13 Jan Influencer Marketing Manager

What Does an Influencer Marketing Manager Do?

Influencer marketing is blowing up.

According to a study by Influencer Marketing Hub, 59% of marketers used influencer marketing in 2020 and 75% planned on increasing their usage in 2021. But it’s not just marketers who are growing infatuated with social media influencers—consumers love them too. A study conducted by Ipsos found that people trust recommendations from people they know or follow online more than they do commercials, and another study found that 97% of millennials trust word-of-mouth recommendations over any other form of advertising . With consumers following the advice of these social media celebrities, brands have been willing to pony up big bucks for influencer campaigns — up to $1 million for a single celebrity Instagram post, to be precise.

But as influencer marketing gains momentum, a new job title is catching on: influencer marketing manager.

So what does an influencer marketing manager do? Here at Top Influencer Marketing Agency, we compiled a list of 14 things you should know about the emerging role:

14 Reasons You Need an Influencer Marketing Manager

1. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 1: They screen and select potential brand ambassadors like social media stars.

Social media celebrities may seem like they’re omnipresent, but there’s actually only a select group who can boast impressive numbers — enough to make them viable for big-brand campaigns. The marketing manager screens potential brand ambassadors for factors like engagement rate, follower count, relevancy of posts to industry, authenticity, and more. They then reach out to offer them an opportunity to partner with the brand.

For example, when Proactiv wanted to promote their acne spot treatment ProactivMD , they identified social media influencer Megan MacKay due to her past skin care content. Similarly, when Casper wanted to launch its Dream mattress line in Europe, the company partnered with Zoella , who has nearly 10 million followers on YouTube and Instagram.

2. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 2: They coordinate collaborations between brands and social media influencers.

Once you’ve honed in on your ideal candidates for ambassador roles, it’s time to schedule their posts. Though many marketers are still making this process happen via email or direct messaging on social media—a risky move that could lose valuable time—the rise of collaborative scheduling tools makes it easier to schedule posts for multiple users at once.

For example, if a brand has 10 influencers lined up to each post on Instagram, the marketing manager might need to upload each image into platforms like Hootsuite. The tool also makes it possible for multiple users to see notes on their posts, which is necessary if a brand wants their ambassadors in sync with messaging and hashtags.

3. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 3: They create campaigns that highlight successful collaboration between brands and social media stars

Once the posts go live, it’s up to the influencer marketing manager to track their success. If brand’s KPIs include a social media following, an effective campaign would mean seeing how many followers each brand ambassador gained, along with which pieces of branded content were most popular.

For example, let’s say Brand A and Brand B each hired an Instagram celebrity for a campaign. To track the success of the collaboration, an influencer marketing manager would add both accounts to plaforms like Hootsuite and take note of engagement rate score (ER count/Follower count) and amplification rate (Impressions/Engagements). By tracking data over time and analyzing what worked best, influencer marketing managers can figure out how to make their future influencer campaigns even better.

4. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 4: They pitch and book future collaborations for clients, too!

Once a client has seen the success of an influencer campaign, they might want to work with that same social media star in the future. The blogger or Instagram celebrity might be booked months (or even years) in advance, so it’s up to the influencer marketing manager to follow up on these leads when their schedules open up. For example, if you wanted to work with Instagram celebrity on a flannel shirt campaign , the best time may not be in August because the influencer is known for posting lots of beach shots during the summer.

5. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 5: They help figure out how much money to spend on each collaboration.

Since affiliate link-based social media marketing may not be the most optimal way to attract customers, influencer marketing managers are tasked with finding the right partner to highlight brands’ products and services. But there’s no magical formula for working out just how much that will cost. It may depend on things like audience size, reach, engagement rate, audience demographics, quality of content submitted by candidates, campaign goals, budget restrictions, etc.

6. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 6: They develop creative ideas for campaigns. 

Even when they’re not working directly with social media stars, influencer marketing managers still need plenty of creativity and imagination to come up with engaging content and strategies for brands’ campaigns. This can include everything from finding new ways to engage audiences through live events like webinars  to contests , giveaways , and other activities.  It also includes developing a strategy on how influencer marketing can help grow a brand’s other marketing channels, like social media following or email marketing subscribers.

7. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 7: They use their influence to attract talent!

As influencer marketing becomes increasingly popular, more people are clamoring for a spot in the field. That’s where influencer marketing managers come in. Their existing relationships with successful social media celebrities—as well as their knowledge of best practices for this burgeoning industry—can set them apart from other jobseekers. According to Kari DePhillips, CEO of Digital Talent Agents , brands are recruiting “talent buyers” who have 10 years of experience in digital advertising and at least one major social media campaign under their belt.

8. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 8: They manage collaborations between multiple stakeholders (like art directors and agency team members)

The collaboration doesn’t end when the content is published; it continues into the future, too. Brands and influencers continue to work together by sharing retweets and likes, generating awareness for each other’s social media pages, and hosting meet-and-greets or other events where fans can interact with them in real life.

