Brands that have gotten the hang of influencer marketing make it look easy. They’ve found the right people to post about their products and services. Those posts end up getting lots of likes, comments, and other forms of positive attention. Then there’s your brand. You’re not sure where to start when it comes to influencer marketing. But you’ve got an inkling that you’re going to need to find some influencers to work with. Enter influencer talent agencies.
Like talent agencies that work with actors, writers, and musicians, influencer talent agencies form partnerships with influencers. The agencies help influencers find partnerships and gigs. They can also help brands navigate the influencer marketing waters. Influencer talent agencies put brands in contact with influencers with proven track records of engagement with their audiences.
What Are Influencer Talent Agencies?
Influencer talent agencies represent influencers. That means that they find promising social media or digital influencers and enter into contracts with them. Often, talent agencies work with the biggest, most expensive influencers, rather than micro-influencers.
The reason for that is because the agencies typically take a portion of the earnings of the influencer. Averages fall around 10 percent.
Some influencer talent agencies only represent influencers and don’t offer other services. A few provide more to brands and marketers. For example, a talent agency might also help a brand develop its influencer marketing strategy. Others might provide assistance putting together social media ads. And some might also offer some help putting together the posts and components of an influencer marketing campaign.
Finally, some influencer talent agencies also provide software to the brands and marketers who work with them. Influencer marketing software can help streamline the process of putting together a campaign, tracking the results, and communicating with influencers and other team members.
Benefits of Working With an Influencer Talent Agency
Why should your brand work with an influencer talent agency? For a few reasons. One is that it helps to simplify the process of finding the “right” influencer, which is usually one of the biggest challenges marketers face.
For brands looking to work with big-name, “celebrity” level or macro-influencers, partnering with an influencer talent agency can be particularly useful. Without someone acting as a go-between (in this case, the influencer’s agent), it can be difficult to get the attention of a popular influencer.
Agencies that offer a wide range of influencer marketing services offer additional benefits to brands and marketers. Along with helping your brand find and connect with the right influencer, a full-service agency can also help you create campaigns, put together a strategy, and get your entire influencer marketing program off the ground.
Are There Other Ways to Find Influencers?
You don’t necessarily have to work with a talent agent to find influencers. In some cases, the influencers available from an agency might be beyond your budget. In other cases, it might be that the influencers who have contracted with an agency aren’t the type of influencers you want to work with.
Other ways of finding influencers include using an influencer marketplace or platform. Marketplaces don’t represent influencers the way agents do. Instead, influencers are invited to sign up for the marketplace, and create profiles that show off their experience, social platforms, and subject areas.
While agencies typically only represent macro or celebrity-level influencers, you’re likely to find influencers of all levels on a marketplace. In some cases, talent agencies let influencer platforms list their rosters of influencers, so you can get the same connections, plus more, using a platform instead of an agency.
Additionally, some marketplaces are also full-service influencer marketing platforms. Along with connecting you to relevant influencers, they also help you put together your campaigns, and provide expert advice when it comes to developing strategy.
What to Look for in an Influencer Talent Agency
If you are going to work with an influencer talent agency, there are some things to keep an eye out for. When you’re doing your research, pay attention to the following:
The influencers represented by the agency.
Some agencies focus on particular niches or subjects, such as fashion or sports. Others work with influencers in a wide range of subject areas.
Who the agency serves.
When you work with an influencer talent agency, are you the client or is the influencer the client? There’s an important distinction. If the influencer is the client, the agency is going to work to make sure the terms of the contract and the campaign are tilted in their favor. But if your brand is the client, the agency should make sure that your needs and expectations are being met.
What services it offers.
If you’re just looking for influencers, that’s one thing. But if you need more assistance with influencer marketing, it can be useful to find an agency that offers a full suite of services.
How flexible the agency is.
As your company grows, it’s likely that your influencer marketing needs will change. Some agencies can scale their services to meet your needs, while others offer just one thing, meaning you might need to find a new company to work with as your needs change.
The agency’s track record.
What companies has the agency worked with in the past, and can you see examples of the types of campaigns it has put together, as well as the results from those campaigns? How long has the company been in business, and what type of experience does its team have with influencer marketing?
Working with an influencer talent agency can help your brand find the perfect influencers for an upcoming campaign. But it’s important to make sure that the agency meets all your needs and can offer exactly what you’re looking for in an influencer marketing company.
