HYPR’s move into the US isn’t just another international expansion—it’s a strategic foray into two of the fastest-growing and most dynamic industries in the world. As they establish themselves in the American market, HYPR is poised to redefine how brands, influencers, and gaming communities connect, while continuing to push the boundaries of what iGaming and esports marketing can achieve.

Tapping into iGaming: A Fast-Growing Industry

iGaming, which refers to online betting and casino gaming, has seen exponential growth in recent years, especially in the US, where regulatory changes have opened up new opportunities for companies looking to enter this space. As more brands turn to influencer marketing to promote their offerings, agencies like HYPR are leading the charge, using their deep understanding of the gaming industry to create powerful campaigns that resonate with both players and fans.

HYPR’s expertise in iGaming is best exemplified by their work with Kirgo, one of the world’s fastest-growing online casinos. The agency was behind David Dobrik’s recent birthday party, a high-profile event that showcased their ability to merge entertainment, influencer culture, and iGaming. By partnering with a major online casino like Kirgo, HYPR demonstrated how influencer-driven marketing can be used to introduce gaming brands to new audiences in creative, engaging ways.

“We’ve always had a strong focus on iGaming,” says Josh Harvey, co-founder of HYPR. “We understand the unique challenges and opportunities in this space, and our goal is to create campaigns that bring brands and influencers together in ways that make sense for both sides.”

Esports: Where HYPR Got Its Start

While iGaming is a relatively new frontier for many brands, HYPR’s expertise in esports goes back to their earliest days. Before the agency was founded, HYPR’s co-founders ran the Chiefs Esports Club, Australia’s most successful esports team. This deep-rooted experience in competitive gaming gave HYPR a unique perspective on the growing influence of esports in the global entertainment landscape.

Esports, with its dedicated fanbase and high levels of engagement, offers brands a unique opportunity to connect with audiences in a more authentic and immersive way than traditional advertising. HYPR’s ability to craft campaigns that resonate with gaming communities has made them a trusted partner for brands looking to enter the esports space.

“We come from the world of esports, so we understand the culture, the players, and the fans,” says Nick Bobir, co-founder of HYPR. “That’s allowed us to create campaigns that don’t just feel like ads—they feel like they’re part of the community.”

HYPR’s background in esports has also helped them work with major gaming influencers and brands, including FaZe Clan, one of the most popular esports organizations in the world. HYPR sponsored FaZe Clan’s recent party in Los Angeles, an event that became so popular it had to be shut down early due to overcrowding. These high-profile events highlight HYPR’s ability to generate buzz and create memorable experiences that bring gaming communities together.

Expanding to the US: New Opportunities in iGaming and Esports

HYPR’s expansion into the US market comes at a pivotal time, as both iGaming and esports continue to grow rapidly in the country. With more states legalizing online betting and the esports industry attracting millions of fans worldwide, HYPR’s move into the US positions them perfectly to capitalize on these trends.

For HYPR, entering the US is about more than just tapping into a larger market—it’s about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in influencer marketing, especially within the gaming industry. By combining their expertise in iGaming and esports with their innovative approach to talent management and campaign execution, HYPR is creating new opportunities for both brands and influencers to connect with audiences in meaningful ways.

“There has always been a different way of doing things in Los Angeles—they get it right,” says Bobir. “We are incredibly fortunate to put our creators in positions where they can pursue international opportunities now, something that is rarely possible from our corner of the world.”

Influencer-Driven Marketing in the Gaming World

What sets HYPR apart in the iGaming and esports spaces is their ability to leverage influencers to create authentic, engaging content. Rather than relying on traditional advertising methods, HYPR works directly with influencers who have deep connections to their communities, ensuring that campaigns feel organic and trustworthy. This influencer-driven approach has proven particularly effective in both the iGaming and esports sectors, where audience loyalty and authenticity are critical to success.

Josh Harvey sees this as just the beginning for HYPR’s expansion into gaming-related industries. “We have been hard at work setting up this chance to launch in the US, and it is certainly just the beginning for HYPR expansions,” he says. “We look forward to building opportunities for brands and talents to connect globally, and leading the way in influencer media across the industries we love, including iGaming, esports, and leveraging creative media.”

As HYPR continues to grow its presence in the US, they’re also looking to expand their roster of talent, partnering with influencers who have strong followings in gaming and iGaming. By doing so, HYPR is not only building a powerful network of creators but also helping brands connect with audiences in new, innovative ways.

The Future of HYPR in iGaming and Esports

HYPR’s bold move into the US marks a new chapter in their journey, but it’s clear that their roots in iGaming and esports will continue to drive their success. By blending influencer marketing with the unique opportunities presented by gaming, HYPR is leading the way in creating campaigns that not only capture attention but also foster long-term engagement.

