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Agency comparison · Updated August 13, 2026

Fresh Content Society vs SmartSites: Which to Pick

Two broad digital agencies that both offer influencer marketing as a side service, one anchored in social, the other in search and web build. If creators are genuinely your campaign, the honest answer is that neither is a specialist.

Short answer: pick Fresh Content Society if social is the centre of your plan and influencer sits inside it. Pick SmartSites if you need SEO, paid search and a website built first. Or pick Flinque if influencer is the actual job, because neither of these specialises in it.
4.9/5 across 2,000+ reviews10M+ verified creatorsUsed by Vodafone, Hyatt and Abbott
The 5-second answer

Which one is right for you

Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.

Choose Fresh Content Society if

  • Social is the core of your marketing
  • You sell a B2B or complex-consideration product
  • You want paid and organic social run together

Choose SmartSites if

  • You need SEO, paid search or a website first
  • Your growth problem is discovery, not social
  • Influencer is a minor part of a wider digital brief
Free, no card

Choose Flinque if

  • You want to find and vet creators yourself with no sales call
  • You want flat published pricing you can start free
  • You want to run discovery in-house, not hire an agency
Side by side

Fresh Content Society vs SmartSites vs Flinque

Fourteen factors across all three, including the honest note that influencer is a side service for both agencies. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.

FactorFresh Content SocietySmartSitesBest valueFlinque
Best forBrands led by socialBrands led by search and webTeams running discovery in-house
TypeFull-service, social-focusedDigital marketing, SEO and webSelf-serve software
HeadquartersChicago, IllinoisParamus, New JerseyRemote, serving 25+ countries
FoundedNot published2011, by Alex and Michael MelenNot published
Anchor disciplinePaid and organic socialSEO, PPC and web designDiscovery and vetting
Influencer roleOne channel inside socialA minor add-on serviceThe whole tool
Best-fit brandB2B and complex-productAny needing search and webAny niche you filter for
Reported clientsMinimal public dataMinimal public dataSelf-serve, no client gate
Where influencer ranksA supporting channelNear the bottom of the menuThe entire product
Creator poolAgency relationshipsAgency relationships10M+ verified creators
Published pricingNoneNoneFree $0, Starter $49, Enterprise $150
Self-serve searchNoNoYes
Free tierNoNoYes, no card
Data per creatorNot publishedNot published200 data points reported

How we compared: Engagement models and minimums come from each agency's own site and public reporting and client reviews, cross-checked and dated June 2026. Where an agency hides its pricing we say undisclosed rather than guess a number. The verdicts are ours, not the agencies'.

The detail

What each agency actually does

What is Fresh Content Society

ChicagoSocial-ledB2BInfluencer as a channel

Fresh Content Society is a Chicago agency whose gravity is social. It runs paid and organic together, leans toward B2B and complex-product brands, then treats influencer marketing as one channel that plugs into a wider social program. On this particular page that framing is the whole story, because it decides whether you are its natural client. If social is where your brand lives and creators are a supporting act, this is the right shop. If your problem is search visibility or a website that does not convert, it is aimed elsewhere.

The B2B lean tells you where its instincts sit. A product that takes a buyer weeks to understand rewards sustained, sequenced social rather than a burst. An agency practised at that thinks in campaigns that unfold over time. Public detail is thin with no substantial client list, so if influencer is part of your reason for calling, ask directly how creator work has fitted its social programs rather than assuming it runs standalone creator campaigns.

What Fresh Content Society does well

  • Anchored in paid and organic social
  • Comfortable with B2B and complex-consideration products
  • Sequences social across a long buying cycle
  • Influencer plugs into a coherent social program

Where it falls short

  • Not a search or web-build agency
  • Influencer is a channel, not a specialism
  • Minimal public data to assess before a call
  • No published pricing and no self-serve search

What is SmartSites

ParamusSEO and PPCWeb designFounded 2011

SmartSites is a different kind of agency entirely: a digital marketing shop in Paramus, New Jersey, founded in 2011 by Alex and Michael Melen, built on SEO, paid search and web design. Influencer outreach exists on its menu as an add-on rather than a discipline. Being honest about that is the most useful thing this comparison can do. If your growth bottleneck is that customers cannot find you or your site does not convert, SmartSites is solving the right problem and influencer is beside the point.

Read the ordering of its services as a signal about where the depth is. A firm whose reputation rests on search rankings and website performance staffs and resources those. Creator work sits toward the edge of what it does. That is not a criticism, it is a match question. Public detail is thin beyond the founding, so if you did engage it for influencer specifically, ask who actually runs that work and how many campaigns they have delivered, because an add-on team is a different proposition from a dedicated one.