The marketing manager job won’t be complete until they’ve monitored the long-term effects after a campaign ends. They may want to see which influencers are worth working with again in the future—perhaps even on another campaign!—or which ones weren’t well suited for this brand collaboration.

9. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 9: They create reports that measure ROI

After all of this collaboration comes analyzing results. A good influencer marketing manager creates reports that measure the success of the campaign by adding up metrics like growth rates, follower gains, reach, impressions, feedback received from followers or commenters on social media posts.

10. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 10: They look for opportunities to grow the influencer marketing strategy

While reporting is an important element of their role, it’s not all that goes into managing this aspect of a brand’s digital strategy . An influencer marketing manager should also be looking ahead to what’s next—for both themselves and the company as whole. As Mrs. DePhillips says in her Forbes article , “A successful influencer marketing manager will find ways to make each campaign better than the last.”

11. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 11: They advise brands about potential changes in the industry

As noted before, this field is still relatively new. What worked for one company six months ago might not work today—or in the future. That’s why it’s up to influencer marketing managers to keep their finger on the pulse of this industry, regularly looking for new opportunities and staying current with best practices.

12. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 12: They serve as a resource both inside and outside the company

Influencer marketing managers are an integral part of every brand they serve. But because influencer marketing is still young—and because there are so many brands out there who could benefit from working with social media celebrities—they may also choose to expand beyond that scope . For example, Mrs. DePhillips says that they may advise other brands on how to develop strategies around hiring influencers , or even give talks at industry conferences!

13. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 13: They identify and work with new talent

Whether they’re working behind-the-scenes or branching out to take on a bigger role, influencer marketing managers should be the first point of contact for anyone interested in getting started as an influencer. By hosting meet and greets or launching contests, they can scout for fresh faces and identify engaging people who could make a real impact online.

14. Influencer marketing manager responsibility No 14: They consult with other departments to create win-win collaborations

The influencer marketing manager is the liaison between the company and these talented individuals. However, they don’t work alone in this role. They often collaborate with other team members to find common ground that’s mutually beneficial for everyone involved. For example, an influencer marketing manager might work with social media managers or graphic designers to develop a campaign, and then circle back around to liaise with the responsible influencers after everything has been set up.

Influencer marketing managers need to be knowledgeable about the latest campaigns. They also need to be able to create reports that prove influencers’ effectiveness in boosting brand awareness and growing social media audiences. But most importantly, they should always be looking for ways they—or the influencers themselves—can improve upon their next big project.

Why Is It Important to Have Top Influencer Managers?

Influencer marketing is a successful strategy for reaching customers, interacting with target markets, generating revenue, and increasing web traffic. Because of that, top influencer managers are extremely important in the digital marketing industry because they play a key role in establishing a brand’s credibility and fostering consumer trust. General audiences perceive them as independent, impartial sources of information, which makes them more likely to trust their recommendations. As a result, top influencer managers can help businesses generate more leads and sales. Additionally, top influencer managers can help businesses create engaging content that will capture the attention of their target audience. 

Influencer marketing is essentially a form of marketing that focuses on using key individuals to drive the message of a brand or product. The main benefit of influencer marketing is that it allows brands to reach a larger audience than they would be able to through traditional advertising methods. In addition, influencer marketing is seen as more trustworthy by consumers than traditional advertising. 

Given the benefits of influencer marketing, it is no surprise that top influencer managers are in high demand. Top influencer managers are experts who can identify and work with the right influencers to promote a brand or product. They must also be able to create effective campaigns that will reach the target audience. Top influencer managers are essential to the digital marketing world because they can help brands achieve their desired results through influencer marketing, best social media campaigns and strategies, best influencer outreach and engagement approach, and much more. 

Overall, influencer managers play an important role in helping brands reach their target audience through online influencers. They have the skills and knowledge necessary to create successful marketing campaigns, and they’re essential for anyone looking to partner with online influencers. Some of the key benefits of having and hiring top influencer managers include:

• Top influencer managers oversee all of your interactions with influencers, whether they take place within the marketing division of the brand(s) or within the many divisions of the business that utilize this channel to communicate, like recruiting or communication, for example.
• Employing top influencer managers creates long-lasting relationships with influencers following your plan to foster their loyalty and bring them together around your numerous brands and goals.
• Top influencer managers increase campaign performance because of their knowledge and ongoing adherence to new techniques and developments in the field of influence marketing.
• Top influencer managers provide brands with in-house knowledge in influence marketing to increase brand visibility and sales through influencers.

By deciding to hire top influencer managers, brands can make sure that their influence strategy is optimized and improve the effectiveness of their efforts, which will eventually benefit their company. But brands must first define the function of the influencer manager by outlining his or her responsibilities in a detailed job description before they can start preparing their recruiting.