With their new website, createdbyHYPR.com, HYPR is already making waves in the US market. Their deep expertise in iGaming and esports, combined with their innovative approach to influencer-driven marketing, positions them as a key player in the future of gaming and entertainment marketing.

As more brands look to tap into the growing worlds of iGaming and esports, HYPR’s disruptive approach will continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the influencer marketing space. With a strong foothold in the US and a global vision for the future, HYPR is set to lead the next generation of gaming and influencer-driven media.

The post Breaking Boundaries: HYPR’s Bold Move into iGaming and Esports Marketing in the US appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Empathy & Shared Vision

Your agency partner needs to understand the unique pressures of your business as well as the need and desire to accomplish goals. A good partner will take the time to “listen the right way”. This includes identifying the difference between:

• Sticking points such as protocols and procedures that call for strategic problem resolution.
• Road blocks that range from decision-makers with a long wait period to unexpected budget cuts.
• Opportunities, including synergies with other business lines their team is partnering with that you, the client, may not be privy to.

All three of these situations present themselves in similar fashion, but someone with a shared vision and a true partner mentality will be able to identify each, internalize it as their own experience, and act accordingly.

One of our clients here at SME Digital is in the financial sector, so we observe a time period at the end of each quarter where we dial-down communication to basically zero. We make sure that we’ve amply prepared for this time period so we, the agency partner, can plug away without taking the client’s attention away from quarter-end duties. When the clients surface up at the beginning of a new quarter, they can step back into the forward progress without missing a beat. This is an opportunity.

Another client is a large healthcare organization with a very long approval process that involves layers of stakeholders. SME Digital offers three options for every initiative, with varying degrees of quick and long-term wins, for the client to choose from to ensure our sticking point does not become a road block.

Listening Skills

Your ideal agency partner knows when to listen to influence and knows when to strictly listen. Hint: a balance is most effective. A good partner understands this as a fine art and is able to wear both hats at the same time. A good relationship between brand and agency is built on the foundation of trust, respect, and excellence, which cannot be accomplished without the art of effective listening.

Recently, I had a kick-off call for a client project: creating a content hub for a client’s valuable, but sadly still-homeless content. Implementation level 3 was not realistic in the near future due to a few website road blocks, so we were moving forward with level 1, which would allow us a quick win as well as the ability to test content. Our team (client and agency) walked through conditions of satisfaction for this project, questions, and next steps before the client shared a valid risk assessment: Level 1 was a huge undertaking and did not yield the measurement capabilities we identified as the #1 condition of satisfaction. We revisited the implications to ensure our client was able to make an informed decision.

Ultimately, your agency partner is there to support your efforts and pivot on plans as necessary, not to sell you their “big idea” and force it knowing it’s leading you down the wrong path. 

Reliability

An agency partner should provide you with peace of mind and a sense of security that projects are going to get done efficiently and effectively without you having to oversee everything. Your agency partner should help you focus on other things by acting as a Sherpa; they should have a handle on where a project is, where it’s going, and what it takes to get there, plus the ability to guide the team along the way. This is apparent in project timelines, status sheets, recurring calls, and milestones reached on time.

Another aspect of reliability is knowing that your agency partner understands your vision and will support you in getting there. You may not always agree on the best way to get there, but a partnership is about respect and compromise.

Authenticity

Trust your gut on this one. If you feel like someone is smoke and mirrors, they probably are. There should be no doubt in your mind that your agency partner is authentic, transparent, and realistic. A phony will be defensive and deflect when a problem arises rather than acknowledge, apologize, and act. No one is perfect, but a partner that is genuine and capable is a keeper!

Remember: There’s no room for phonies in a partnership that is going to uplevel your business and make you a marketing rock star.

At the end of the day, any agency should want their clients to be marketing rock stars. In order to reach this status, you need the full picture, commitment, and expertise from your partner.

What are some of the not-so-obvious characteristics, values, and traits you look for in a good agency partner? Please share in the comments section below.

The post Four Traits Every Brand Needs From Agency Partners appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Be Proactive With Your Communications

When you aren’t working together in an office, your team can lose the luxury of pop-up conversations. There’s no doors to knock on, no cubicles to swing by. These impromptu conversations can be important, especially when it comes to a team member letting you know of an immediate need or asking for a mid-project review. As a remote leader, it’s up to you to be proactive and instigate these conversations. You can’t wait for your team to come to you. Get on the line and check in with them on a regular basis to make sure they have everything they need to complete their work.

