Thinking of adding an influencer specialist to your marketing team? This post breaks down the pros, cons and alternatives to managing influencers in-house.
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Most brands we talk to are eager to kick off their influencer campaigns and we’re here for it!
The problem? People often underestimate just how big of a job influencer campaign management really is. Consider all that has to happen before you see a single piece of content:
Vetting creators. Conducting outreach. Negotiating and managing expectations.
And that doesn’t even scratch the surface.
You might be floating the idea of hiring or transitioning an employee to take on these tasks.
But would it be better to invest in a scalable influencer platform that does the work for you?
Good question! Below we break down the pros and cons of each management approach to figure out what makes sense for your brand.
An influencer specialist is an expert that runs your company's creator campaigns in-house. These specialists understand the best practices of social media and managing influencers.
Aside from being social-savvy, these specialists know how to run influencer marketing campaigns. They not only know where to find influencers but also the best ways to pitch specific brands and products to them.
An “in-house” influencer specialist is a full-time hire that manages relationships and campaigns. Their day-to-day responsibilities vary but often include:
Whew! If all of the above sounds like a full-time job, that’s because it totally is.
In-house influencer managers often act as a brand’s sole liaison to influencers. The role requires a variety of specialized skills related to social marketing. This includes pitching, campaign reporting and developing a content strategy.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing an influencer marketing campaign.
Factors such as your budget, industry and campaign goals will determine what makes sense for your business. Let’s look at the pros of cons of bringing on a full-time team member versus outsourcing to a scalable influencer marketing platform.
Many companies choose to manage their influencer marketing campaigns completely in-house. This approach is popular among startups and businesses with dedicated influencer marketing budgets that want to maintain total creative control of their content.
In-house influencer marketing is definitely a double-edged sword.
On one hand, the right hire can speed up your influencer management process and free up tasks for the rest of your marketing team.
On the flip side, you’re putting a ton of responsibility on one person. Not to mention you’re making a big investment with no guarantees when it comes to content or campaign results.
For reference, Glassdoor notes that the base pay for an influencer specialist is ~$48,000 annually. Then, take into account additional costs such as shipping or having to pay for database software. These tools can cost up to $2,000 per month. Think about how far you could stretch that budget with a scalable platform.
Let’s assume your company has outgrown the DIY approach but you aren’t sure if an in-house specialist is a smart move.
Consider how a scalable influencer marketing platform can help.
Scalable platforms (like Statusphere!) do the legwork of matchmaking, product shipping and managing relationships with influencers for you. In short, your campaigns are managed and streamlined from start to finish.
If you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of creative control, the time saved can be huge with a scalable platform. You don’t have to think twice about outreach, negotiating or shipping, either.
This hands-off approach to influencer management doesn’t just benefit your business, though. It also empowers influencers to post quickly, efficiently and on their own terms. You can get your products into the hands of a specific target audience faster.
Oh, and platforms like Statusphere also guarantee content unlike an influencer marketing agency or in-house specialist.
Note that you’re paying specialists for their time spent reaching out to and coordinating with creators. The same applies if you hire an influencer agency. How much content you get is tied directly to your budget and their success rate during outreach. You’re paying for time versus content which means your ROI is really up in the air.
If nothing else, scalable service providers have experience building campaigns. They know what instructions to give creators to nail your brand's goals.
The end result is authentic, meaningful content that you can promote time and time again.
Building a successful influencer campaign requires experience and a track record of working with creators.
While an in-house influencer specialist can provide that expertise, they can only do so much.
If you want to run campaigns with confidence, outsourcing to a scalable platform is the way to go. Doing so will yield better results and allow your marketing team to focus on their own efforts.
Statusphere has run countless campaigns generating thousands of pieces of influencer content. When you work with us, you also work with our handpicked network of vetted content creators.
Our approach helps brands save the most time possible on their campaigns. That’s because we handle everything from creator matchmaking and fulfillment to tracking results. Want to learn more about how the process works? Get in touch with one of our consumer-to-consumer marketing specialists to see how we can get more people posting about your brand ASAP.
This article was first published in November 2018. It was last updated August 10, 2022.
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