Earlier this month, the Ellipses digital team traveled east to Atlanta, Georgia, along with hundreds of other social media professionals from around the world, to talk about all things social and digital media at the Social Shakeup Show.

One topic that was brought up more than any other throughout our experience was influencers.

An influencer is defined as, “a person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media.” It was only recently added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary this year.

At Ellipses, we are well versed in the world of influencer marketing (did you know we offer influencer marketing campaigns as one of our services?) and are constantly trying new, innovative ways to work with our local and national influencer partners. However, attending SSU has shown us that it’s still a very new form of marketing that many are struggling to maneuver around.   

70% of teens trust influencers more than traditional celebrities. 86% of women use social media for purchasing advice. With statistics like these, you cannot ignore influencers (no matter how much you might want to). Here is why you should hire an agency for your influencer marketing needs:

It will save you time and money

Whether you’re a traditional agency, an independent business, or a solopreneur, you’re already doing a million other things. Hiring an agency that specializes in influencer marketing can cut time and save money for your brand. Agencies free up brands to focus on other business priorities instead of the constant email correspondence with influencers. An agency can also help eliminate the need for brands to build their own influencer marketing teams or pay outrageous sums of money for influencer marketing platforms. It can be much more cost-effective to put money toward one agency than various platforms to manage each piece of influencer relations.

It will save you from working with the wrong influencers

There really isn’t a point in spending the time and money on influencers if they don’t have authentic engagement, or if their message and audience doesn’t align with your business or your goals. Agencies will provide you with a completely vetted and well thought out influencer list for your campaign. Here at Ellipses, we don’t just rely on our own expertise alone. We also use technology platforms that provide influencer stats like engagement rate, average audience age, location & income, and their true reach, which is different than their follower count. Just because an influencer may look like they are a good fit and have thousands of followers, it doesn’t mean they actually engage with and reach those followers.

You can leverage influencer relationships the agency already has

An agency that specializes in influencer marketing will already have great relationships with influencers in your area. Because the relationship is already established, influencers are much more likely to work on your campaign with far greater ease than if you blindly contacted them yourself. Building and maintaining these relationships are one of the most important things an influencer marketing agency does!

You will be able to measure influencer campaign success easier

Researching great influencers, vetting them, pitching them, keeping your conversations organized, and making sure they have all the materials they need is a daunting enough task. Keeping track of content and engagement can be even harder when you’re doing it on your own! Luckily, your agency will take that on for you, likely using a technology platform that will not only keep track of posts and stories involving your campaign but will also give you stats beyond just likes and comments. These platforms will also measure the overall impact of your entire influencer campaign like total posts, overall engagement and reach, and an estimated monetary value.

While we all know the marketing and PR world is growing and changing every day, influencer marketing is still met with skepticism. During our time at The Social Shake-Up Show, we heard several other social media professionals express that their leadership teams were not entirely convinced that influencer marketing was necessary or worth it.

Whether we like it or not, influencer marketing is worth your time and money and there are already agencies that have years of experience working with influencers to benefit their clients. Even if you don’t end up hiring an agency for your influencer marketing needs, we highly recommend you take on the challenge because influencers are here to stay!