- Business Insider is launching a list of the top influencer-marketing agencies and creator marketplaces.
- We want to hear from you on which companies have been the most innovative and impactful in the industry.
- Please submit your ideas through this form by March 12.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more content.
Influencer marketing is big business, with brands projected to spend $15 billion in the category by 2022.
Many of those dollars will flow through influencer-marketing agencies or creator marketplaces, a subsection of the industry that connects brands with the thousands of online creators earning a living on social media.
These firms facilitate all different types of social-media ad campaigns, matching brands with world-famous creators and up-and-coming influencers alike.
Last year, the influencer marketing agency BEN helped connect the video game company, Electronic Arts (EA), with YouTube star David Dobrik for a sponsored Lamborghini giveaway video and social-media campaign to promote its new game, "Need for Speed: Heat."
"In less than 24 hours the Lamborghini gifting video received over eight million views and hit the No. 1 trending spot on YouTube," Ricky Ray Butler, BEN's CEO, told Business Insider.
Influencer-marketing agencies also work with smaller creators to help them get noticed and win business from brands.
The influencer-marketing startup, Heartbeat, helped Dunkin' hire hundreds of nano-influencers - those with fewer than 5,000 followers - to promote its new Beyond Sausage Sandwich in November of last year.
"People who don't necessarily consider themselves influencers can have a place to kick off their influencer career," Brian Freeman, Heartbeat's CEO, told Business Insider. They can "tell a brand story that is authentic and not mired by the idea that they see their Instagram as a monetization opportunity."
From supporting the business of influencers with millions of followers to creators just getting their start, influencer-marketing agencies and creator marketplaces are central players in the fast-growing industry. These companies are separate from talent agencies (like WME, UTA, and CAA), which generally serve as an overall representative for an influencer, instead of connecting them with brands on a project-by-project basis.
Business Insider is putting together a power list of the top influencer marketing agencies in the space. The list will be determined by Business Insider based on our reporting and the nominations that we receive, and will take into consideration factors like reach, effectiveness, and impact on the influencer business as a whole.
We want to hear from you. Which influencer marketing agencies and creator marketplaces are innovating and driving growth in the industry?
Please submit your ideas through this form (or below) by March 12: