Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Influence Manager

🎯 Role Definition

An Influence Manager is a strategic marketing professional who architects and executes a company's influencer marketing program. This individual is the primary liaison between the brand and the creator economy, responsible for identifying, building, and nurturing relationships with influencers, creators, and ambassadors who align with the brand's values and objectives. More than just a coordinator, the Influence Manager develops data-informed strategies to drive brand awareness, engagement, and conversions, managing campaigns from conception and negotiation through to execution and performance analysis. This role requires a unique blend of relationship management, creative strategy, negotiation prowess, and analytical acumen to effectively leverage the power of authentic voices in the digital landscape.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Social Media Coordinator / Manager
PR Specialist / Coordinator
Brand Marketing Associate
Community Manager

Advancement To:

Senior Influence Manager
Head of Influencer Marketing / Creator Partnerships
Director of Brand Partnerships
Senior Communications Manager

Lateral Moves:

Brand Manager
Content Strategy Manager
Digital Marketing Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, execute, and own the company's comprehensive, end-to-end influencer marketing strategy to align with and achieve key business objectives, including brand awareness, audience growth, and revenue targets.
Lead the full lifecycle of influencer campaigns, from initial briefing, creative concepting, and talent identification to campaign execution, performance tracking, and detailed post-mortem reporting.
Identify, vet, and recruit a diverse portfolio of on-brand influencers, content creators, and brand ambassadors across various tiers and platforms (e.g., Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, blogs).
Cultivate and maintain strong, authentic, long-term relationships with key influencers and their management teams, acting as the main point of contact and fostering a community of brand advocates.
Negotiate and manage all contractual agreements with influencers, including scope of work, deliverables, content usage rights, exclusivity clauses, and compensation, ensuring legally compliant and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Brand, Social, PR, and Product teams to ensure influencer-generated content is cohesive, high-quality, and integrated seamlessly into broader marketing campaigns.
Oversee the campaign content creation process, providing clear creative briefs, reviewing content for brand alignment and FTC compliance, and managing feedback and approval workflows.
Manage and allocate the influencer marketing budget effectively, including tracking all expenditures, processing payments, and forecasting future needs to maximize return on investment (ROI).
Continuously monitor and analyze campaign performance metrics and KPIs, utilizing data to provide actionable insights, measure ROI, and optimize future strategies and creator selections.
Stay at the forefront of the creator economy, social media trends, and competitor activities to identify new opportunities, platforms, and innovative ways to engage with target audiences.
Manage the logistics of product seeding and gifting programs, ensuring timely delivery and a premium unboxing experience to encourage organic content creation.
Develop and manage scalable, always-on influencer programs, such as brand ambassador initiatives or affiliate marketing streams, to create a consistent drumbeat of authentic content.
Lead the search and selection of influencer marketing platforms and tools (e.g., CreatorIQ, Grin, Aspire) to streamline workflows, improve discovery, and enhance reporting capabilities.
Prepare and present regular, detailed reports on influencer program performance, key learnings, and strategic recommendations to marketing leadership and key stakeholders.
Serve as the internal expert and advocate for influencer marketing, educating other departments on its value, best practices, and the importance of creator authenticity.
Partner with the legal and finance teams to ensure all influencer activities are fully compliant with industry regulations (e.g., FTC disclosure guidelines) and internal policies.
Conduct in-depth audience analysis of potential influencers to ensure their follower demographics and psychographics align perfectly with the brand’s target customer profile.
Manage influencer event activations, from planning and guest list curation to on-site management, to create memorable brand experiences and foster community.
Own the influencer content library, cataloging and securing rights for high-performing assets to be repurposed across other marketing channels like paid social, email, and web.
Build a framework for measuring the qualitative impact of influencer partnerships, including brand sentiment, share of voice, and the quality of user-generated content.

Secondary Functions

Monitor competitor influencer strategies and campaigns to benchmark performance and identify white-space opportunities for the brand.
Collaborate with the paid media team to amplify top-performing influencer content through targeted advertising campaigns.
Manage and maintain a comprehensive database of current and potential influencer partners, including contact information, performance history, and relationship notes.
Assist the wider marketing team with budget tracking, invoice processing, and financial reconciliation for the influencer program.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep proficiency with leading influencer marketing and discovery platforms (e.g., Grin, CreatorIQ, Aspire, Upfluence).
Strong command of social media analytics tools (e.g., Sprinklr, Sprout Social, native platform analytics) to track and interpret performance data.
Expertise in contract negotiation, including drafting and reviewing scopes of work, usage rights, and payment terms.
Robust budget management, forecasting, and financial tracking skills.
Ability to conduct comprehensive campaign performance analysis and calculate return on investment (ROI).
Strong project management skills, with proficiency in tools like Asana, Monday.com, or Trello.
In-depth understanding of FTC guidelines and other legal requirements for influencer marketing.
Experience with product seeding logistics and inventory management.
Competency in using Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides) or Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for reporting and presentations.
Familiarity with affiliate marketing platforms and tracking systems.

Soft Skills

Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal communication skills.
Masterful negotiation and persuasion abilities.
Creative and strategic thinker with a passion for storytelling.
Highly organized with impeccable attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving digital environment.
Proactive problem-solver with a strong sense of ownership and initiative.
Collaborative team player with experience working in cross-functional settings.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with an eye for compelling creative.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's or Master's Degree in a related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Marketing
Communications
Public Relations
Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3-7 years of direct experience in influencer marketing, social media management, or public relations with a heavy focus on talent/creator partnerships.

Preferred: Demonstrable track record of developing and executing successful, data-driven influencer campaigns from strategy to completion, preferably in a direct-to-consumer (DTC), CPG, beauty, or tech environment. Experience managing six-figure budgets and negotiating complex, multi-faceted creator contracts is highly desirable.