With all this information around what influencer marketing is, how much it costs, and how to write a good brief, it can be very easy to put influencer marketing in the “too hard basket”, and instead, rely on an automated marketing platform to do the job for you.
And while there are some benefits to using a third-party influencer marketing platform, like Tribe or Hypetap, there are also some key considerations to be aware of. As an influencer marketing agency, we often get asked by our clients whether it’s the best option for them, and so here are a few Pros and Cons we respond with, based on our extensive experience:
PROS
Influencers Come to You, You Don’t Have to Go to Them
One of the key selling points of influencer marketing platforms, is that influencers come to you, you don’t have to go to them. Influencer marketing platforms allow brands to post jobs, and influencers will then respond to their brief if they feel they are the right fit for the campaign. Overall, this can help brands eliminate the time required to research and contact influencers individually.
Budgets Are Indicated Up-Front
Regardless of whether you are looking to do a paid or contra influencer campaign, influencer marketing platforms allow you to be up-front about the budgets involved, from the outset. From an influencer’s perspective, this is a great for them as they know exactly what budget you have to work with. And from a brand’s perspective, you can manage how much each influencer will charge when they accept the job, and not have to spend time going back-and-forth with media kits, rate cards, etc.
Funds are Held Until the Work is Delivered
Finally, another important pro about using a third-party influencer marketing platform, is that the funds are held by the platform until the work is delivered to a satisfactory level. In this instance, it removes any niggly conversations around payment timelines, and also means you don’t have to awkwardly chase up influencers again and again. These platforms also allow you to preview the influencer’s proposed content before it goes live, so it means that both of you can be happy with the final product before publication and payment.
CONS
You May Not Find the Right Influencer for Your Brand
There are hundreds of thousands of influencers in the world, and unfortunately, not all of them use influencer marketing platforms. The downside of using a platform for your campaign, is that you may not find the right influencer who aligns with your brand or style. In addition, due to the transactional nature of these platforms, there isn’t much of an opportunity to actually create a relationship with each influencer; and thus, it’s difficult to get their buy-in to your product/service offering, and brand ethos overall.
Influencers Can Work for Multiple Brands at a Time
Influencer marketing platforms are an easy and simple way for influencers to connect with brands, build their social profiles and make money. However, on these platforms, there is nothing stopping them from responding to (and working with) multiple brands at one time. So, if you’re exploring influencer marketing platforms, be aware that some may be working with your competition, or alternatively, working with as many brands as they want…which can really impact how authentic and genuine their review of your product/service is.
You’re Completely in Control (which isn’t always a good thing!)
Most companies who tend to choose influencer marketing platforms, do so as it allows them to not have to out-source the content creation work whilst still keeping them in the driver’s seat the whole time. However, being in control of managing this social side of your marketing strategy can be incredibly time consuming. Even though the platform is automated, you are still required to write briefs, set scope and budgets, select the right influencers, review submitted posts, provide edits and feedback, and manage fees…all of which are a large chunk of work, which the marketing team may not have capacity to execute.
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Overall, at Agent99, our recommendation is to find an influencer marketing agency who can provide all the services of an automated platform, in a more bespoke way. All brands deserve a thorough, well-executed influencer strategy that can help boost your social presence, sales and enquiries, as well as establish meaningful connections with your target audience for the long run.
To learn more about Agent99’s influencer marketing services, please contact us at info@agent99pr.com
Agent Emilie
