Today, consumers from all demographics are choosing to perform product research and product discovery on social media platforms. If brands aren’t present on social media, they are missing out on one of the largest audiences among all marketing channels available.
A key to having the right presence on social media is to use an influencer marketing agency. These specialized agencies understand the nuances of each social media platform, along with trends and other factors that drive successful campaigns.
However, there are a lot of choices when it comes to choosing an influencer marketing agency. It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation, and different agencies mesh better with certain brands and industries.
In this guide, we’ll outline the key considerations to choose an influencer marketing agency that will give you the highest chance of success for your next social media marketing campaign.
All Influencer Marketing Agencies Are Not The Same
In some ways, this may seem obvious, but in other ways, the difference is often missed by brands who are new to hiring an agency.
We’re not talking about the quality of the agency but instead the type of work they do, the brands they work with, and other factors that make them a better fit for specific brands.
For example, some influencer marketing agencies work with mostly enterprise clients, and their specialty is generally brand awareness. They don’t focus directly on conversions or direct sales, which is an entirely different discipline.
So even if these corporate-focused agencies are very talented, they aren’t the best fit for D2C (Direct to Consumer) brands or e-commerce brands that want to drive web sales immediately.
Below, we’ll outline some other factors that differentiate each influencer marketing agency from one another.
1. Budget Range
Agencies vary widely in terms of pricing, and this usually reflects the scope and scale of their services. Most agencies will have minimums, which are the lowest budgets they will work with. This can range from $5k to over $100k, depending on the agency.
- Boutique Agencies – These agencies often cater to smaller brands or startups. They may offer more personalized service and focus on micro-influencers, which can be effective for niche targeting and cost-efficiency. They can also have lower minimums.
- Mid-tier agencies – These influencer marketing agencies typically serve growing businesses and can handle moderate influencer campaigns across multiple platforms. Minimums can be flexible with these agencies.
- Enterprise-level agencies – These agencies manage large-scale campaigns for global brands. These agencies usually have robust analytics, creative teams, and established influencer relationships—but they come with a higher price tag and six-figure minimums.
2. Platform Specialization
Some agencies are generalists, while others specialize in specific social platforms. Choosing the right agency often means choosing the right platform for your audience.
- Instagram-focused agencies – These influencer marketing agencies dominate the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle spaces where visuals are key. They understand the nuances of the platform and can deliver exceptional results through authentic campaigns.
- YouTube Agencies – These agencies are ideal for brands looking for long-form storytelling, product reviews, or educational content. YouTube is quickly replacing television and other traditional long-form media channels. This makes it attractive for brands of all sizes who want to reach a highly engaged audience.
- TikTok Agencies – These agencies excel at trend-driven, high-engagement content and are perfect for reaching Gen Z. These agencies also tend to have experience with TikTok Shop and social commerce sales.
- LinkedIn Specialists – These agencies are emerging for B2B influencer marketing, especially in tech and professional services. Influencer marketing started by focusing on B2C brands, but B2B is finding great success as well.
Overall, many agencies work with most social media platforms, but if you look carefully at their past clients and past campaigns, they tend to specialize in one or two platforms.
3. Influencer Marketing Industry Expertise
Some agencies position themselves as experts in particular verticals. This can be a huge advantage when it comes to understanding your audience and delivering tailored strategies. Many industries are adjacent, so you don’t always need an agency that’s 100% focused on your niche, but the closer the alignment, the better.
- Beauty & Fashion – These influencer marketing agencies understand the trends of beauty and fashion, which is critical to having success in this industry.
- Tech & Gaming – Tech and gaming are becoming more mainstream, so more agencies have experience in this industry. However, depending on your brand, you may need a specialized influencer marketing agency to properly understand your product and audience.
- Health & Wellness – These agencies are often experienced in navigating regulations and promoting authentic storytelling through lifestyle experiences.
As we mentioned, some industries and niches are adjacent to what the agency will specialize in, and that can often be enough. Just be aware of your specific brand goals and ensure the agency has a history of delivering on those goals for other similar clients.
Key Questions To Ask An Influencer Marketing Agency
Due to the importance of choosing an influencer marketing agency and the minimum budget that may be involved, you want to ask plenty of questions before making your final decision.
Below are some key questions to help you narrow down your search for an influencer marketing agency.
1. What does your influencer vetting process look like?
You’re not just buying reach—you’re investing in trust and alignment when you work with an influencer. Ask how the agency evaluates influencers beyond follower count. Do they use proprietary tools or third-party software to assess engagement rates, audience authenticity, past brand partnerships, or content quality?
Audience and influencer alignment with your brand is key to a successful campaign. Even the most creative campaign will fail if this alignment is not present. This means the vetting process is critical, and it’s more than just looking for fake followers or verifying follower counts.
2. What social media platforms do you specialize in?
Even if your brand has a strong presence on one platform, you need an agency that knows how to tailor influencer strategies to different channels. Asking this question helps clarify their expertise and whether their recommendations will be driven by audience behavior or agency convenience.
You can also investigate this area yourself when you view the agency’s case studies, which we’ll touch on in our next key questions to ask.
3. Can you show me recent case studies?
Ask for a real-world case study from the past year, complete with KPIs, benchmarks, influencer selection rationale, and post-campaign analysis. Pay special attention to how they addressed the goals of the brand and built a campaign around those goals. You’ll also want to look into how they measured success and if it was in line with what the client wanted.
4. How do you structure your pricing?
We touched on budget minimums, but agencies can vary in how they bundle services and price them. Some charge per campaign; others offer monthly retainers. Get clarity on what’s included: influencer fees, content usage rights, paid media amplification, reporting, etc.
Some influencer marketing agencies also have plans to create additional content, such as UGC, as the campaign progresses to increase reach. Make sure to understand these models beforehand.
5. How do you measure influencer marketing ROI, and what reporting tools do you use?
An experienced marketer wants data-driven insights, not vanity metrics. Ask whether the agency provides customized reporting dashboards, tracks conversions through affiliate links or promo codes, and integrates with your existing analytics software.
6. What level of brand involvement do you expect?
This is a two-way street, as some brands want to hand over control to an agency they trust while other brands want to be involved in every decision. Make sure the agency you choose complements your requested level of involvement. Whether you want to have full hands-on involvement or want to turn it over to the influencer marketing agency, find a partnership that fits that requirement.
7. How do you ensure brand safety and compliance?
With increasing scrutiny on influencer transparency, ask about their processes for FTC compliance, disclosure management, and brand safety monitoring. This is especially important in regulated industries like finance, healthcare, or wellness. It’s also just as important if you have specific brand guidelines that must be followed.
This process can include a specified approval process before content goes live or content briefs are sent out.
Final Tips For Choosing An Influencer Marketing Agency
Due to the rise in popularity of influencer marketing, there has been a similar rise in influencer marketing agencies popping up in recent years. While some of these agencies are great, others are just trying to cash in.
In some cases, these agencies have pivoted from other forms of digital marketing, such as SEO. This means they aren’t really experts in influencer marketing and are learning this new field as they go.
You want to look for a dedicated influencer marketing agency that started specifically for social media marketing. You also want a minimum of 5 years of experience, with 10 years being ideal.
Finally, you want to treat choosing an influencer marketing agency like choosing a business partner. You’re going to put your brand image in their hands, so you want to allocate enough time to perform the research necessary to find the perfect fit.
