How Akhia Escaped 'Spreadsheet Hell' with InfluenceKit

Akhia’s Story

In the dynamic world of marketing, where trends shift as quickly as the seasons, Akhia Communications has been a steadfast presence, guiding clients through the ever-changing landscape. As a full-service agency, Akhia's expertise spans the gamut from media relations to influencer programs, with a particular focus on the home and DIY niche.

For one of Akhia's main consumer accounts, a global paint manufacturer, the agency has been instrumental in driving their influencer marketing efforts. What started as a modest program with just a handful of influencers has blossomed into a robust initiative, with Akhia managing an expanding network of content creators across Sherwin-Williams' family of brands.

However, as the influencer programs grew, so did the challenges. The need for a more efficient and scalable solution became apparent. Akhia recognized that to effectively manage the growing complexity of their influencer programs, they needed to evolve their approach.

Spreadsheet Hell: Akhia's Influencer Management Nightmare

Jen Boroff, a Brand Marketing Strategist for Akhia who has been with Akhia since their influencer journey began, vividly recalls the early days of their influencer programs. "I was manually asking influencers to send me their impressions and putting them in spreadsheets," Jen explains, painting a picture of the tedious and time-consuming process. "It was crazy."

As the influencer programs grew, so did the chaos. "It became unmanageable very quickly," Jen admits. The team drowned in a sea of spreadsheets, constantly requesting data from influencers and manually compiling the information. "I was in spreadsheet hell. I was like, this is not my forte. This is not what I want to be spending my time doing," Jen laments.

The manual process was not only inefficient but also limited the team's ability to track and analyze data effectively. "We weren't getting the increased impressions over time,” Jen explained, highlighting the lack of real-time updates and comprehensive reporting.

Akhia knew they needed a solution to streamline their influencer management process and escape the spreadsheet nightmare. They were eager to find a tool that could provide real-time updates, centralized communication, and robust reporting capabilities to support their growing influencer programs.

The InfluenceKit Moment

The pivotal moment came when she discovered InfluenceKit as a solution to the agency's influencer marketing challenges. Before InfluenceKit, Jen found herself mired in "spreadsheet hell," as she put it, manually tracking influencer data and metrics. "I was literally in spreadsheets all day," Jen recalls.

What stood out to Jen about InfluenceKit was the robust reporting capabilities. "It was nice to have real-time updates," she explains. The platform provided a centralized hub to access influencer content and data with ease. "I love that we can add content and see results on the report right away. I like having access to all of that instead of just a hyperlink."

Implementing InfluenceKit marked a significant shift in how Akhia managed its influencer programs, “after starting to use InfluenceKit our programs began to really blossom and grow,” Jen shared. The impact was also felt across the team. Streamlined communication and simplified data tracking enabled Akhia to scale their influencer marketing efforts for clients.

How Akhia Uses InfluenceKit

InfluenceKit has become integral to Akhia's influencer marketing strategy, used daily for campaign management, enhancing influencer relationships, and making data-driven decisions.

Streamlining Campaign Management

InfluenceKit has revolutionized the way Akhia manages their influencer campaigns. Jen notes, "InfluenceKit has become a really big part of what we do every day, and it continues to grow every year." By setting up campaigns at the beginning of the year, Akhia can plan effectively and provide a seamless experience for their influencers. This streamlined approach has allowed their programs to scale significantly.

Building Stronger Influencer Relationships

Implementing InfluenceKit has enabled Akhia to communicate more effectively with their influencers. Mitchell from the Akhia team shares, "I'm in there every day talking to them, and I think it's really helped with our relationships." By centralizing communication within the platform, Akhia maintains a personal touch while efficiently managing a growing network of influencers.

Leveraging Data for Informed Decisions

The reporting capabilities of InfluenceKit have been game-changing for Akhia. Easy access to data allows Akhia to analyze key metrics, compare campaign performance year-over-year, and make informed strategic decisions to optimize their influencer programs.

InfluenceKit has become a critical tool in Akhia's arsenal, empowering them to efficiently manage campaigns, nurture influencer relationships, and leverage data insights to drive success for their clients. As their programs grow, InfluenceKit remains a trusted partner in their influencer marketing journey.