Make Your Communications Crystal Clear

When you give directions to a remote team, it’s imperative that those instructions are delivered with absolute clarity. Often our team works at different hours across different time zones. This sometimes makes it tricky to provide additional clarification on a project on the same day. Be as specific as possible in your communications. Provide file paths, deadlines, reference materials, whatever is needed to complete the assignment in the first communication.

Get On The Phone

While texting and emails do wonders for promoting frequent communication, it’s hard to replace a quick phone call. No other medium provides an easier way to build rapport, address questions and replace that “water-cooler” feel than some good old fashioned voice-to-voice communication. Our team has a daily call, it’s no more then 15 – 30 minutes, and it does wonders to ensure that everyone is up to speed on everything.

Invest In Effective Tools And Let Go Of Ineffective Tools

Nothing can make or break communication with your team faster then technology. The right tool can make managing your remote team a breeze, the wrong tool can cut your team off at the knees. Our team uses a combination of email, 15five, Basecamp, Gchat, Skype, GoToMeeting, Join.me, just to name a couple tools. We do this for a number of reasons, chief among them being that if one of these platforms go down (for whatever reason), we have other methods of communication. As we add new tools, we also look at tools that we are no longer using. There’s no need to bog your team down with ineffective platforms.

Be Available And Respond Quickly

Although we work remotely, I would say that I am more connected with this team than many teams that I’ve worked with in an office. My team knows that they can reach out to me through a myriad of channels. It’s not uncommon for the team to use a combination of Gchat, texting and Skype during the course of the day to reach out to me. When this happens, it’s all about the response time. If a team member reaches out to me, it’s usually with a question about a specific tasks. So getting these questions addressed quickly is imperative to ensuring that we over deliver on our client’s expectations.

Trust Your Team

You cannot look over the shoulders of a remote team. Physically, it’s impossible, or at the very least would require an awkward webcam set up. When you’re thousands of miles away from your team, you cannot micromanage. For a remote team to be truly functional, you have to trust them. Trust them to complete the work. Trust them to reach out with issues. Trust them to be available when you need them (during reasonable hours of course). The point is you need to have faith in your team and treat them like the adults they are. If you’re worried about a team member not living up to their bargain, consider that perhaps a remote working gig isn’t the best fit for them.

Lead by Example

Most imporant, your actions set the tone for the team. If you’re not working and following up with your obligations, how can you expect your team to meet theirs? No one wants to work for a manager that they believe is sipping Mai Tai’s on the beach. Roll up your sleeves and get the work done. If the team member is expected to be available for calls from 9 – 5, then you are too. Be the example that you want from your team. Anything else is just being a hypocrite.

Do you lead a remote team? If so, share your tips in the comments below.

The post Seven Tips For Leading A Team That Works Remotely appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

SME Digital (the agency arm of Social Media Explorer), prides itself on its “Work from Anywhere” culture. Our team is free to work from anywhere across the globe (provided they can find a strong internet connection and be available for client calls). I’m currently writing this post from a rental in Victoria, Canada, where I’ve been staying for the past couple weeks. Not going to lie, it’s a pretty wonderful experience and adds, for me, a unique level of value to the company. And that value-add is exactly why we have “Work from Anywhere” as part of our culture.

Strong, positive organizational cultures bring with them a host of added benefits. They empower teams to produce exceptional work; they can reduce turnover rates and can even supplement lower salaries/bonus structures. Likewise, a negative company culture can flat out destroy a company. It can lead to low productivity levels, petty theft, negligence, apathy and other destructive behaviors or actions.

Working in an agency environment, I have the privilege of partnering with some fantastic companies. Most of which have positive company cultures and a few others negative cultures. These negative cultures aren’t obvious on day 1. It’s not like any of these companies had a poster in their break room that said, “Only work as hard as you need to to not get fired.” Instead, the negative culture of a company would manifest itself through the everyday actions and conversations of team members, delayed responses, cancelled phone calls, missed project deadlines. Of these negative cultures, the most common and destructive we experienced is what I (and I’m sure others) refer to as a Culture of Fear.

A Culture of Fear is a negative organization culture where a perpetual, base level of fear (fear of being fired, being reprimanded, being ridiculed) runs from the top-down throughout an organization and has a negative impact on production and the employee morale. Cultures of Fear cripple organizations. Once this fear takes root, it manifests itself in a variety of negative ways. Some of the most common symptoms of this culture include: the halting of innovation (risk), the delay of projects as no one can feel confident in making decisions and an increase in employee apathy.

So how can you tell if you’re operating in a Culture of Fear?

Take a second to answer the below questions. Think about your responses and ask yourself if this describes your working environment.

