An agency of record (AOR) is an agency authorized to purchase advertising time or space on behalf of a company with which they have a contractual agreement. Traditionally, the AOR model encompassed services like brand strategy, creative, and media placement, but it has evolved to include a broader range of services such as digital marketing, web development, and influencer marketing.
The AOR model offers advantages such as effective strategy implementation, clear ownership of projects, long-term partnerships, and campaign execution.
Now that you understand this basic definition, let’s discuss the top five reasons why you need an influencer marketing AOR in 2024.
1. Brand Continuity
Brands must maintain a consistent image and experience across all channels for cost-effectiveness, marketing success, and ultimately, revenue growth. Having an agency of record helps you with an always-on strategy — across all your other marketing and PR efforts — and incorporates influencers from the very beginning.
Key ways that an agency partner can help with continuity include:
- Save time and money. A partnership with an influencer marketing agency allows brands to work more efficiently by reducing or eliminating the time required to research, identify, vet, and manage a group of bloggers/influencers. Influencer marketing agencies have the right institutional knowledge and infrastructure in place, offering a better and more efficient way to manage relationships with influencers. They also have the experience to spot fake influencers and remove that risk from the equation.
- Streamline processes. Instead of the messiness of having your PR agency reach out to an influencer and then your marketing team execute campaigns, an influencer marketing agency streamlines every communication to truly build ambassadors and get the right messages to them.
- Impact business outcomes. At its core, and when done right, influencer marketing creates loyalty. Whether you’re looking to increase sales, drive website traffic, or sway public opinion, influencer marketing is a business development function. Having an agency allows you to do this strategically and with a long-term vision.
2. Unparalleled Expertise
An influencer marketing AOR works 24/7 in the influencer marketing world. And most have been in the industry since the beginning and deeply understand its rapid growth trajectory. There is no substitute for that level of experience and insight.
A change in the algorithm or a new trend? With an influencer marketing agency on board, you can pivot upcoming campaigns quickly without losing time or money.
While some agencies and networks tout their large networks of influencers, it’s imperative to know that the agency you’re engaging with has a unique understanding of each individual influencer’s preferences, strengths, and specialties. The right agency can leverage its relationships for reduced rates and quick turnaround times.
If your agency doesn’t use their experience to save you time, money, and stress, find another partner.
3. Full Strategy and Creative Approach
Agencies will have a talented and dedicated team of social and content experts, along with campaign leaders, with experience specific to influencer marketing. This team of specialists can deliver out-of-the-box creative ideas specifically targeted for your products and that can build on one another month after month, year after year.
With an agency, you’ll benefit by working with a diverse group of influencer-focused individuals who understand how to create a successful idea because, after all, it’s the idea that sells, not the product.
But beyond creative execution, an influencer AOR already has a vetted and proven roster of successful influencers, ready to launch your next campaign. One of the biggest challenges for brands in launching a successful influencer marketing program is managing their network of affiliates and influencers. Agencies not only take the guesswork out of that process, but they manage it on your behalf.
4. Turnkey Service
When you work with an agency, you gain access to resources that you simply don’t have in-house. This includes managing all incoming influencer requests, reaching out to perspectives, and cultivating those relationships for the long term. No more having one agency do press trips and one handle paid media. Good agencies handle it all so you know the strategy behind each person and what they’re bringing to the table.
When you hire an agency that specializes in influencer marketing, you’re gaining a partner with a deep, fine-tuned understanding of running a successful sponsored content campaign. Brands can weigh in on the aspects of the campaign most relevant to their direct role: key messaging, coverage pacing, and key performance indicators, for example. Ultimately, turning over the reins to an experienced influencer marketing agency means that someone else will handle the minute but important details, such as blogger negotiations, product shipping, giveaway rules, managing bloggers’ adherence to the coverage deadline, disclosure compliance, and hashtag use — to name a few.
Having an agency means you have an on-call partner to oversee all related program management, implementation, and reporting.
