James Massey on the five questions worth asking any influencer marketing agency, from how fees are set to how campaigns are actually run.
Here are five things I'd be asking your agency, influencer edition.
- How do you determine influencer fees?
The answer shouldn't be follower count, or simply because it's what the agent or influencer quoted. Fees should be grounded in data, guided by CPM and CPC, with clarity on how that benchmarks against the rest of your marketing mix. If it's not, you're just guessing and hoping it sticks.
- What are your average payment terms for settling influencer invoices?
45 and 60 day payment terms may sound appealing, but they're not a good look, especially when it then takes upwards of 90 days for your agency to actually settle. Talent agencies and influencers blacklist those who don't pay on time, so it's worth thinking about how that protects your brand image and influencer relationships.
- Can we approve or view negotiated influencer rates?
This comes down to whether you can actually see where your money goes. It's not unusual for the gap between allocated and negotiated fees to go unaccounted for, and if you can't get visibility on that, it's worth asking why.
- Who is leading and executing the project or campaign?
It's common for senior team members to lead the pitch and then step back once junior staff take over execution. That handover is often where strategy gets diluted, timelines slip, or the campaign ends up looking different to what was pitched. Strike the right balance of senior and junior involvement.
- How do you connect influencer marketing with the wider marketing mix?
The term whitelisting gets thrown around a lot, often without much understanding of how it actually works in practice. Review case studies and remember the real value is in the strategy behind usage rights, and when and how you leverage them across the entire marketing department.
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