INFLUENCER MARKETING 101: AGENCY VS. PLATFORM
what's best for your brand?
EPISODE 69
When choosing to run an influencer marketing campaign, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of using an agency and using a platform. Brands should consider all aspects of each route to determine the best option for their unique brand and desired outcome.
Agency: for bigger, more curated campaigns that need to ensure brand safety
Agencies are a better fit when influencer campaigns are more curated and complex, and may have a component of risk. Agencies have the experience and time to effectively navigate barriers for brands and can lead them strategically to their goals. They work directly with creators to vet and educate them on your product or service and ensure your message resonates with their audience. Working with an agency will also give you access to big-name influencers that have a lot of power in the space, effectively hitting the audience size of thousands of micro-influencers while avoiding the amount of risk that comes with them. If you have a long-term marketing strategy and a bigger budget, working with an agency is your best and safest bet.
Platform: for smaller, straightforward campaigns that require less budget
Using a platform is best when your brand has a specific need for influencer, separate from a long-term marketing strategy. When your objective is to market messaging that is static and repeatable, a platform is perfect because it has the ability to quickly populate thousands of micro-influencers to get the message out. This works best when your team has internal knowledge about influencer, and someone is able to monitor the automatic campaigns to avoid brand risk and ensure alignment across partnerships. Although this takes more time, using a platform is the most cost-efficient way to run influencer campaigns. If you’re low on budget for influencer and want to test multiple verticals quickly, a platform is your go-to.
Key Takeaways
There is no right or wrong choice. Each option has pros and cons depending on your brand’s marketing objectives.
If you’re looking to make a deeper connection in the influencer realm in alignment with a long-term marketing strategy, it may be best to go with an agency. But if you already know your way around the industry and have a simple message to get out, you can skip the extra budget and in-depth analysis and use a platform.
There is always the option to try both and see what works best for you! Sometimes brands need to test both options to feel confident in knowing what works best for them.
Certain objectives require a multi-faceted strategy that can require the use of a mix of micro and macro influencers. In that particular case and a few others, using an agency in addition to a platform can work quite well, as long as there is clear communication from all parties.
Check out the full video for more insights on this topic and please reach out with questions or comments!