company needing a new site that better represents who you are or a landing page to monitor a brand campaign metric, we can help you create a site tailored to your needs. We focus on making sites that are user-friendly, full of great content, and aesthetically pleasing.
These three services have most of our brands covered for what they need assistance with. We also work with brands to create custom offerings if their needs fall outside these three categories. Some agencies may only offer one of these services, depending on the size of their team! At The Social Strategy, our team is well equipped to take on projects of all sizes and custom tailor our packages for each client depending on their needs. Influencer agencies are there to act as a middleman between the brand and the influencer and manage the entire campaign. The planning and execution of the brand campaign are carefully crafted so that brands don’t have to involve themselves in the nitty-gritty unless they want to. When working with an influencer agency, because it’s their specialty, campaigns can often be crafted quickly and hit the ground running sooner, with more guaranteed success. Another thing influencer marketing agencies take care of for business owners is measuring the success of the campaign that they run using key performance indicators (KPIs). After goals are established for the campaign, the agency will choose which KPIs will reflect the best measurement of the success towards those goals. Some of the questions your potential influencer marketing team should be able to answer for you are:
Which of my products or services needs promotion right now?
How long should my campaign run for?
How many influencers should be promoting my campaign?
Which influencers would showcase my product best to the intended audience?
What is my target audience for this specific campaign?
What are the goals of this campaign?
What do I do if I’m not happy with the influencers’ created content?
How will the success of my campaign be measured?
Do I have all the necessary media platforms to make sure my campaign runs smoothly?
How much do influencers get paid?
What is an engagement rate?
Why does influencer engagement rate matter?
What will influencers provide for the campaign for the compensation we agree on?
As you can see, navigating these questions as someone with little to no experience in influencer marketing can get, well, messy. A lot of times, when business owners take on campaign management, it can be unorganized because they are not well-versed in creating and managing one. And rightfully so, unless you are a marketing professional, none of this is second nature. Much of this information is new, and the influencer space is a crazy, uncharted territory full of fresh talent daily. Working with an influencer marketing agency is a great way to help your brand reach a wider audience and ensure that you see a return on your investment during the campaign with the influencer chosen for the job. An agency can help you identify the right influencers for your campaign, negotiate contracts, manage relationships, and maximize the impact of the influencer's reach. Because influencers have built relationships with their followers, they can be more effective than traditional advertising at getting the right message to the right people. Working with an influencer marketing agency is a great way to maximize the effectiveness of your brand campaigns and ensure success.
That all sounds lovely, but what are some reasons I shouldn’t work with an influencer marketing agency?
Commitment: You’re not ready to run a brand campaign
You should never do something you’re not ready to do. Maybe you don’t think an influencer campaign will help you reach your goals right now, and that’s okay. It’s important to trust your gut with things like this and not do something just because your industry peers are doing it.
Cost: You don’t want to pay for their services right now
Bottom line, working with an influencer agency is an investment, and so is running a campaign. Some would prefer to DIY their brand campaigns, this is fine, but there will be a learning curve. As long as you don’t mind a learning period and some trial and error, you may be okay with running your own campaigns.
Fraud: You don’t trust the agency that reached out to you
In our online climate, there is a lot of fraud. For every good thing social media brings, it brings one lousy thing along with it. If a company that reached out to work with you seems like a scam- it might be. Research reputable influencer agencies and do your due diligence if something is off. And remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Lack of Control: You don’t want someone else to manage the campaign
Some business owners like doing things themselves or may have difficulty trusting others to care for their brand as they do. This is understandable for most entrepreneurs; they have depended on themselves for so long that they have a hard time letting go of the reins. If this describes you, we suggest finding an agency that shows you its results and is upfront about its processes so that you feel more comfortable sitting back and letting them work their magic.
Time: You don’t have time to coordinate with an agency
Sometimes, there are just not enough hours in the day. Despite an agency taking over the heavy lifting, you will have to meet with them to start, provide feedback when asked, and coordinate during the planning process until the campaign is launched to ensure the agency has everything they need to push a successful plan live. If you feel like you can't be bothered with another task at the moment, hold off until you have a little extra time in your schedule to dedicate to fostering a relationship with the agency and chosen influencers. After all, they will represent your business and deserve meaningful interactions while establishing a relationship with the company they're about to work with.
Working with an influencer marketing agency can benefit your business greatly. They can help you reach a wider audience by connecting you to influencers with a large following and experts in their field. They can help you craft powerful campaigns by helping you create content that resonates with your target audience. An agency can help you identify the right influencers for your campaign, negotiate contracts, manage relationships, and maximize the impact of the influencer's reach. Additionally, they can provide valuable insights into the latest trends and help you track the success of your campaigns. Despite these positives, it doesn't mean working with an agency is right for your business right now. Take into consideration your goals and your reservations. Ultimately, working with an influencer marketing agency can be a great way to increase your reach, build a strong brand, and create a loyal following of new customers interested in your offerings. Still, only you can decide if you're ready to take that leap! Be curious about influencer marketing; it might just be what takes your business to the next level. Remember to trust your gut! It has gotten you this far, and that is worth celebrating.