• Are you, or your team members, terrified about trying out a new tactic or initiative?
• Do you feel uncomfortable if pushed to make a decision on your own?
• Do you find yourself wondering how to “spin” something to a senior team member or supervisor?
• Are you constantly concerned about the security of your job?
• Is your supervisor concerned about the security of their job?

If your answer to the above questions is yes, and the frequency associated with these issues is daily or weekly, your organization might be infected by a Culture of Fear.

How do we stop being afraid?

So, how do you transform you company culture and shake off this crippling fear? It starts from the top-down. For most companies, culture is an extension of the values and actions of the leadership team. The CEO needs to not be afraid of the board, the VP’s need to not be afraid of the CEO, and so on from there. If you’re an entry or mid-level employee, you probably won’t be able to change the organization; but you can start by changing your personal environment. Start by having an honest conversation with your supervisor or team lead. If that thought terrifies you, ask yourself why. Are you afraid of looking weak? Are you afraid of being ridiculed? Fired? Take a moment to sit and explore these feelings. Are they warranted?

You will never do your best work if you’re constantly looking over your shoulder. If there’s no way to shake off that fear, start looking for another job. Extricate yourself from the situation and start sleeping through the night again.

Company culture has a direct impact on a company’s ability to be successful. Strong, successful companies have strong, positive cultures. This isn’t a coincidence. If you’re not happy with the level of success in your company or team, take a good look at the culture. Chances are you’ll find some answers there.

Do you work in a Culture of Fear? If so, share your experience in the comments below.

The post Five Signs Your Organization Is Crippled By A Culture Of Fear appeared first on Social Media Explorer.

Gone are the days where marketers and agencies had to herald in the era of mobile, clamoring cowbells screaming, “Mobile is coming! Mobile is coming!”

Because guess what it’s here.

According to the team over at PennyStock Labs (and their infographic included below), 1.4 billion smartphones are in use worldwide, and this is just the tip of a much larger potential pool. As mobile carriers and infostructure penetrate rural Africa and Asia, that number is only expected to rise. If you add in the number of tablet and all other mobile devices, the number of mobile devices worldwide jumps from 1.4 billion to 7.7 billion. That is six hundred million more devices than there are people in this world (currently around 7.1 billionish)

So, honestly, are you ready for this golden age of mobile? Start by taking a look at these three areas.

Your Social Postings

Are you posting mobile optimized Facebook updates, what about running mobile optimized social ads? With 370 million daily mobile users, Facebook has clearly become a habitual ritual of mobile users. Add in the 80 million hours of mobile YouTube footage viewed daily and there’s no denying the integration of social and mobile. .

To make sure you’re firing on all mobile cylinders, make sure that you’re posting mobile optimized content to each social platform. Facebook and Twitter makes this relatively simple if you follow their sizing guidelines. Further, make sure any destinations you’re promoting are also mobile friendly. You don’t want to be the brand that uses a mobile Facebook ad to drive traffic to a flash-based landing page.

Your Conversion Experience

$1.1 billion in purchases made daily on mobile devices. That’s “billion” with a “b.” This is a pool of money you’re missing out on if you aren’t using a mobile friendly checkout process. Purchases aren’t the only points of conversion that should be mobile optimized. Take a look at your site and all its points of conversion. Are you expecting your audience to fill out forms, make reservations or utilize a click-to-call button?  Then they better be mobile optimized. Your audience is busy (those “It’s Gonna Be May” memes aren’t going to post themselves); they don’t have time to stumble through a clumsy conversion funnel. If you’re conversion points aren’t optimized, you’re going to lose this business.

Your Consumer Reach

Beyond just simple social uses, is mobile even a consideration in your marketing strategy? If not, it needs to be. Americans are spending an average of 3.3 hours a day in front of their phone. This is almost as long as they spend in front of the TV. The rub, even when they are watching TV they’re still on their phone. In fact, 88% of consumers admit to using their phone while they watch TV. Savvy marketers see this tend and understand it’s no longer about segmenting ads by channel type: only mobile ads on mobile phones/only TV ads on TV shows, it’s about integrating all channels. This dual-media phenomenon has led to the rise of the second screen experience and provides easier ways of integrating terrestrial and digital advertising. Case in point, the call to action included in a TV ad that drives traffic directly to a time sensitive mobile coupon claim. Two separate platforms, one audience, and one goal.

At the end of the day, if you are still discounting mobile, you’re discounting one of the single largest, world-wide, audience reaching platforms currently at our disposal.

Take a look at the infographic below to see the data. Do you agree we’re in the golden age of mobile? Disagree? Leave a comment and join the discussion. 

The post Bring On The Golden Age Of Mobile [INFOGRAPHIC] appeared first on Social Media Explorer.