SmartSites vs Stryde

Why brands weigh influencer agency options

When brands start serious creator outreach, they usually face a choice: hire a full service influencer agency, manage campaigns in house, or mix both. Agencies promise speed, relationships, and strategy so you do not have to build everything from scratch.

SmartSites and Stryde both work with brands that want more visibility online. While each has its own roots in digital marketing, many teams now look at them through the lens of influencer and content driven growth.

You might be asking simple questions: Who understands my audience? Who can actually move product, not just send pretty reports? Who will be easy to work with month after month?

This breakdown is meant to give you that kind of clarity, in plain language, so you can see where each agency tends to shine and where another route might be better.

What each agency is known for

The primary keyword for this discussion is influencer marketing agencies. That is the space where brands usually compare SmartSites and Stryde, even though both also offer broader digital services.

They share some overlap around content, performance tracking, and helping brands be more discoverable online. But their histories and core strengths are not identical.

SmartSites at a glance

SmartSites is widely recognized first as a digital marketing shop. Its roots are in website design, search marketing, and paid media instead of purely creator campaigns.

Over time, this background often translates into campaigns where influencer content is tied closely to landing pages, search strategy, and performance metrics like leads or sales.

Brands that work with SmartSites typically want more than buzz. They want their creator or content investment aligned with how their entire online funnel works.

Stryde at a glance

Stryde is often associated with ecommerce growth, especially for consumer brands that depend heavily on organic traffic and content. Their public work highlights SEO and content marketing.

In practice, that means they tend to think about long term visibility, blog content, search driven buying journeys, and how creators can support that ecosystem.

When teams shortlist Stryde, they usually hope to connect influencer output with search friendly content that educates and converts, rather than just short lived social buzz.

SmartSites in more detail

Even when you evaluate SmartSites as one of several influencer marketing agencies, it helps to remember that it was built as a broader performance driven marketing firm first.

Services that may impact creator campaigns

SmartSites offers several services that can directly shape how creator work performs. Key areas usually include:

• Website design and landing page development for campaign traffic
• Search engine optimization around product and category terms
• Paid social and paid search to amplify creator content
• Email and remarketing flows that follow up on creator driven visits

For influencer programs, this multi channel mix can matter. It lets them repurpose creator content into ads, test different hooks, and track outcomes across several channels.

How SmartSites tends to run campaigns

While details vary by client, SmartSites usually approaches campaigns like performance marketing. They look at traffic, conversions, and return on spend rather than just likes or shares.

That mindset can be helpful if you want creators to plug into a structured funnel. For instance, you might mix YouTube product reviews with paid social ads and retargeted offers.

Campaign steps may involve audience research, creative testing, landing page updates, and analytics setup to measure which creators deliver the most valuable visits.

Creator relationships and content style

SmartSites does not market itself as a talent agency with a celebrity style roster. Instead, it tends to focus on using creators as one part of a blended digital strategy.

This usually means:

• Finding creators whose audiences map to target search terms and interests
• Using content in multiple channels beyond the original post
• Tracking how creator audiences behave once they reach your site

Because they are used to conversion tracking, they often care deeply about messaging alignment, landing page speed, and on site experience for creator traffic.

Typical client fit for SmartSites

SmartSites often fits brands that already have revenue and want to scale through structured digital campaigns. Examples could include:

• Service businesses that need leads from specific regions or niches
• Ecommerce brands wanting creator content plus strong search presence
• B2B companies that want thought leadership and webinar style collaborations

If you want creators to support a larger performance stack, and you value technical optimization and testing, SmartSites may feel like a comfortable choice.

Stryde in more detail

Stryde leans heavily into content and organic growth for ecommerce. When you think about influencer marketing through their lens, you often end up talking about educational content and purchase journeys.

Services that may shape creator work

Stryde’s public focus centres on digital marketing for online stores. Their main services usually include:

• SEO for category pages, product pages, and long tail queries
• Content strategy and production around buyer questions
• Paid acquisition support for online retailers
• Analytics around ecommerce funnel performance

Influencer campaigns layered on top of this foundation often concentrate on awareness plus search friendly evergreen content, such as blog collaborations and video tutorials.

How Stryde usually runs campaigns

Stryde’s process often starts with understanding your customer journey. They look at how buyers search, what they read, and where they drop off during checkout.

