August United vs Shane Barker

Why brands look at two different influencer agencies

Brands searching for help with creators often end up weighing August United against Shane Barker’s influencer services. Both aim to connect companies with the right voices online, but they show up very differently in style, scope, and typical client fit.

Before choosing, you probably want to know who handles what, how they work day to day, and which one fits your budget and in‑house skills. You’re also likely wondering how much help you’ll get beyond just finding influencers.

Influencer marketing agency choice

The primary theme here is a simple one: influencer marketing agency choice. You’re trying to decide which partner will actually move the needle for your brand, not just produce pretty content or vanity metrics.

That means looking beyond surface claims to understand how each team plans campaigns, works with creators, reports results, and fits into your overall marketing stack.

What each agency is known for

Both names come up often when brands research outside help for creator programs, but they have different reputations and strengths. Knowing that shape upfront makes decisions much easier.

What August United is generally known for

August United is commonly seen as a full service influencer marketing agency focused on larger, structured campaigns. They tend to emphasize end to end management, from strategy to reporting, often for national or well funded regional brands.

Their public case studies lean into polished creative, multi channel campaigns, and ongoing creator relationships. They often work in close partnership with in house marketing teams that expect detailed plans and formal reporting.

What Shane Barker’s services are generally known for

Shane Barker is widely recognized as a marketing consultant who also provides influencer marketing services. Instead of a big agency footprint, the model leans more toward expert led strategy, training, and tailored campaign work.

Brands often reach out to his team when they want one on one guidance, education, or help tying influencers into broader content, SEO, and social media efforts, rather than a massive done for you engine.

August United for brands

Think of August United as a larger, structured partner for brands that want someone to own the whole influencer program. Their offerings usually span every step of a campaign.

Core services you can expect

While specifics depend on each contract, services from a full service shop like this often cover:

• Campaign strategy and creative direction
• Influencer discovery and vetting
• Outreach, negotiation, and contracting
• Content planning across channels
• Campaign management and scheduling
• Performance tracking and reporting
• Long term creator relationship building

Many brands lean on them not only for execution, but for thinking through how influencers align with product launches, seasonal pushes, and brand positioning.

How campaigns are usually run

With a full service agency, campaigns tend to follow a structured path. You’ll work through discovery, strategy, influencer shortlists, creative concepts, and approval milestones before content goes live.

Expect clear timelines, project managers, and defined deliverables. For many brands, that structure reduces stress and keeps internal teams from getting bogged down in details like contracts or approvals.

Relationships with creators

August United typically emphasizes curated creator communities and long term partnerships. They’re likely to bring back the same creators for multiple waves when fit and performance are strong.

That stability can help content feel more authentic, since audiences see familiar faces talking about your brand over time instead of one off mentions.

Typical client fit

This type of agency often attracts:

• Mid market and enterprise consumer brands
• Companies with clear budgets for paid creator work
• Teams that want done for you execution
• Marketers who need formal decks, reports, and approvals

If you have bigger budgets, cross channel needs, and complex internal stakeholders, this style of partner can take a lot off your plate.

Shane Barker’s consulting-style services

Working with Shane Barker’s team often feels closer to hiring a specialist consultant who can also help you execute, rather than a traditional large agency arrangement.

Core services you can expect

Service mixes will change by brand, but they often include:

• Influencer strategy tied to overall digital marketing
• Brand audits and opportunity mapping
• Influencer research and selection help
• Campaign planning and content ideas
• Hands on guidance during outreach and negotiations
• Training or support for in house teams

This setup often resonates with brands that want to understand the “why” behind each move instead of outsourcing everything behind the scenes.

How campaigns are usually run

Engagements are often more flexible and collaborative. Instead of fixed templates and rigid steps, you might co design the process based on your internal strengths and gaps.

Some brands lean on this team heavily in the early stages, then gradually take on more of the daily tasks as they gain experience and confidence.

Relationships with creators

Because the approach is often more hands on and strategic, you may spend more time talking about fit, quality, and long term value rather than just reach or follower counts.

This can be helpful if you want your brand values to stay front and center, or you’re wary of misaligned partnerships that could feel off to your audience.

Typical client fit

Brands that gravitate toward this style often include:

• Growing companies wanting expert guidance
• Teams building their first serious influencer program
• Marketers who like to stay closely involved
• Brands wanting influencer work tied closely to SEO and content

If you prefer learning, co creating, and building in house knowledge, this path can be appealing.

How the two agencies differ

On the surface both help with creators, but the shape of the relationship and day to day feel can be quite different. It helps to think about scale, style, and expectations.

Scale and structure

August United typically operates like a more traditional agency with specialized roles, defined teams, and project management layers. That structure suits large campaigns, multiple regions, and complex client organizations.

Shane Barker’s service model behaves more like a boutique partner or consultancy. You may feel closer to the senior expert guiding the work rather than navigating big agency layers.

Focus of the work

Full service agencies usually focus on building and running large campaigns, sometimes across paid, owned, and earned channels. The emphasis is on execution plus outcomes.

A consultant led team may put more attention on underlying strategy, education, and helping you integrate influencers into content, SEO, and broader digital marketing plans.

Client experience

With a larger agency you’re likely to see detailed decks, clear timelines, and a team managing many tasks behind the scenes. Your time is protected, but you may feel less involved.

With a consulting forward partner, expect more direct contact with senior experts, frequent feedback loops, and deeper involvement in daily decisions and tradeoffs.