5. High-Quality Evergreen Content
Content is the key to influencer marketing. But marketing and PR content must seamlessly integrate with your existing marketing strategy. Much of the high-quality brand content that influencer agencies and the influencers themselves create for your campaigns is evergreen content to repurpose for future marketing purposes.
Influencer agencies will also already know the types of content that particular influencers produce. They will know which influencers need more agency creative input, and which influencers perform best when left to their own creations. This is invaluable knowledge to ensure campaigns are on time and as effective as possible.
This also ensures that you create campaigns that get noticed. Influencers have a pulse on the creative direction of the times, and can pivot very quickly. Influencers and agency creatives can produce the most eye-catching graphics, compelling text, and attention-grabbing video content possible.
5 Reasons to Choose Steller As Your Influencer Marketing AOR
As we’ve just covered, an influencer AOR provides tangible and impactful benefits to brands. But not all agencies are created equal or are worth your investment. Without further ado, here are four reasons Steller is the right agency for your brand.
1. We’re Experienced
Our roots as a travel publisher go back to 1999. We then added a social and blogging team in 2012 and hired a content creator and social media thought leader as our Vice President.
We have been instrumental in shaping the industry and are the only influencer marketing agency focused exclusively in the travel industry.
This experience allows us to have first-hand access to some of the most influential people in the space, along with the ability and know-how to determine influencers from socialites, what you should be paying for and what you can get for free, what will take your business to the next level, and what will have you left behind. We understand your industry better than any other agency and know how to launch campaigns to achieve your goals.
2. We Stretch Your Dollars
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to influencer marketing, but it all starts with a compelling idea. At Steller, we stay at the forefront of social media and influencing trends so we can strategize campaigns that will capitalize on trends and buzz while seamlessly aligning with your current and future marketing efforts.
This means we can conceptualize custom campaigns to meet your needs, all within your budget. While many agencies spend in excess, we always respect and optimize your budget.
Digital and social content is constantly evolving and brands are too, so we keep clients tuned into the types of content that will soak up the likes and shares while leveraging the ideal audiences and strategies for them. From offline meet-ups and events to IGTV and interactive blog posts, influencer marketing isn’t an IG billboard/commercial. We prefer to set up a yearlong strategy that allows your brand to capitalize on influencers throughout the year so your brand is always top of mind with the right consumers.
3. We Prioritize Personal Relationships
Finding the right influencer goes well beyond their follower count and engagement rates. There’s an undeniable human component to influencer marketing that makes it all work.
We’ve been partnering with influencers and content creators on travel and lifestyle brand campaigns since 2012 and have developed deep and personal relationships with each and every one of them. We know their strengths and weaknesses. Their preferences and quirks. We know what resonates with their followers and what will fall flat. We also know their true rates, turn-around times, and ability to exceed specific KPIs to help your business prosper.
This means you don’t just have a transaction or episodic engagement, but can cultivate mutually beneficial and long-lasting relationships with your influencer partners. And with this deep knowledge of our influencers and their followers, you can have more trust that your campaigns will work.
4. We Offer Leading Technology and Reporting
We use best-in-class third-party reporting so you have no doubt that you’re partnering with a true influencer, who can hit your exact target market and deliver on content needs. Our reporting is detailed and insightful, getting into the nitty gritty of why something worked or didn’t. We then A/B test and optimize content for the best results and ROI.
Don’t trust agencies who keep the data hidden. You need to know — and have easy access to — the insights that determine program success and opportunities for improvement.
5. Our Influencer Academy
Finally, our Influencer Academy is a community of content creators leading impactful influencer marketing campaigns, creating content through a business-focused lens, and further amplifying Steller’s current and future initiatives. The academy provides clients with a professional pool of creators that consistently deliver value and in-the-know expertise. And it provides community and collaboration for successful influencers.
Ready to see for yourself? Let’s discuss your brand and how we can take your influencer program to the next level.
