By the end of 2024, brands will spend a whopping $35.09 billion on influencer marketing globally, and it is projected to reach $56.28 billion in 2029.
Instagram is currently the third most popular social network worldwide after Facebook and YouTube, so it is an indispensable platform for reaching your target customers:
Instagram influencer marketing is no longer a new trend. It became an integral part of many brands’ social media strategies. Social media influencers and content creators can help you reach your target audience successfully.
For example, one of our clients, cold-press juicer brand Hurom, partners with relevant influencers to showcase its products on Instagram.
In fact, this strategy helped Hurom increase ROAS by 2.5x while also decreasing its CPAs by 65%.
Ready to build your next campaign? Get in touch with our influencer agency in New York City
TL;DR
- Popularity of Instagram Influencer Marketing: By 2023, brands are projected to spend significantly on Instagram influencer marketing with millions of brand-sponsored posts. Instagram is the 6th most popular social network, making it crucial for brand outreach.
- Challenges of In-House Management: While influencer marketing is not new, the evolving social media landscape has made in-house campaign management challenging. Benefits of hiring an agency include their expertise, time-saving, cost-efficiency, and dedicated resources.
- Influencer Marketing Agency vs. Platform:some text
- Platforms help find influencers based on various criteria and offer analytics.
- Platforms might have limited data, require brands to manage all communication, and have a higher risk of unethical influencers.
- Agencies ensure a deeper, more tailored connection and vet influencers for authenticity.
- Factors to Consider:some text
- Industry Experience: Agencies should have a track record in your industry.
- Pricing: Top agencies offer clear and upfront pricing.
- Testimonials: Look for client feedback and sample campaigns.
- Content Strategy: Though they rely on influencers for content, agencies should have a robust content presence on their channels.
- Channel Competency: Agencies should have diverse experience with all Instagram content formats.
- Data-driven Approach: The right agency should be equipped to measure campaign ROI using various tools.
- Guaranteed Results: Established agencies can promise specific outcomes like engagement and traffic.
- Conclusion: As this type of marketing continues to grow, selecting the right Instagram influencer marketing agency is paramount. Brands should be thorough and consider the factors mentioned for the best results.
Why Choose an Influencer Marketing Agency?
With more than 64 million Instagram influencers worldwide and the evolution of social media platforms, it became challenging to manage campaigns.
To get the most out of the campaign, brands have to build an extensive in-house team of influencer marketers, invest time and resources to select and connect with the right influencers, and manage the campaign.
If you are a small or medium business with limited resources, you can certainly benefit from outsourcing your influencer marketing services to an agency, and here is why:
You get access to the agency’s expertise and know-how.
Influencer platforms and agencies and experts in their field because they spend their entire time connecting to influencers and managing campaigns.
Most people who work in these agencies are experienced social media marketers and have many successful influencer marketing campaigns behind them. S
ome of them can be influencers themselves or have their own social media marketing consultancy agencies.
They keep up with the latest trends and know what makes an influencer marketing campaign successful for every niche.
Pro tip: Influencer marketing agencies can spot the signs of influencer fraud, fake followers, and strange behavior.
If you're not sure how to kickstart your campaign or what you want to achieve, pick a full-service influencer marketing agency.
Influencer marketing agencies will save you time and money.
If you decide to manage your campaign in-house, you will spend a considerable amount of time researching, selecting, and contacting influencers who are a good fit for your brand and are within your reach.
This research can take days or weeks – you will have to find contact information, track the influencers you’ve contacted, and vet the influencers.
Warning: Influencers are not like big brands with vanity phone numbers on their website – finding their contact info can take hours and days at a time.
By comparison, a solid influencer marketing agency will find relevant influencers quickly.
They'll also check these content creators have engaged audiences, use the social channels your audience is on, and understand different creative strategies.
Here's another thing:
Managing influencers, explaining the details of the campaign, setting goals, and building relationships is an ongoing full-time job.
The amount of resources you would have to deploy translates into the real cost, which is usually higher than paying an agency.
The agency takes over research, communication, and relationship management.
Basically, it does all the heavy lifting so your digital marketing strategy can get you good results.
An Influencer Marketing Agency vs. an Influencer Marketing Platform
An influencer marketing platform is designed to help marketers find and select influencers based on various criteria, including your target demographic, keywords, number of followers, etc.
Influencer platforms offer campaign analytics to guide your influencer selections, like engagement rates and fake followers. Some also have tools to manage relationships with influencers and measure the ROI of your campaigns.
Plus, you can have access to millions of influencers that create high-quality content.
However, platforms have some limitations:
- The data about influencers is limited. So the metrics you see may not offer full information to qualify an influencer for a specific campaign.
- Platforms simplify the process of searching and contacting influencers. But brands have to take care of the entire communication process with selected influencers. So you still have to structure the campaign, build influencer relations, and tackle any pitfalls that happen along the way.
- When using an influencer marketing platform, you are at a higher risk of collaborating with influencers who use unethical practices. Agencies work only with reputed influencers and can spot those with fake followers easily.