Pricing and engagement style

Both work as service based partners, not software subscriptions. Costs depend heavily on scope, timeline, and the level of support you need.

How full service agency pricing usually works

A partner like August United often builds custom proposals based on campaign goals, channels, number of influencers, and content volume. Expect a mix of agency fees and creator costs.

Engagements may be structured around single campaigns, multi month retainers, or annual programs, with fees covering strategy, management, and reporting.

How consultant-led pricing usually works

For a consulting style arrangement, pricing may mix flat project fees, hourly consulting, and campaign management costs. Smaller tests or audits are sometimes possible before committing to larger work.

Influencer payments, content production, and ad amplification will usually be scoped separately, so you can see where your money goes.

What drives cost up or down

Regardless of partner, main cost drivers stay similar:

• Number and tier of influencers you hire
• Platforms in play, like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube
• Content formats, from simple posts to full video shoots
• Length and complexity of the campaign
• Amount of reporting and optimization expected

It’s smart to walk in with at least rough budget ranges, so partners can right size recommendations.

Strengths and limitations

No partner is perfect. Each approach brings clear advantages and tradeoffs you should weigh against your team’s reality.

Strengths of a full service influencer agency

• Handles most of the heavy lifting for you
• Can scale up large or multi wave campaigns
• Often brings refined processes and reporting systems
• Good fit if you need to coordinate across departments

A common concern is whether big agencies will feel too rigid or slow for fast moving brands.

Limitations of a full service influencer agency

• May require larger minimum budgets
• Processes can sometimes feel formal or slower
• You might feel removed from direct creator relationships
• Less room for hands on learning if you want in house skills

Strengths of a consulting-style influencer partner

• Closer access to senior expertise
• More flexible, educational working style
• Easier to tailor to your existing team structure
• Helpful if you want influencer work tied tightly to SEO and content

Some brands quietly worry that a boutique partner might not scale with aggressive growth or enterprise needs.

Limitations of a consulting-style influencer partner

• Less suited to massive, always on campaigns
• You may need to keep more work in house
• Results depend heavily on your team’s follow through
• Internal bandwidth becomes a bigger factor in success

Who each agency is best for

Thinking in terms of “fit” rather than “better or worse” makes this decision much easier. Different brands simply need different types of support.

When a full service agency is usually the better fit

• You manage a consumer brand with national reach or big growth plans.
• You have budget set aside for professional creator work.
• Your team is stretched thin and needs execution help.
• You want structured plans, polished reporting, and clear timelines.
• You expect to run multiple campaigns across the year.

When a consulting-style partner is usually the better fit

• You want to learn how influencer marketing works, not just outsource it.
• Your brand is growing and needs smart, senior guidance.
• You have teammates who can handle some tasks with support.
• You care about integrating influencer content with SEO and social.
• You’d like more flexible scopes or staged engagements.

When a platform like Flinque makes sense

Not every brand needs a service focused partner. If you enjoy managing campaigns yourself and want more control, a software platform may fit better.

Why some brands choose a platform instead

A product like Flinque is built as a platform, not an agency. It’s meant for teams that want to:

• Discover and evaluate influencers on their own
• Manage outreach, briefs, and deliverables directly
• Track performance inside a single system
• Avoid larger retainers or agency management fees

This option can work well if you have at least one person ready to own day to day campaign tasks in house.

When a platform may not be enough

If you lack internal bandwidth, don’t have experience negotiating with creators, or need high level creative direction, relying only on software can feel overwhelming.

Many brands end up blending approaches over time, starting with an agency or consultant, then moving some work onto a platform as they grow more confident.

FAQs

How do I decide which type of influencer partner I need?

Start by listing your goals, timelines, and internal bandwidth. If you want someone to manage everything, lean toward a full service agency. If you want to learn and stay involved, a consulting style partner or a platform may be better.

Can smaller brands work with influencer agencies?

Yes, but expectations need to match budget. Some agencies focus on larger spends, while consultants or boutique partners may be more open to leaner, focused tests with fewer creators and tighter scopes.

How long should I plan for an influencer campaign?

Most brands should plan several months from strategy to reporting. That includes time for discovery, contracts, content creation, approvals, posting, and measuring results after content goes live. Longer programs often perform better than one off pushes.

What should I prepare before talking to any agency?

Have clarity on your budget range, target audience, core products, timelines, and past creator experiences. Examples of content you like, must have brand notes, and internal approval rules will also speed things up and improve early proposals.

Is it better to build an in house influencer team?

Owning everything in house can work, especially for larger brands, but it takes time, hiring, and systems. Many companies start with agencies or consultants, then gradually shift some responsibilities internally as skills and confidence grow.

Conclusion

Choosing the right influencer partner is less about labels and more about fit. You’re weighing how much help you need, how involved you want to be, and how complex your campaigns will become over time.

If you want polished, large scale execution with structured processes, a full service agency is usually the safer path. If you value expert guidance, flexibility, and learning, a consulting style partner may be the right call.

Teams that enjoy hands on work and want tighter cost control might prefer starting with a platform like Flinque, building skills, then layering in outside help when needed.

Match your choice to your goals, budget, and appetite for involvement, and you’ll be far closer to turning creator partnerships into steady, reliable growth.

Disclaimer

All information on this page is collected from publicly available sources, third party search engines, AI powered tools and general online research. We do not claim ownership of any external data and accuracy may vary. This content is for informational purposes only.