What SmartSites does well

  • Genuine depth in SEO, paid search and web design
  • Long-established, founded in 2011
  • Right fit when discovery is the real problem
  • One shop for search and website needs

Where it falls short

  • Influencer is an add-on, not a specialism
  • Not built around creator campaigns
  • Minimal public data beyond the founding
  • No published pricing and no self-serve search

Fresh Content Society vs SmartSites head to head

The trap on this page is treating either agency as an influencer specialist because both list the service. Neither is. Fresh Content Society is a social agency where creators are a channel. SmartSites is a search and web shop where creators are an add-on. The real decision between them is not about influencer at all: it is whether your central problem is social presence or search visibility, two answers that point cleanly at different doors.

If influencer marketing is genuinely the job you came to do, the honest conclusion is that neither is built for it. A specialist or a tool serves you better. Flinque is that tool: 10M+ verified creators across 4 platforms, each with a fake-follower score and 200 reported data points, at $0 to start and $49 a month after. You run the creator work yourself instead of buying it as a side item on someone's wider bill.

By scenario

Which should you actually pick

Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.

Social is your centre

Your brand lives on social and creators support it. A social-led agency that treats influencer as a real channel fits, especially for B2B.

→ Pick Fresh Content Society

Search and web come first

Customers cannot find you or your site underperforms. That is an SEO, PPC and web-design job, which is exactly what SmartSites was built on.

→ Pick SmartSites

Influencer is the actual job

Neither of these specialises in creators. If that is your real need, a dedicated tool serves you better than an add-on.

→ Pick Flinque

You want to run it yourself

No side-service markup, no agency retainer. Flinque indexes 10M+ verified creators with a fake-follower score on each, free to start with no card.

→ Start with Flinque
A third option

Flinque: verified discovery at a flat price

If both feel like too much retainer and too little control, Flinque does one job and does it well. Find and vet real creators yourself, fast, then run the campaign in-house. No pitch deck, no monthly retainer, no discovery call to learn the price.

  • 10M+ verified creators
  • 4 platforms: IG, YouTube, TikTok, X
  • 200 data points per creator
  • 12 search filters
  • Fake-follower check on every profile
  • Free, $49, $150, published
Watch

See Flinque in action

Short walkthroughs on pricing, discovery and vetting from the Flinque team.

Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable

Find Influencers for $49 a Month: Flinque vs Modash and HypeAuditor (2026)

FAQs

Common questions about Fresh Content Society and SmartSites

What is the difference between Fresh Content Society and SmartSites?
Fresh Content Society is a Chicago social-led agency where influencer is one channel inside paid and organic social. SmartSites is a Paramus digital marketing shop built on SEO, paid search and web design, with influencer as an add-on. One is anchored in social, the other in search and web. Neither is a creator specialist.
Which should I pick for influencer marketing?
Honestly, neither, if creators are your central need. Fresh Content Society treats influencer as a supporting channel and SmartSites treats it as a minor add-on. For genuine creator work you want a specialist or a discovery tool rather than a side service tucked inside a broader digital bill.
What is SmartSites actually best at?
SEO, paid search and web design, which is what it was founded on in 2011. If your growth problem is that customers cannot find you or your website does not convert, that is the right brief for SmartSites and influencer is beside the point. Its strength is discovery and conversion infrastructure, not creator campaigns.
When does Fresh Content Society suit a brand?
When social is the centre of your marketing, particularly for a B2B or complex-consideration product that rewards sustained social presence. It runs paid and organic together and uses influencer where it helps. If your problem is search or website performance instead, it is aimed at a different need.
Does listing influencer mean an agency is good at it?
No. This page is a clear example. Both agencies list influencer outreach, yet for both it sits well outside their core discipline. The useful question is not whether a service appears on the menu but how it is staffed and resourced, so ask who runs the creator work and how many campaigns they have actually delivered.
Why is public data thin on both?
Neither publishes a substantial client list, which is common among agencies of this size and often contractual. The effect is that homework before a call is limited, so weight contactable references heavily and, for influencer specifically, insist on examples where creator work was a real part of the engagement rather than a line item.
How much do they cost?
Neither publishes pricing and both quote against a scope. Because their core disciplines differ so much, a like-for-like comparison is only meaningful if you are pricing the same actual need. Decide first whether your problem is social, search or creators, then price that rather than a bundle.
Is there a software alternative for the creator part?
Yes. Flinque is self-serve software covering discovery and vetting, indexing 10M+ verified creators across 4 platforms with 200 data points per creator reported on each profile. There is no demo and no annual lock-in. The Free Plan is $0, Starter is $49 a month and Enterprise is $150.

Written & reviewed by Flinque Research Team

Influencer Marketing Research · View team →

Our research team specialises in influencer marketing strategy, creator analytics and platform comparisons. Details on this page were verified against agency sites, public reporting and client review platforms in June 2026.

Disclaimer: Information here is collected from publicly available sources, third-party review sites and vendor pages. Pricing and features change, so confirm current details with each provider before buying. This content is for informational purposes only.

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