Jan 05,2026Choosing between influencer-focused agencies can feel confusing, especially when you hear about SmartSites and Audiencly in the same breath. You want real impact with creators, not buzzwords, and you need clarity on which partner actually fits your brand and growth stage.
What each agency is known for
The primary keyword for this page is influencer marketing agencies. That’s ultimately what you are weighing: two service partners that can connect your brand with creators and shape your online visibility.
SmartSites is widely recognized first as a digital marketing agency. It focuses on web design, paid ads, search visibility, and lead generation, and may layer in influencer work when relevant to wider campaigns.
Audiencly is known specifically for influencer marketing, especially in gaming, lifestyle, and entertainment. It has a strong presence with YouTubers, Twitch streamers, and social creators who drive awareness and installs for games and apps.
Many brands compare these two when they are unsure whether they need a broad digital partner that can touch everything or a specialist that lives and breathes creator collaborations.
SmartSites for brands that want broader digital help
SmartSites positions itself as a full-service digital marketing partner. Influencer activity, when offered, usually connects back to bigger goals like leads, sales, or booked demos rather than just impressions.
Services SmartSites usually focuses on
SmartSites is best known for traditional digital services that can support or amplify creator work. Typical offerings include:
- Website design and development
- Search engine optimization and content
- Pay-per-click and social ad management
- Email marketing and landing page optimization
- Analytics and conversion tracking
If its team helps with influencers, that support often ties into campaigns that also feature paid ads, optimized landing pages, and tracking to measure leads or purchases.
How SmartSites tends to run campaigns
Campaigns are usually structured around measurable performance. The agency often starts with your website, funnels, and tracking setup to make sure every click has a clear path to conversion.
Any creator involvement will be built around sending potential customers into that system, not just raising awareness in isolation. This can be appealing if your executives demand evidence of return.
Creator relationships and network style
SmartSites is not typically known as a pure creator network. Instead, it may source influencers through partners, outreach, or client relationships to complement existing advertising and content plans.
This can work well if influencer presence is a piece of a broader marketing puzzle, rather than the centerpiece of your brand strategy.
Typical client fit for SmartSites
SmartSites often suits brands that:
- Want one team managing website, ads, and possibly influencers
- Care more about leads and sales than follower counts
- Operate in lead-driven verticals like B2B, local services, or ecommerce
- Need help modernizing their website before scaling creator traffic
If you are still fixing your site, tracking, or paid ads, a broad partner like this can help shore up the basics before spending heavily on creators.
Audiencly for gaming and creator-heavy campaigns
Audiencly has built its identity around influencer campaigns, especially in gaming and entertainment where large creator communities drive real-time buzz and downloads.
Services Audiencly emphasizes
While it may support other marketing pieces, its strengths revolve around connecting brands with creators and running those collaborations end to end. Common services include:
- Influencer discovery and shortlist building
- Campaign planning for YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram
- Negotiation of fees, deliverables, and timelines
- Briefing creators and managing content approvals
- Reporting on reach, views, clicks, and conversions
For game publishers or youth-focused consumer brands, that creator-first model is often the main reason to work with Audiencly.
How Audiencly tends to run campaigns
Audiencly typically starts with your goals, then selects creators whose audiences match your game genre or niche. It may suggest a combination of large and mid-size channels to spread risk and reach.
Campaigns can include sponsored videos, integrations, live streams, or social shoutouts. Timing around launches, updates, or drops is usually key.
Creator relationships and depth in gaming
Audiencly is often associated with close ties to gaming and streaming creators. These relationships can speed up negotiation, content approval, and scheduling, which is vital around launches.
Influencers may value a partner who understands their platform rules and audience expectations, which helps reduce misaligned campaigns or awkward placements.
Typical client fit for Audiencly
Audiencly tends to be a strong fit for brands that:
- Publish PC, console, or mobile games
- Target Gen Z or younger audiences on Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok
- Want creator-driven launches, events, or updates
- Have in-house teams for ads and web but need creator expertise
If creators are central to your marketing plan and your audience lives on streaming platforms, a specialist like this is worth serious consideration.
How the two agencies really differ
Even though both may be considered influencer marketing agencies in conversation, most brands experience them very differently in daily work.
Focus: broad digital help vs creator-first
SmartSites leans toward being your overall digital partner. Audiencly leans toward being your creator campaign specialist. Your choice depends on whether you want one agency running many channels or a group that primarily focuses on influencers.
If your team can already handle ads, email, and website work in-house, adding a creator specialist may bring more value than duplicating skills you already have.
Types of clients and industries
SmartSites tends to work with a mix of local businesses, B2B brands, and ecommerce stores that need better online performance. Its roster spans many industries.
Audiencly is more concentrated in gaming, apps, and consumer products that match creator-driven audiences. It might feel more culturally aligned with entertainment-focused companies.
Campaign style and pace
SmartSites campaigns may feel more structured around ad cycles and optimization rhythms. Changes usually flow from analytics and A/B tests over weeks and months.
Audiencly campaigns can feel more event-based and time-sensitive around launches, updates, or content drops. Creator schedules and platform trends may drive momentum.
Experience for your internal team
With a broad digital agency, you get one partner handling many moving parts, which can simplify coordination but also centralize a lot of decision-making.
With a creator-focused team, your marketing staff may need to handle more of the non-influencer channels, but gain deeper support around creator selection, negotiations, and day-to-day collaboration.
The most common concern brands share is whether they will get enough attention and transparency once campaigns are running. Asking about communication habits and reporting upfront helps set expectations either way.
