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The Art of Influence

Bauer Alumnus Connects Houston Influencers, Brands With New Agency

By Jessica Navarro

The idea of endorsement is nothing new — for years, companies have dedicated portions of their marketing budgets for product placement or hiring a celebrity or expert to extol the virtues of their services.

But the seeming omnipresence of social media in consumers’ lives, full of carefully curated Instagram feeds and unfiltered video reviews, is changing the nature of how product information is disseminated.

Where some companies may see a loss of control or potential brand backlash, Bauer College alumnus Eric Beydoun saw a business opportunity.

A serial entrepreneur, he started Eko Studios in 2018 with business partner Kavya Pernankil (BBA ‘14). The online influencer marketing agency based in Houston serves both online influencers (with professional photography services, campaign management, graphic design and other marketing services) and businesses (through booking various levels of influencers for sponsored content and partnerships).

“There’s a big black curtain that happens with influencers,” Beydoun said. “What differentiates us from all the marketing companies in Houston is the influencer piece. It’s a smaller market than the rest of the United States, but it’s about supporting everything behind-the-scenes that people might not see when it comes to a social media post.”

Some studies show around 2,000 influencers in Houston, he added, with almost a third of those working with Eko Studios. The agency segments influencers into groups based on number of followers and engagements, including number of “likes” and comments on a post.

“The definition of an influencer is someone, usually online on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and similar platforms, who has a loyal following attracted to what they’re sharing,” Beydoun said. Many companies experienced in influencer marketing have worked with established online creators with massive followings, he added, but Houston has a large group of “micro influencers,” or those with a smaller number of followers but more engagement and interaction with their targeted audiences.

Through Eko Studios, Beydoun and Pernankil aim to establish best practices and business structure within the Houston influencer market by working with both creators and companies as a kind of intermediary to ensure all sides benefit.

“We help businesses understand how influencer marketing can benefit them, and we find the influencer that best fits their brand,” Beydoun said. “And for influencers, we work to keep them accountable and authentic in the partnership.”

The company is also working to produce a market study to paint a detailed picture of Houston’s influencer marketing landscape, providing data points for average rates for sponsored content as well as deliverables and return on investment.

Beydoun, who has started a number of companies and brands since his time as a student in Bauer’s Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, has found the idea of influencer marketing a natural fit — he’s an online content creator himself with over 11,000 Instagram followers and a successful personal training business.

“My personal brand is about being efficient with my time and finding balance,” he said. “On the fitness side, I can create my own schedule to always have time to do the things that keep me healthy, like going to the gym, playing sports and getting quality sleep.”

Beydoun added: “And there’s also the startup life, which I love. I love empowering people to create that entrepreneurship fire from within.”

After moving to the United States from France in 2010, Beydoun enrolled in the University of Houston and quickly realized the entrepreneurship program at Bauer College could be the gateway into a career that would allow him to build his brand.

“I’m really thankful for what the Wolff Center has taught me,” he said. “It showed me more about who I am and to focus on my passions to find a way to live life as a fun adventure.”

As a student, Beydoun and a group of classmates launched their first business through a project for the Wolff Center – WAVVE Stream, a biodegradable water filter technology to remove nutrients and heavy metals from water.

From there, he managed several energy startups before launching two of his own companies, EZ Caselaw, LLC and Eko Studios, LLC. While EZ Caselaw was in software development, he focused on developing and selling Eko Studios to a Houston-based marketing agency Reverberate Marketing, LLC (Reverb). Beydoun remains involved in the business as a member of the company's board, giving him time to commercialize the now software-ready EZ Caselaw.

“I think this is a generation that wants more and is finding a way to do that through social media, which is allowing almost everyone the chance to be an influencer,” he said.