Truth be told, influencer marketing platforms are best for small-scale campaigns without a high level of engagement and strict guidelines for brand messaging.
Agencies are better for performance marketing because they connect influencers with brands based on your marketing goals.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an Instagram Influencer Marketing Agency
Now, the part you're actually here for:
1. Agency Expertise
If you want to reap the benefits of influencer marketing, pick an agency with expertise in your niche.
When choosing an agency, make sure that it has a history of successful campaigns for clients in your industry.
For example, micro influencer marketing is such a specific niche area that the agency must have relationships with the right network of creators and experience working in your domain.
Let's say you are a direct-to-consumer brand that wants to launch an influencer marketing campaign to advertise a new clothing collection. In that case, you should avoid agencies that only work with tech brands or automotive.
Look for agencies that work with a diverse portfolio of industries, specifically yours. Ask about influencers who are the right fit for your brand, not just by areas of interest but also by their values and personalities.
2. Pricing
Best influencer marketing agencies in Paris or any other location have a straightforward and transparent pricing structure. They have nothing to hide and never refuse to share their pricing upfront with potential clients.
They value their clients’ time and want to avoid wasting it on communication if they cannot afford their services.
3. Testimonials
A professional agency will have multiple testimonials from happy clients, including the results they delivered.
Dig into their client history and review samples of work they’ve done to ensure that they are the right partner for you.
Find out whether they have a client portal to ensure your communication with them will be efficient and productive enough.
Doing due diligence on an influencer marketing agency is no different from any potential partner.
4. Agency’s Own Content Strategy
Unlike content agencies, influencer marketing agencies rely on influencers for content creation.
However, they should still have a content strategy. Check out their website, blogs, social media channels.
Do they demonstrate expertise?
It is normal for an influencer marketing agency not to be present on every single social media channel. However, on those where they have a presence, they should post valuable content regularly.
5. Channel Competency
The best Instagram influencer marketing agencies have a rich history of Instagram influencer campaigns.
Their portfolio must include all content formats present on the platform, including stories, IGTV, in-feed videos, and photos.
Ask for case studies and look at their conversion rates. Also, ask whether they have long-term campaigns or just short-term ones.
6. Data-Driven Strategies
Besides Instagram analytics tools, multiple agencies offer data to track performance metrics and analyze the campaign’s success against goals. So if the influencer marketing company states that they are unable to measure your ROI, it is not the right agency for you!
7. Guaranteed Results
What results can the agency guarantee to you? They include deliverables, such as the number of pieces of content, the volume of traffic to your website, engagement, etc.
What solutions does your brand have if the agency doesn’t deliver the results? For most agencies, it would be challenging to guarantee sales. However, a reputed influencer agency can guarantee specific outcomes such as engagement, web traffic, and true views, especially if they have high-quality influencers.
8. Localization
Localization is crucial for brands working with influencers in different regions. Ensure the agency understands your target markets and can tailor influencer marketing efforts to resonate with local audiences. They should be able to manage influencer relationships across various cultures and regions.
9. Communication
Effective communication is vital for any successful partnership.
Choose an Instagram influencer agency with a dedicated team that prioritizes clear, consistent communication. This helps in aligning influencer strategy with your business goals and ensures that both parties are on the same page throughout the campaign.
10. Timeline
A well-defined timeline is essential for achieving campaign goals.
The agency should provide a detailed plan outlining key milestones and deadlines, ensuring the timely execution of influencer posts and overall campaign management.
11. Quality Control
Quality control ensures that the content meets your brand's standards.
Even digital creators who are well-versed in social media can sometimes produce content that doesn't meet your standards.
The agency should have rigorous quality checks in place to maintain the integrity and consistency of the engaging content produced by influencers.
12. Detailed Reporting
Comprehensive reporting is critical for evaluating the success of influencer marketing efforts.
Look for an agency that offers detailed reports on key performance metrics such as audience engagement, follower counts, and conversion rates, helping you measure ROI effectively.
13. Creativity
An agency's ability to generate innovative ideas is one of their core competencies and is vital for creating impactful campaigns. Their creative team should develop a custom strategy that aligns with your core values and business goals, ensuring the content stands out and resonates with your audience.
14. Network of Influencers
A strong network of influencers is a major asset. The agency should have access to a diverse pool of influencers, leveraging influencer search tools to find the best fit for your campaign. This network should span various niches and audience sizes to meet your specific needs.
15. Services
The agency's range of services should cover all aspects of social media influencer marketing, including content marketing, channel management, and influencer partnerships. They should also offer solutions for both short-term advertising campaigns and long-term influencer relationships.
Final Words
Instagram influencer marketing is here to stay.
So brands will need more and more skill sets to take advantage of it. To save resources, more brands start to rely on Instagram influencer marketing agencies to launch and manage their campaigns.
Choosing an agency can be challenging as one may look like the other.
Consider the factors outlined above to help you filter your list and select the best Instagram influencer marketing agency that will deliver strong results.
Alternatively, schedule a free strategy call with us. We'll discuss your Instagram marketing needs and help you set up the entire process.
