Influencer Marketing: Reasons You Need to Hire An Influencer Manager for Your Brand

“A trusted referral is the holy grail of advertising” - Mark Zuckerberg.

Today, brands consider influencer marketing as an indispensable and invaluable strategy to grow both your brand’s audience and sales. However, it is not enough that you find the right influencer that is tailored fit to your business needs; you need to have an influencer manager as well.

Influencer marketing strategies may fall short of achieving their targeted goals and objectives if they are not complemented by an experienced advertiser. For that reason, marketers have created a unique and special position of influencer manager to specifically address that purpose. Currently, influencer management may seem like a new concept. To many employers, it sounds like a relatively new job title—so much so that it has created a new vacancy in the job market. However, the demand for such individuals has grown. Keep in mind, however, that the novelty of this profession comes with many responsibilities, and many may not be up for the duties the job entails.

But before we go into the nitty-gritty details of why your brand or business may need an influencer manager, let us first define what one is and what their unique functions are.

WHAT IS AN INFLUENCER MANAGER?

In a nutshell, an influencer manager handles all of the influencer campaign processes. This means that they are in charge of seeking out which influencers to pitch and partner with and taking that same process all the way through the completion of a campaign. At the outset, it may look very straightforward. However, there is a myriad of things involved in just a single campaign. That said, influencer managers take care of the additional workload of browsing hashtags, reviewing analytics, and ironing out contract details.

The workload is a lot, and it can quickly add up. With that in mind, it can be very beneficial for a brand to have a dedicated professional manage the entire influencer marketing campaign.

So, do you need an influencer manager?

Below are some of the signs that you may need to partner with one:

SIGN 1: There is always something pushed to the back burner

Brands often make the mistake of considering influencer marketing as a supplemental campaign to their existing advertising campaigns. As a result, they tend to overlook their influencer marketing strategy and would only check on it from time to time. However, by the next time you check, it may already be too late.

Keep in mind that venturing into the world of influencer marketing means that your company’s workload can increase exponentially. This is because there are new responsibilities and work tasks involved—so much so that these can easily pile up and be a lot for employees to handle. To lighten the workload of your employees, your brand could benefit from a designated influencer manager. This is especially true if you notice that your existing employees are pushing aside their original responsibilities and putting them on the back burner to accommodate influencer campaign tasks.

SIGN 2: No one is making sure you are within legal boundaries

Navigating the waters of influencer marketing should also mean that you are well-versed with the legal boundaries of your campaign. While it is an excellent strategy to grow your brand and build awareness and reach, it can be quite dangerous if no one is paying particular attention to your campaign's legal boundaries. To avoid any legal snarls that may land you in hot water, be sure to have a dedicated person on your team to work on influencer campaigns day in and day out—this includes reviewing the legal limitations and boundaries of the campaigns you have launched.

SIGN 3: The process is disorganized

Regardless of what campaigns you are running, it is imperative that each and every one of them is organized. Needless to say, staying organized is a pivotal part of managing influencer campaigns. There is a myriad of aspects involved, and if you split the workload among several employees, you will potentially be missing important information. That said, cultivate an environment of communication where clear correspondence is paramount. Make sure that your team members and influencers are on the same page. That said, the importance of communication cannot be stressed enough, as, without it, the process may fail, and the campaign content produced may not be up to your standards.

SIGN 4: You wish to scale your marketing efforts

There is a likely chance that you have been getting decent results if you have been running your influencer campaigns for a while. Now that you have been seeing the results you wish to see, you may be looking to scale your efforts to increase your reach even further. Indeed, this kind of growth may bring benefits to your company, but it can also put extra strain on your current marketing employees. Once you make the decision to expand your brand’s influencer network and campaign size and the relationships that they have already established, know that this will take a lot of resources and a lot of planning to engender.

If you have checked any of those signs, then it may be a clear indication that your brand is in dire need of an influencer manager whose job is to take over your influencer marketing campaign. Alternatively, if you do not wish to hire just one person for the job, you may want to consider outsourcing the position to a full-service influencer management agency.

REASONS YOU MAY NEED AN INFLUENCER MANAGER AS A BRAND INFLUENCER

On the other side of the spectrum, brand influencers may also need the assistance of an influencer manager. You may think that you can handle everything by yourself, but you stand to benefit from hiring one to take care of other responsibilities for you. In fact, influencers who are under management can earn a lot more from brand deals, collaborations, and projects. All successful influencers and content creators have someone managing them. Influencer managers can come in many forms; they may be part of an agency agreement, a talent manager, or simply be the result of a cordial relationship with a trusted friend or relative who can handle the business side of their brand.

Keep in mind that influencer managers are key to bigger brand deals and better compensation as they will be negotiating on your behalf. That said, they know how much you should be earning for the type of work you do. Also, these professionals have invaluable and indispensable industry experience, which will enable them to give you much-needed advice and guidance.

So, if you are a talent or brand influencer thinking of seeking the assistance of an influencer manager, below are compelling reasons why you may need one:

1.) Receive greater compensation and better deals

One of the primary purposes of an influencer manager acting on behalf of their talent is to negotiate the terms. Apart from knowing just how much brands are willing to pay to collaborate with you, they can ensure that you will not be short-changed or exploited.

Moreover, they will guide you through the process when you are initially approached by brands. This means that they know what the contract you are signing entails, what brands can expect when they work with you, and how much your compensation will be.

2.) Connect with industry leaders

If you are a brand influencer just starting out, chances are you have no established connections. For that reason, you will need the help of an influencer manager as they have a myriad of connections. If you wish to expand beyond the content you are currently making, such as venturing to music, business, or art, they will be able to connect you with the right people. In this way, you do not need to navigate these new unexplored industries alone.

Apart from that, you will have access to plenty of events and networking opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to you if you are not under an influencer manager.

3.) Get industry expertise

While some influencers have a pretty good idea of how the industry works, their knowledge may fall short of the full scale it involves. An influencer manager knows just how the industry operates, which can be helpful as brands and businesses may try to use your lack of experience to exploit you. With a competent and experienced manager on your side, you will get much-needed advice on how to navigate the industry as well as how to improve your craft and manage your workload.

4.) Devote more time to your craft

Let us face it, you are in this industry because you love what you do, which is to create content. However, if you are handling all the aspects of your career, you may soon find that you do not have enough time to be producing content. An influencer manager can help you there as their primary job is to focus on the business aspects of your career. As a result, you can devote more time to the creative aspects of your job.

BOTTOMLINE

Whether you are a brand influencer or a business looking to partner with an influencer manager, know that it comes with many benefits.

Many may not be too thrilled about the time, effort, and cost associated with hiring a new employee solely for the purpose of influencer marketing. However, in these changing times where digital marketing is where it is at, you may want to consider working with them to handle each step of the campaign process.