From there, creators might be tapped to produce how to content, product walkthroughs, and testimonials that live on your site, social channels, and sometimes within search optimized articles.

Tracking usually focuses on sessions, assisted revenue, and how content clusters perform over time, not just immediate spikes in sales.

Creator relationships and ecommerce focus

Stryde typically works with brands that depend on repeat purchases and word of mouth. Creators in this context are often niche experts, parents, hobbyists, or lifestyle voices.

The emphasis tends to be on:

• Explainers that answer buyer questions before they purchase
• Credible reviews that support higher priced or complex products
• Content that can live on your website for months or years

Instead of only chasing viral moments, the goal is often to build a library of creator backed proof that supports new and returning customers.

Typical client fit for Stryde

Stryde is often chosen by direct to consumer brands and niche ecommerce stores. They tend to shine when:

• Your catalog has several products with overlapping audiences
• Organic search and content are already meaningful revenue drivers
• You want influencer content that supports long term SEO goals

If your main channel is an online store and you see influencer work as an extension of content and search, Stryde’s approach can feel natural.

How their approaches really differ

On the surface, SmartSites and Stryde both promise growth through smart marketing. Underneath, there are real differences in how they tend to shape influencer driven work.

Mindset: performance first versus content first

SmartSites often approaches campaigns through the lens of performance marketing. Even influencer efforts are frequently tied tightly to ads, landing pages, and conversion testing.

Stryde, by contrast, is more likely to centre strategies around content and organic discovery. Creators may be used primarily to deepen education and trust across the buying journey.

Both care about revenue, but the path they take to get there can feel different in daily work and reporting.

Channel emphasis and tech stack

SmartSites typically deals with a wide mix of channels. Paid search, paid social, site optimization, and email can all be woven together with creator content.

Stryde often builds from SEO and content into other channels. Creator efforts may be judged partly on how they reinforce search visibility and on site engagement.

Neither is a pure influencer talent agency, but both can integrate creators into broader digital foundations they already manage.

Client experience and communication style

SmartSites’ broader performance mindset can mean more conversations about metrics like cost per lead, cost per acquisition, and attribution models.

Stryde’s focus can lean into content calendars, editorial themes, and audience research around search intent, along with ecommerce dashboards and revenue tracking.

*Many brands worry that agencies will drown them in data they cannot use.* Understanding each team’s communication style is just as important as their service menu.

Pricing style and how work is scoped

Both agencies typically avoid one size fits all pricing, especially for influencer work. Instead, they shape fees around goals, timelines, and how many services you bundle together.

How agencies usually charge for influencer programs

Most influencer marketing agencies use a mix of:

• Monthly retainers for strategy, project management, and reporting
• Campaign based fees for specific launches or seasonal pushes
• Creator payments, either passed through or managed on your behalf
• Production costs for video editing, graphics, and landing pages

SmartSites and Stryde both tend to build custom proposals based on your budget range and how many channels you want them to own.

Factors that influence SmartSites pricing

When SmartSites is involved, pricing often reflects how many parts of your funnel they manage. Influencer related work might be bundled with:

• Paid campaigns using creator content
• Conversion focused landing page builds
• Ongoing SEO or email automation

The more channels they integrate, the higher the management load, which can push retainers up. However, this can also centralize reporting and reduce vendor sprawl.

Factors that influence Stryde pricing

Stryde’s fees usually tie back to content volume and ecommerce complexity. Pricing may consider:

• Number of content pieces tied to creators each month
• Depth of SEO work across your store and blog
• Number of product categories and funnels they support

Influencer campaigns might be scoped as part of a broader content plan, or as separate launches layered on top of baseline retainers.

Strengths and limitations to keep in mind

Every agency makes tradeoffs. Understanding what each tends to do best, and where there might be gaps, helps prevent mismatched expectations.

Where SmartSites tends to shine

• Connecting creator work tightly with paid media and search
• Designing landing pages and funnels for influencer traffic
• Using analytics to test hooks, messages, and offers
• Serving brands that want one team to handle many channels

For some teams, this integrated setup reduces the need to coordinate several partners. It can also make reporting cleaner when everything flows through a single group.

