Most D2C brands go to agencies to run influencer campaigns because they lack the bandwidth or expertise to run the campaign in-house.
But working with an agency comes with separate difficulties of its own: being overcharged is among the top of them.
D2C brands have very tight budgets for everything, let alone influencer marketing, and any wrong expenditure can hinder the direct growth of the brand.
As most D2C brands are in their growing stage, so every type of spending should be justified and value for money.
Here is how to know if your agency is overcharging you for an influencer campaign and how to avoid it.
The agency didn’t provide you with a proper breakdown of the service
If the agency doesn’t provide you with a proper breakdown of services, they will most likely overcharge you for a campaign.
Not showing a proper breakdown of the services is a sign of a poor internal system and overcharging in most cases.
So make sure to ask for a proper breakdown of the services before you move forward with the campaign.
Also, make sure to analyze it thoroughly to flag any unjustified pricing from thier end.
The agency uses too much marketing jargon
If the agency uses too much jargon and relies on the ‘secret sauce,’ there is a high chance of overcharging you.
The agency should be able to explain everything they are doing in simple terms you can understand.
The overuse of jargon is a sure sign of a lack of knowledge or resources, hence overcharging.
Research the average industry cost of influencers included in the campaign
The most common overcharging by the influencer agency is inflating the influencer’s ask in the proposal.
Most agencies do that because finding the influencer price according to the industry standard is not feasible.
And since you and the influencer have little to no contact, the agency can easily overcharge you for that.
But you can find the exact influencer ask using Qoruz, an easy-to-use influencer marketing platform that lets you view the estimated price of any and every influencer.
Using Qoruz gives you the power to eliminate an agency for overcharging and help you run a successful influencer campaign for your brand.
Evaluate the agency’s track record
If you are about to hire an agency for an influencer campaign, the first thing you should do is research their previous work.
If you can find a successful campaign run by the agency with a respectable brand, move ahead with the agency.
But if you cannot find it on your own, ask them to show it to you, as some brands want to keep it anonymous.
If the agency cannot convince you about any successful influencer campaign, it is better to find another agency, as this one will overcharge you and not deliver the results they are promising.
Analyze the plan
Once the agency has shared the plan with you, analyze it in depth and check the feasibility of the results they are proposing.
Check if the KPIs they have included in the plan match your marketing goal. Any mismatch is a sign of ignorance, carelessness, and overcharging.
Also, check that the influencers they have included in the plan match your brand niche. Influencer-brand niche mismatch can result in campaign failure altogether.
Conclusion
Influencer campaigns can drive great results, which is why many D2C brands want to include it in their marketing budget.
But most D2C brands are new to influencer marketing, and agencies overcharge them for campaigns.
That is why it is better to do your research as a D2C brand before hiring an influencer agency for influencer marketing.
But researching takes time and bandwidth, and most D2C brand lack both in most cases.
That is why use Qoruz to do your in-depth research to avoid future influencer marketing overspending.
You can also eliminate the agency and run your campaign on your own using Qoruz.
