Long-term Influencer Agency Partnerships: Building Brand Loyalty

In today's digital age, establishing meaningful connections has become more important than ever for brands. Having long-term influencer agency partnerships is a good way to build a good influencer marketing strategy and long term effectiveness for your campaigns. By nurturing these relationships, brands can engage more authentically with their target market, resulting in a more impactful digital presence.

Influencer agencies that your brand engages with in the long run can invest more time and resources into getting to know your brand. They will learn more about your brand over time, know every product by heart, and meet you frequently enough that they know what you want—which isn’t possible with one-off engagements. It’s similar to having your own Chief Influencer Officer or Influencer Team—except they are experts at their job. 

This ultimately results in a more profound, lasting impression on their audience, ultimately driving better engagement and success for your brand.

Understanding the Value of Long-Term Influencer Agency Partnerships

Building long-term relationships with influencer agencies can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Here are some benefits you can expect from working with an agency in the long term:

Creating an Influencer Community

One of the most underrated benefits of a long-term influencer agency partnership is that you can also create a community of influencers for a brand. What’s good about an influencer community is that they become your tribe—your actual consumers in the long run. 

For example, if Netflix came to an agency for a one-off campaign a month in advance just for a horror film, the agency would have to scramble to find influencers that love horror out of nowhere. If the agency knew that they were going to be managing influencers for Netflix for a year, however, then they could start accumulating influencers for horror, K-drama, reality shows, thriller, sci-fi and so on. The agency would be more prepared to strategise for their marketing campaigns.

Creating Organic and Authentic-Looking Content

In terms of content, we at Sushivid have realised that when we have ad-hoc campaigns, we cannot plan longer-term, and the influencers we choose are one-offs. The messaging becomes a lot more hard sell. However, if it is long-term, we can do a simple Instagram Story here and a longer Instagram video in a different month, making it look more organic.

Other Valuable Marketing Activities

Long-term engagements with influencer agencies also open up other opportunities for marketing. For instance, if the agency has a long-term engagement with Netflix, they can plan for offline meetups with influencers wherein they can discuss movies, organise movie nights, and plan for other engagement activities that ultimately boost the marketing campaigns. Not only will influencers and communities find those enjoyable, but the attendees can also be great focus groups for companies like Netflix.

Cost Savings

Long-term influencer agency partnerships can also bring significant cost savings. This is because influencers and their agencies love longer-term deals, so they are likely to give bigger discounts. In return, they can make fresh content and create a more stable, long-term plan. 

Also, one-off proposals are usually calculated as a percentage of the influencer’s cost. For example, if an influencer costs RM10,000 for an engagement, an honest agency would charge RM2,500 and disclose RM2,500 as its service fee. A dishonest agency, however, would charge RM15,000 and disclose only RM2,500 as its service fee. This is a constant struggle in our industry—there is a lack of transparency and so much room for markups.

When an agency is approached for a long-term partnership, a brand can ask for a fixed monthly rate. That way, regardless of the influencer’s cost, the agency cost is fixed. This creates an overall much healthier industry, as prices are disclosed properly.  

Effective Communication and Mutual Respect

Clear and open communication stands at the heart of any successful influencer agency partnership. From the outset, it’s essential to articulate your expectations, campaign goals, and key messages. This clarity ensures both parties are on the same page, minimising misunderstandings and setting a strong foundation for collaboration. Regular communication helps in swiftly addressing any issues that arise, making it easier to adapt and refine strategies to better meet campaign objectives.

By prioritising effective communication and mutual respect, brands and influencer agencies can create a synergistic relationship that benefits both parties.

Providing Value to Influencer Agencies

To maintain a healthy and productive partnership, offering value to influencer agencies beyond monetary compensation is important. Here are some ways we can add value:

1. Exclusive Access to Products or Services: Providing influencer agencies with early or exclusive access to our products or services makes them feel valued and helps in creating authentic content.

2. Involvement in Brand Decisions: Involving influencer agencies in product development or marketing strategies can make them feel more connected to the brand.

3. Opportunities for Personal Growth and Exposure: Offering opportunities for influencer agencies to grow their brand, such as featuring them in our advertisements or providing training, can create a mutually beneficial relationship.

Regularly Evaluating and Evolving the Partnership

Regular evaluations are necessary to ensure that the influencer agency partnership remains effective and mutually beneficial. Setting up periodic check-ins helps in assessing the progress of the campaigns and gathering feedback. This ongoing evaluation helps in identifying areas of improvement and recognising successes.

Adapting and evolving the relationship based on feedback keeps it dynamic and relevant. Being open to new ideas, trying different types of content, and exploring various platforms can help in maintaining the partnership’s effectiveness. Regularly updating the terms of the partnership to reflect the influencer agency's growth and changes in the brand can also keep the collaboration fresh and engaging.

Conclusion

Maintaining a successful influencer agency marketing strategy in Southeast Asia requires understanding the cultural nuances of the region and choosing the right influencer agencies to represent our brand. Building long-term partnerships with influencer agencies is key to enhancing brand credibility and fostering customer loyalty. Effective communication, offering additional value, and regularly evaluating and evolving the partnership are essential steps to ensure the longevity and success of these relationships.

You should always aim to create meaningful and lasting relationships that benefit both your brand and the influencer agencies you work with. By doing so, you can harness the full potential of influencer agency marketing and achieve remarkable results in this diverse and dynamic region.

Ready to elevate your influencer marketing strategy? Partner with SushiVid today and start building impactful long-term relationships with top influencer agencies across Southeast Asia. Let’s make your brand resonate with the perfect audience.