Welcome to Extra Mile by KnowledgeNile, an interview series where industry leaders discuss innovations, tech trends, marketing tactics, and expert insights.

We have Pavel Beinia with us today, the CEO & Founder of Famesters, a full-service influencer marketing agency with hundreds of well-known brands in the portfolio and more than 1,000 launches annually.  

Hello Pavel! We're so glad you're here with us! 

Pavel, we would love to hear about your story as a trailblazer in the influencer  marketing industry. What brought you to choose this career path when you  started?

Ans. I recognized the potential of the influencer marketing industry about twelve years ago, and since then began my journey. It was a time when social media platforms were rising, and I saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between brands and their audiences.

What truly drew me to this career path was its dynamic nature. Unlike traditional marketing, it offered a more personal and direct way to connect with people. I was captivated by the idea of leveraging the voices of real people — influencers and content creators who had built trust and loyalty with their followers — to promote digital products and services. 

Over the years, I've initiated various digital projects, including founding the influencer marketing agency Famesters. These projects were born out of my passion for bringing transparency, measurability, and efficiency to the industry. Today, Famesters is a top global influencer marketing agency with hundreds of well-known brands in the portfolio, including Opera, Konami, 1xBET, Huindai, FxPro, and others; and more than 1,000 launches annually.

And I will not stop here.

Shifting the focus a bit. As the CEO & Founder of an influencer marketing agency, how do you stay ahead in the dynamic industry landscape and adapt  to platform changes, such as algorithm updates, in your long-term strategies?

Ans. I strongly believe that to stay ahead you need to be proactive and adaptive. Especially when it comes to influencer marketing as social media platforms algorithms change so rapidly. Here are some key strategies to ensure my team remains at the forefront of the industry:

Continuous learning and research. As technologies develop, it's crucial to always stay informed about the latest trends, algorithm updates, and platform changes. My team and I dedicate time to continuous learning through industry reports, attending conferences and taking the stage, participating in webinars (by the way, we are planning a webinar soon, follow the updates and join the discussion), and engaging with thought leaders in the field. This helps us stay updated, anticipate changes and adapt our strategies accordingly.

Data-driven decision making. At Famesters, we prioritize data-driven influencer marketing. To build a really working strategy we conduct numerous researches, and use a number of analytical tools, including our own-developed solution. Additionally, we closely monitor performance metrics during the campaign execution, and can quickly identify trends and adjust strategies to optimize results.

Adaptability. Flexibility and adaptability are key in an industry where changes can happen overnight. Our teams at Famesters are structured to be agile, and this helps to quickly adapt to changes.

Transparent communication. Building strong and open relationships with every party involved in influencer marketing – a client, influencers, consumers, team – is invaluable. At Famesters, we strongly believe that the client should always know what exactly they are paying for and see the data and profit clearly. 

And even after the campaign is finished, we always provide feedback and recommendations that may influence future influencer marketing activities of the client. This makes their influencer marketing experience valid and worthwhile.

Investing in technology. We invest heavily in developing and integrating AI and machine learning technologies. This not only automates routine tasks but also enhances our ability to predict trends and make informed decisions. Our AI tools help us stay ahead by providing real-time data and insights that drive our strategies.

Focus on human-centric skills. While technology is crucial, I never lose sight of the importance of human creativity and relationship-building. Influencer marketing is inherently about people, so I always make sure our team is skilled in areas that technology can't replace, such as creative thinking, strategic planning, and building authentic relationships with influencers.

Can you share your thoughts on the rise of micro-influencers and niche  communities in influencer marketing?

Ans. Certainly! This rise has been a significant trend in influencer marketing,  and this year we observe the rise of micro- and nano-influencers: 69% of brands already prefer working with them and this trend will stay with us in 2025.

The popularity of micro- and nano-influencers is easy to explain. Here are my thoughts on this phenomenon:

Authenticity and engagement: Micro-influencers typically have smaller but highly engaged audiences within specific niches. Their followers often perceive them as more authentic and trustworthy compared to larger influencers or celebrities. This authenticity leads to higher engagement rates and more meaningful interactions, which can turn into better ROI for brands. 92% of consumers trust influencers as their own buddies or family.

Cost-effectiveness: Working with micro-influencers can be more cost-effective for brands, especially those with limited budgets. Micro-influencers often charge lower fees or may even collaborate in exchange for products or services. This makes them accessible to smaller businesses and startups looking to leverage influencer marketing without significant financial investment.

Niche expertise: Micro-influencers often specialize in specific niches or industries, such as gaming, beauty, fitness, or finance. Their deep knowledge and passion for their niche attract followers who share similar interests. This targeted audience segmentation allows brands to reach highly relevant consumers who are more likely to convert into customers.

Community building: Niche communities foster strong connections among like-minded individuals. Micro-influencers play a crucial role in building and nurturing these communities by creating content that resonates with their audience's interests and values. Brands can tap into these communities and cultivate brand loyalty and advocacy among these consumers.

While micro-influencers offer numerous benefits, there are challenges to consider. For instance, it’s very important to have a clear and well-structured influencer brief, as this is the thing that guides a creator through the campaign and ensures influencers’ message resonates with your brand values. Another crucial thing is having a contract with an influencer – this document includes clauses for confidentiality, non-disparagement, intellectual property rights, performance metrics expected, payment details, conflicts resolutions and more. 

