Why brands stack these agencies side by side
When you start hunting for help with creators, you usually land on a few names that keep coming up. Two of those are SmartSites and AAA Agency, both positioned around digital growth and influencer work.
Brand leaders compare them because they want clarity on real outcomes, not just fancy decks or buzzwords. You want to know who will actually move the needle with creators.
Influencer marketing agency choice matters most when budgets are tight, timelines are short, and leadership expects clear proof that creator campaigns drive sales or leads.
Influencer agency comparison overview
The primary phrase that sums up this topic is influencer agency comparison. You are not choosing between software tools. You are choosing people, processes, and long term partners.
Both agencies sit inside broader digital marketing offerings. Each mixes influencer outreach with other services like paid media, content, and creative support.
The real question is simpler: which team better fits your stage, your budget, and how hands on you want to be with creators?
What each agency is known for
SmartSites is widely recognized for performance driven digital marketing. Its public story leans heavily on web design, search ads, and lead generation, while also supporting creator partnerships as part of that growth engine.
AAA Agency, by contrast, is usually associated with brand storytelling and creative campaigns. When mentioned alongside creators, it is often framed around building buzz and awareness, not just direct response metrics.
Both are service based businesses. They work directly with clients, manage relationships with influencers, and coordinate the moving parts of campaigns.
SmartSites in more detail
SmartSites generally positions itself as a growth focused digital partner. Influencer work, when offered, tends to support measurable goals like leads, sign ups, or online sales rather than pure awareness.
Services you are likely to see
SmartSites is best known for core digital services, with creator work layered on top. Typical offerings may include:
- Website and landing page design tuned for conversions
- Paid search and social ad management
- Search engine optimization and content support
- Influencer collaborations tied to performance goals
Influencer campaigns often feed into paid media. For example, content from creators might be reused in ads or landing pages to stretch your budget further.
How SmartSites tends to run campaigns
Because the agency leans into performance, campaign planning usually starts with numbers. Expect talk about target cost per lead, return on ad spend, and attribution.
Creator work is then mapped against those numbers. You may see creators picked for audiences that resemble your best converting customers, not just for follower count.
Content is often tested and refined. A creator’s video that performs well organically might be boosted with paid spend, or re-edited into shorter clips.
Working style with creators
In a performance driven setting, creators are treated as partners in a larger funnel. SmartSites typically looks for:
- Creators who can produce consistent, repeatable content
- Flexibility to tweak messaging or calls to action
- Options to reuse content across ads, email, and landing pages
Contracts often include rights for repurposing content, because the agency wants to test and reuse winning messages.
Typical client fit for SmartSites
SmartSites often fits brands that care most about measurable growth. That can include:
- Ecommerce businesses wanting trackable revenue from creators
- Service companies that rely on booked calls or form fills
- Established brands ready to scale ads and creator content together
Smaller brands can also work with them, but the best fit usually comes once you have a clear sense of your margins and customer lifetime value.
AAA Agency in more detail
AAA Agency is often framed as a creative first partner. Its influencer work tends to lean into storytelling, brand voice, and long term perception rather than only short term metrics.
Services you are likely to see
AAA Agency often highlights creative direction and brand presence. You may find services such as:
- Brand strategy and visual identity
- Social content planning and production
- Influencer outreach and campaign management
- Event activations or experiential pieces with creators
Influencer campaigns here aim to make your brand feel bigger, more trusted, or more culturally relevant, especially on visual platforms.
How AAA Agency tends to run campaigns
Planning often starts with story and audience emotion. You will hear more about narratives, themes, and creative hooks than strict funnel math.
Creators are chosen for fit with your voice and values. A smaller but deeply aligned creator can be more valuable to them than a huge account with mixed content.
Campaigns may include multiple content formats, such as Reels, Stories, live sessions, and behind the scenes pieces that build connection over time.
Working style with creators
AAA Agency tends to give creators more room to express themselves. The thinking is that authenticity delivers better engagement than heavy scripts.
You can still set guardrails, but creators may have more freedom in how they tell your story. That can lead to fresh angles you would not script in house.
Relationships can become long term. An agency like this often aims to turn one off collaborations into recurring partnerships.
Typical client fit for AAA Agency
AAA Agency usually suits brands that prioritize brand feeling over strict lead numbers. That often includes:
- Consumer lifestyle and fashion brands
- Food, beauty, and wellness companies focused on community
- Emerging brands trying to look and feel established fast
It is also a fit when founders value creativity and are comfortable judging success on both numbers and brand momentum.
How the two agencies really differ
While both can run influencer campaigns, they tend to come at the work from different angles. Think of one as data first and the other as story first.
Approach and priorities
SmartSites usually starts from performance metrics and then works backward to channels and creators. If traffic, leads, and sales are top of mind, this approach feels familiar.
AAA Agency generally begins with brand voice and creative concepts. If you are trying to stand out or reposition yourself, this mindset may feel more natural.
Both care about results, but they define “results” slightly differently in day to day decisions.
Scale and campaign structure
Because SmartSites connects creator work with wider media, campaigns may be more structured and data heavy. You may see dashboards, tests, and regular optimization cycles.
AAA Agency campaigns might feel more like a rolling content series. You see evolving themes, seasonal pushes, and moments designed to create buzz rather than constant micro tweaks.
Neither is inherently better. It depends whether you prize predictability or flexibility in creative direction.
Client experience and communication
Working with SmartSites, you can expect more talk about performance reviews, metrics, and experiments. Meetings often center on what is working and what can be scaled.
With AAA Agency, conversations may revolve around content mood, audience reactions, and how your brand is being talked about online.
