SociallyIn vs The Digital Dept: Which to Pick
A brand-side social agency against a talent-first firm. SociallyIn runs a brand's whole social presence out of Atlanta. The Digital Dept leads with a managed US creator roster under Dolphin Entertainment. Owning social versus owning talent. Here is which fits, plus a software route.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose SociallyIn if
- You want your whole social presence run
- You want strategy, content and community owned
- You want a US brand-side social team
Choose The Digital Dept if
- You want a US managed creator roster
- You want talent management plus campaigns
- You want entertainment and pop-culture reach
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
SociallyIn vs The Digital Dept vs Flinque
Fourteen factors across all three, from agency type to real minimums. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | SociallyIn | The Digital Dept | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Brands wanting their social presence run | Brands wanting US talent-first access | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Agency type | Brand-side full social agency | Talent management and influencer firm | Self-serve software, not an agency |
| Engagement model | Managed, retainer based | Managed, talent and campaigns | Flat monthly subscription |
| Typical minimum | Scoped retainers | Undisclosed | Free, then $49/mo |
| Published pricing | No | No | $0 to $150/mo, public |
| Creator network | Influencer within a social program | 200+ exclusively managed creators | 10M+ verified, 200 data points each |
| Platforms covered | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X |
| Services | Strategy, content, community, paid, influencer | Talent management plus brand campaigns | Discovery, vetting and audience data |
| Campaign management | fully managed | fully managed | You run it, software assists |
| Content and usage rights | Per retainer | Per campaign or representation | You negotiate directly with creators |
| Paid amplification | Paid social supported | Organic and paid influencer strategy | Run your own whitelisting |
| Measurement and reporting | Brand-side, creative-first | Reporting plus Dolphin network | Audience and fake-follower data built in |
| Team and locations | Atlanta, founded 2011 | US, formed 2023 | Software with support included |
| Time to launch | After scoping | After scoping | Shortlist in minutes on the free plan |
How we compared: Engagement models and minimums come from each agency's own site plus 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'.
What each agency actually does
What is SociallyIn
SociallyIn works for the brand, not the creator. Founded in Atlanta in 2011 with offices added in Birmingham, Dallas and Los Angeles, it is a one-hundred-percent focused social media agency that runs a brand's whole social presence: strategy, original content production, community management, paid social, ROI modelling and influencer programs, all under one roof. Its pitch is a creative-first methodology that turns followers into communities that drive business, blending boutique hands-on service with the output of a larger agency.
Clients include Samsung, Nikon, Dick's Sporting Goods and TGI Fridays, served from a Southern base that reaches nationally. Pricing runs on project and retainer scopes rather than a public rate. Against The Digital Dept, SociallyIn is the brand-side agency that owns your channels, where The Digital Dept leads with a managed creator roster. The next section covers The Digital Dept. A brand that would rather run its own creator search has a third route.
What SociallyIn does well
- Owns the full social presence
- Creative-first, community focused
- Influencer within a wider program
- National reach from a Southern base
Where it falls short
- Influencer is one piece, not the whole
- No public pricing
- Managed only, no self-serve search
- US-focused
What is The Digital Dept
The Digital Dept leads with the talent on its books. It came together in 2023 when two influencer outfits, Be Social and Socialyte, combined under Dolphin Entertainment, with Sarah Boyd and Ali Grant as Co-CEOs. Talent sits first: a full-service influencer and talent shop whose backbone is over 200 exclusively managed creators with a combined audience north of 200 million. Because it sits within Dolphin, it can call on PR names like 42West and The Door when a campaign needs earned media or production firepower.
Brands get both the representation and that managed roster, plus organic and paid campaigns, with entertainment and pop-culture reach via the wider Dolphin family. Rates are private. So where SociallyIn owns a brand's social channels, The Digital Dept owns a creator roster and runs campaigns around it. One runs your social. The other supplies and manages talent. For brands that would rather run discovery themselves, there is a third path.
What The Digital Dept does well
- Talent management plus brand campaigns
- 200+ exclusively managed creators
- Backed by Dolphin Entertainment network
- Strong entertainment and pop-culture access
Where it falls short
- Roster-led, not open search
- No public pricing
- Managed only, no self-serve search
- US-centric
Head to head
SociallyIn and The Digital Dept own different things. SociallyIn owns a brand's whole social presence, running strategy, content, community and paid as one program from Atlanta. The Digital Dept owns a roster of 200-plus managed creators and runs campaigns around them, with entertainment access through Dolphin. One runs your channels. The other supplies and manages talent. Your need, social ownership or creator access, picks the side.
There is a route around both. Flinque is software: 10M verified creators across four platforms, each with a fake-follower score, at one published price. You run the search in-house, no retainer and no roster.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
You want your social presence run
You want a brand-side team owning strategy, content, community and paid across your channels. SociallyIn works that way.
→ Pick SociallyInYou want US talent-first access
You want a managed creator roster plus campaigns with entertainment reach. The Digital Dept, under Dolphin, fits.
→ Pick The Digital DeptYou want to run discovery yourself
No retainer, no roster. You want to search 10M verified creators with a fake-follower check on each. Start free on Flinque and pay $49 only if you keep using it.
→ Pick FlinqueYou are testing influencer marketing
Both are quote-led managed agencies. Flinque free plan lets you find and vet verified creators with no card, then scales at a flat $49 a month.
→ Start with FlinqueFlinque: 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
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)
Common questions about SociallyIn and The Digital Dept
What is the difference between SociallyIn and The Digital Dept?
What is SociallyIn known for?
What does The Digital Dept specialise in?
Which owns day-to-day social?
How much do they cost?
How big is The Digital Dept's roster?
Can I find creators myself with either?
Is there a software alternative to both agencies?
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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