Additionally, managing a larger number of collaborations can be time-consuming, and measuring ROI may require more nuanced metrics due to varying audience sizes. Also many influencers fake their statistics, and verifying their authenticity and engagement metrics is essential to ensure campaign effectiveness.

How do you target the right influencers for a particular brand? Do you align with a distinct method at Famesters to analyze the same?

Ans. For sure, this stage can be overwhelming if you lack experience and conduct the search manually. Selecting the right influencers to collaborate with is one of the most common difficulties for marketers, with almost 56% considering it one of the top challenges.

Each business niche requires its own approach to choosing influencers. For instance, a creator who performs well advertising a mobile application may not achieve the same results when promoting beauty products.

One more important thing I can mention here is to look for influencers who not only perform well, but also share the same values with the brand or product. It's essential that the content they create resonates with your product and target audience. 

At Famesters, finding the right influencers for each brand is a meticulous process. We don't use a pre-existing influencer database; instead, we search and discover creators tailored to each brand's specific needs. This involves a combination of technology and human expertise. Here's how we approach it:

Define objectives and audience. The first step is understanding the brand's goals objectives, whether it's increasing brand awareness, driving sales, traffic, or boosting engagement. We also analyze the demographics and interests of their target audience.

Analyze the competitors. Conducting in-depth competitor analysis helps to uncover brands’ tactics and craft superior strategies. This includes thorough examination of competitors' products and services, competitive advantages, international markets served, target audience, market share, and distribution channels; analysis of competitors' social media channels, including messages conveyed, content quality, Google positions; competitors' influencer marketing activities, involved influencers, preferred ad formats, purchase volumes, integration examples, estimated budgets, and more.

Use advanced tools. We leverage our own-developed AI tool to streamline the influencer discovery process: it helps us analyze vast amounts of data quickly, identifying influencers who match the brand’s target audience and campaign goals. The tool provides insights into influencer demographics, engagement rates, audience authenticity, and content relevance.

Qualitative analysis. While AI helps in narrowing down the list, human expertise is crucial in making the final selection. Our team reviews the potential influencers’ content to ensure it aligns with the brand’s values and messaging. We also assess the quality of their engagement, looking beyond mere numbers to understand the nature of their interaction with followers. For instance, we examine comments to ensure they were made by real people, not bots.

Previous performance. We look at the influencers' past collaborations to gauge their effectiveness. By analyzing previous campaign results, we can predict how well they might perform for our clients.

Ongoing monitoring and optimization. Influencer marketing is not a set-and-forget strategy. We continuously monitor the performance of influencer campaigns and adjust our strategies as needed. This includes tracking engagement, conversions, and other key performance indicators to ensure the campaign is meeting its objectives.

Could you share with us one of the standout campaigns executed that has delivered exceptional results for the brand?

Ans. Every campaign the Famesters team executes is unique as we stand for tailoring influencer marketing strategy for every client and believe that one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. One standout campaign was our collaboration with FxPro, a leading Forex & CFD broker. Main goals included increasing brand awareness, number of registrations and deposits in LatAm, Asia and MENA regions. The client needed not only a campaign launch but also creative ad content from Latin American influencers living luxury lifestyles.

In just 4 days, we identified 189 influencers across YouTube and Instagram whose audiences matched FxPro’s target demographic, and we selected the best 68 of them.  We then developed a strategic plan and proceeded with its implementation.

The campaign's results were exceptional. We achieved 18 million views, a significant increase in  user engagement, 10,567 registrations in total, and a noticeable spike in traffic. This campaign exemplifies how strategic influencer partnerships and data-driven insights can deliver outstanding results.

What’s your perspective on the impact of AI and automation in influencer marketing? Is it helping you to make the process easy?

Ans. No doubt, AI and automation are revolutionizing the influencer marketing industry. At Famesters, we've integrated AI a long time ago to streamline various aspects of our work. When I first established the agency, I realized that managers waste too much time on manual work. To solve this issue, we have developed our own technology to make the entire process more efficient and effective: handle large volumes of data quickly, perform in-depth market research, discover relevant influencers (for instance, the platform helps to analyze millions of social media profiles to identify influencers who align perfectly with a brand’s target audience and goals), and automate repetitive tasks. 

This freed up our team to focus on strategic and creative work, and ensured data-driven decision-making. It also enhances the quality of work, as we can devote more attention to building meaningful relationships with clients and influencers, delivering better results for our clients, crafting compelling and scalable campaigns, and staying competitive.

What does success look like to you, both for your agency and the influencer  marketing industry? In addition, how would the role of influencers evolve in the future?

Ans. Success for me, both personally and for Famesters, means delivering exceptional results for our clients, fostering strong relationships, and continuously innovating in the influencer marketing space. For the influencer marketing industry, success is about achieving transparency, authenticity, and measurable impact.

Looking ahead, the role of influencers will likely evolve to include deeper collaborations with brands, greater emphasis on niche communities, and increased use of AI and data analytics to tailor content. Influencers will become more integral to overall marketing strategies, providing authentic connections and insights that drive meaningful engagement and results.