Both will share reports. The difference is which numbers and stories get the most airtime.
Pricing approach and engagement style
Neither agency sells canned software plans. Pricing tends to reflect scope, time, and the size of your creator lineup.
How agencies usually charge for influencer work
Most full service players use a mix of fees. You will typically see one or more of these:
- Monthly retainers for strategy, management, and reporting
- Campaign based project fees for specific pushes
- Pass through influencer fees, often with a management margin
- Production costs for video, design, and editing
Expect a custom quote based on your markets, number of creators, content formats, and whether you need extra creative or media buying.
SmartSites leaning on performance costs
With SmartSites, influencer campaigns may sit alongside paid ads and web work. That can mean:
- Combined retainers covering multiple channels
- Budgets that bundle creator fees and media spend
- Additional costs for landing pages or tracking setups
Costs are often influenced by how many tests you want to run and how aggressively you plan to scale.
AAA Agency leaning on creative depth
At AAA Agency, pricing often reflects creative development and content volume. You might see:
- Strategy and concept fees for campaign ideas
- Higher production budgets for stylized shoots or events
- Creator fees that factor in brand fit and content rights
The more elaborate the creative and the more unique the content, the more budget you should expect to set aside.
Strengths and limitations
Every agency has trade offs. The key is knowing which trade offs you are willing to make for the way you work and the outcomes you need.
Where SmartSites tends to shine
- Strong alignment between creator content and measurable goals
- Ability to plug influencer work into paid media and web funnels
- Clear reporting and testing frameworks for campaigns
The upside is clarity for leadership when they ask what creators actually delivered.
However, performance focus can sometimes mean less room for experimental or art driven ideas that are harder to track short term.
Where AAA Agency tends to shine
- Stronger emphasis on brand voice, visuals, and story
- Flexible space for creators to bring original ideas
- Campaigns that feel less like ads and more like culture
This can build long term brand love and community even if immediate sales numbers are less predictable.
The trade off is that stakeholders who crave weekly performance wins may feel impatient while brand momentum builds.
Common concerns brands often raise
Many marketers worry about control, cost, and transparency with any influencer partner. Typical questions include:
- Will creators stay on brand without sounding scripted?
- How are creator fees negotiated and marked up?
- What happens if content underperforms or feels off?
Open communication and clear scopes help here. Make sure you understand how each agency handles revisions, replacements, and performance dips.
Who each agency is best for
Instead of asking who is “better,” it is more useful to ask who is better for your stage, team, and goals.
When SmartSites may be the better fit
- You already run paid ads and want creators to boost performance.
- Your leadership expects clear numbers from every dollar spent.
- You have specific conversion goals, like demo requests or sales.
- You are comfortable making creative decisions based on data.
SmartSites works well when influencer work is one piece of a larger performance engine, not a standalone experiment.
When AAA Agency may be the better fit
- You want to build or refresh brand identity with creators.
- You care more about cultural relevance and storytelling.
- You are open to looser scripts so content feels authentic.
- You are comfortable judging success by both buzz and numbers.
This path is often right for lifestyle brands and founders with a strong sense of how they want the brand to feel.
When a platform like Flinque may be better
Not every brand needs a full service agency from day one. If you have an in house marketer who loves testing, a platform based route can work well.
What changes with a platform approach
Tools like Flinque let you discover creators, manage outreach, and track campaigns yourself. Instead of paying a large retainer, you pay for access to the platform.
You keep more control over brief writing, negotiations, and approvals. That is great if you already know your audience and have time to manage details.
The trade off is that you must handle strategy, creative direction, and troubleshooting without an external team doing it all for you.
When a platform can make more sense
- You have a small but capable marketing team.
- You prefer to keep creator relationships in house.
- Your budget is limited, but you still want structured campaigns.
- You enjoy experimenting and learning from your own data.
If that sounds like you, a platform can be a low friction way to start, then you can bring in an agency later for bigger pushes.
FAQs
Should I choose a performance focused or creative focused agency?
It depends on your main goal. If you must prove direct sales or leads quickly, performance focus may fit better. If you are building awareness or repositioning your brand, a creative focus can pay off more over time.
Can one agency handle all my marketing channels?
Many agencies offer multi channel services, but excellence varies by area. Ask for specific case studies in influencer marketing, not just ads or design. You can also mix partners, using one for creators and another for other channels.
How long before I see results from influencer campaigns?
Some brands see lift within weeks, especially if they run short bursts with clear calls to action. Brand building efforts can take months of consistent content before you feel full impact, especially in crowded categories.
Do I need long term contracts with an influencer agency?
Many agencies prefer multi month commitments because creator work compounds over time. Still, you can often negotiate initial projects or shorter terms to test fit, as long as the scope is realistic for both sides.
What should I ask during my first agency call?
Ask how they pick creators, measure success, handle underperforming content, and report on results. Request relevant examples from your industry and budget range, and make sure you are clear on who you will work with day to day.
Conclusion: choosing the right partner
Choosing between these agencies is really about choosing a way of working. One leans into measurable performance tied tightly to your broader digital funnel.
The other leans into storytelling, visual presence, and building a brand people recognize and talk about.
Start by writing down your top two goals for the next year, your realistic budget range, and how involved you want to be. Then talk openly with each team about how they would approach those goals.
If you want a done for you approach and have the budget, an agency can save time and accelerate learning. If you want tighter control and lower overhead, a platform like Flinque may be a better starting point.
In the end, the “right” choice is the one that fits your reality, not just your ambition. Match the partner to your stage, and you give your influencer efforts a much better shot at working.
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.
Jan 05,2026