Possible SmartSites limitations

• May feel more like a performance agency than a creator first partner
• Not positioned as a celebrity or massive creator roster agency
• Best suited to brands ready to invest meaningfully in multi channel work

*If you want a boutique talent management feel with heavy creator handholding, a dedicated influencer shop might sometimes be a better cultural match.*

Where Stryde often excels

• Blending creator content with SEO and long form education
• Serving ecommerce brands that live and die by organic traffic
• Building content libraries that support repeat buyers
• Connecting influencer work to on site storytelling and blogs

Brands that think in terms of product categories, seasonal searches, and evergreen guides may find this content heavy approach especially useful.

Possible Stryde limitations

• Less focused on splashy, purely social viral campaigns
• Works best when you commit to content and SEO for the long haul
• May not be ideal if you only want a short, one off creator push

*Teams looking for immediate, large scale social buzz without content depth might feel constrained by a strategy grounded in search and education.*

Who each agency is best for

When people search for SmartSites vs Stryde, they usually want a direct answer about fit. The right match depends on your model, goals, and team capacity.

Best fit scenarios for SmartSites

• You want influencer content to plug into paid ads, search, and email.
• You care deeply about tracking cost per lead or sale from creator traffic.
• Your website needs real work to convert the audience creators send.
• You prefer one partner managing several digital channels at once.

SmartSites often suits companies that already treat marketing as a performance engine and see creators as fuel for that system.

Best fit scenarios for Stryde

• You run an ecommerce brand that depends on organic search and content.
• You want creators to help answer buyer questions and reduce hesitation.
• You think in terms of content calendars and long term education.
• You value written and video explainers as much as social posts.

Stryde typically works well for brands that view influencer work as a layer on top of content marketing rather than a standalone tactic.

When an influencer platform makes more sense

Not every brand needs a full service agency. Some teams prefer more control and are willing to manage relationships and content internally.

How a platform like Flinque fits in

Flinque is an example of a platform centered approach instead of a done for you agency model. It allows teams to discover creators, manage outreach, and run campaigns with more hands on control.

This route can make sense when:

• You already have internal marketing staff and clear playbooks.
• You want to avoid ongoing agency retainers but still scale outreach.
• You prefer to see creator data and communication directly.

In these cases, platforms provide infrastructure, while your team remains responsible for strategy, messaging, and daily coordination.

Balancing platforms with agency support

Some brands combine both routes. They may use a platform for always on seeding and smaller collaborations, while hiring an agency for large seasonal pushes or complex, cross channel launches.

That hybrid model allows experimentation with lower budgets, while preserving agency depth when it is most needed, such as new product releases or key shopping moments.

FAQs

How should I prepare before talking to either agency?

Outline your budget range, main channels, and top three goals. Gather past campaign results, audience insights, and any internal constraints. Clear inputs help both agencies recommend realistic timelines and deliverables.

Can smaller brands work with these agencies?

Yes, but fit depends on your resources and patience. Smaller brands with clear products and some marketing budget can benefit, especially if they commit to at least several months of consistent work.

Do I need existing influencer relationships first?

No. Both agencies can help find and vet creators. However, if you already have friendly relationships, share that list. It can reduce ramp time and sometimes lower initial outreach costs.

How long before I see meaningful results?

Paid and creator campaigns can show signals within weeks, but stable, repeatable performance usually takes several months. Content and SEO backed efforts generally require three to six months to fully mature.

Should I pick an agency based only on niche experience?

Niche experience helps, but it is not everything. Prioritize how they think about your audience, how they measure success, their transparency, and whether their working style matches your internal team.

Conclusion: choosing the right partner

Choosing between these influencer marketing agencies comes down to how you view growth and how involved you want to be in daily execution.

If you want creators tightly wired into performance channels, with heavy emphasis on funnels and conversion testing, SmartSites may align well with your expectations and internal reporting.

If your ecommerce brand leans on content and search, and you want creators to deepen education around your product line, Stryde’s strengths can feel more natural and sustainable.

Brands that want closer control and lower long term retainers might explore a platform route, using tools like Flinque to manage discovery and campaigns in house while occasionally tapping agencies for bigger pushes.

Clarify your goals, budget, and timeline first. Then ask each potential partner to walk you through how they would use creators to reach those goals and what success would realistically look like in your first six to twelve months.

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.