Pricing approach and how work is structured
Neither agency publishes flat, one-size-fits-all pricing for every service, especially for influencer work. Instead, budgets depend on scope, platforms, and creator fees.
How agencies usually structure costs
In influencer marketing, there are typically three cost pieces:
- Agency fees for planning and management
- Creator fees or commissions for content and usage
- Production or content costs if needed
SmartSites may add these to wider retainers that also include ads and web projects. Audiencly may tie agency fees more directly to the scale and length of creator campaigns.
Common pricing models you might see
Agencies often use some mix of:
- Monthly retainers for ongoing support
- Project-based pricing for specific launches
- Management fees as a percentage of creator spend
- Minimum campaign budgets to ensure impact
You should expect custom quotes after a scoping call, not pre-packaged tiers. Your final numbers will depend heavily on platform choices and the size of creators you want.
Factors that push budgets up or down
The biggest drivers of cost for influencer marketing agencies are:
- Number of creators and expected deliverables
- Size and location of influencer audiences
- Usage rights and length of content licensing
- Need for creative concepts or in-depth production
- Frequency of campaigns across the year
Ask both teams to break out estimated creator fees separately from agency fees so you can see where your money goes.
Strengths and limitations of each option
No agency is perfect. The key is understanding where each one shines and where you may need extra support from your internal team or other partners.
Where SmartSites tends to shine
- Connecting influencer traffic to well-built sites and funnels
- Managing several digital channels from one place
- Helping traditional or local brands modernize their online presence
- Aligning creator work with paid ads, SEO, and email efforts
This can be ideal if your marketing foundation is not yet strong and you need help beyond creators.
Where SmartSites may fall short
- Might not have the deepest roots in niche creator communities
- Influencer programs may feel secondary to core digital services
- Not necessarily built around gaming or streaming-native culture
You may supplement with tools or consultants if you need heavy creator involvement in a very specific niche.
Where Audiencly tends to shine
- Deep exposure to gaming and entertainment influencers
- Experience managing sponsorships, integrations, and live streams
- Comfortable working with fast-moving social trends and formats
- Good fit for launch-heavy marketing calendars
That focus often translates into smoother conversations with creators and more realistic expectations about performance.
Where Audiencly may fall short
- Less emphasis on your website, search, and email performance
- You may still need separate partners for PPC or design needs
- May feel too niche if you serve older or offline audiences
In those cases, a hybrid setup with in-house teams or other agencies may be more efficient.
Who each agency is best suited for
Your ideal partner depends on your business model, audience, and internal resources more than anything else.
Brands that may fit SmartSites better
- Service businesses wanting more leads from search and ads
- Established companies redoing their website and funnels
- Ecommerce brands early in their growth that need structure
- Teams with limited in-house digital skills looking for one main partner
If influencer marketing is exciting but not yet your main engine, a broader agency can help you test it while fixing core channels.
Brands that may fit Audiencly better
- Game studios planning launch or update pushes
- Apps and tools targeting gamers or creators
- Consumer brands geared toward youth culture and streaming
- Marketing teams already running ads and email in-house
When creators are central and your success depends on buzz within specific communities, you may want a partner whose daily work revolves around that world.
When a platform like Flinque may be better
Not every brand needs a full-service agency to manage influencers. If you have a hands-on team, a platform-based approach can sometimes offer more control and lower ongoing costs.
What a platform alternative usually offers
A platform such as Flinque is built to help brands discover creators, manage outreach, and track campaigns internally. It is not an agency; you use the software to run things yourself or with minimal support.
This can make sense if you want to build direct creator relationships rather than rely on a third party for every negotiation.
When a platform might be a better fit
- You have in-house marketing staff ready to learn influencer outreach
- You prefer to own creator contacts and conversations directly
- You want to test many small creators without high management fees
- Your budget is tight but your team has time to execute
You can still work with agencies for large launches while keeping smaller, always-on creator programs in-house through a platform.
FAQs
How do I know if I need a specialist or a generalist agency?
If creators are the main driver of your growth plan, a specialist makes sense. If influencers are just one piece alongside ads, search, and email, a generalist can keep everything aligned.
Can I work with both types of partners at once?
Yes. Many brands use a broad digital agency for website and performance marketing while hiring a creator specialist or using a platform for influencer-heavy campaigns.
How long should I commit to an influencer-focused agency?
Plan on at least several months to see patterns across multiple campaigns. Short tests can give signals, but creator marketing usually needs time to fine-tune messaging and partner mix.
What should I ask during the first call with an agency?
Ask about typical clients, how they pick creators, communication habits, reporting detail, and who will manage your account day to day. Clarify expected timelines and how success will be measured.
Can small brands afford influencer marketing agencies?
Smaller brands can work with agencies if expectations match budget. Often this means fewer creators, smaller influencers, or shorter projects. Platforms may be more cost-effective for very tight budgets.
Conclusion: choosing what fits you
SmartSites and Audiencly represent two ends of the influencer marketing agencies spectrum: one rooted in broader digital work, the other deeply tied to creator culture, especially in gaming.
If you need help across your entire online presence and want influencer work anchored to strong funnels, a broad digital partner can be more useful. It helps ensure every visit driven by creators has a clear path to conversion.
If your success depends on creators themselves, especially in gaming or youth-focused markets, leaning into a specialist with deep network ties may deliver stronger results where it matters most.
Your final choice should reflect your internal capacity, your audience, and how central influencer marketing is to your growth. Don’t hesitate to ask each partner for case studies, example reports, and clear explanations of how they work before you decide.
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 10, 2026