You can’t deny it: Influencer marketing is becoming more and more popular with brands across the US and in Canada. The 2017 State of the Creator Economy (SOCE) Study found that 76 percent of marketers in the US had experience with influencer marketing in 2016 and 54 percent had used it in the last year. Meanwhile, in Canada, marketers rated influencer marketing as the second most effective marketing approach (behind celebrity endorsements). But you may be wondering how to get started with Influencer Marketing. The answer is with Influencer Marketing Software.
As more and more people start to use it, there’s going to be a greater demand for a method of streamlining the process. Sure, you could handle all aspects of an influencer marketing campaign yourself, by hand. But software helps to make the entire process easier and much more efficient.
What Is Influencer Marketing Software
Influencer marketing software is designed to make things easier for both marketers and creators or influencers. Although the exact features offered will vary from software package to software package, many allow influencers to create profiles and marketers to search for and connect with relevant influencers.
Software also helps marketers and creators work together to build up a campaign and to manage workflow. Perhaps most importantly, influencer marketing software contains tools to help make sure the creators and products are staying compliance with disclosure rules. In the US, the FTC requires creators to disclose when a post or content is an ad or sponsored. Canada’s ASC has similar rules.
A software program can also continue to help marketers after a campaign is out there. Many include analytics tools that let you see how a particular post is performing and who is sharing it.
There’s no one size fits all software solution, which is why several editions typically exist of each software program. For example, IZEA offers four editions of its software, from light to partner.
Influencer Marketing Software in Action
Do you want to see an example of influencer marketing software in action? Take a look at content amplification tools like ContentAmp from IZEA. It is designed to help brands spread their marketing message and get more engagements on social media. Brands post their content on the software and influencers can choose to share it with their social media followers on Twitter or Facebook. A brand only pays based on the number of clicks a share gets, and only up to its maximum budgeted amount.
Pick the Best Software for Your Brand
How can you choose the best software for your brand? It starts with understanding what you’re looking for in an influencer marketing campaign. If you’re a brand who’s just dipping its toes into influencer marketing and you don’t have a huge budget to launch a full campaign or to partner with a specific influencer, a self-service option such as ContentAmp might make the most sense.
Let’s say you’re a marketer with a brand that has a slightly larger budget for influencer marketing.You’re looking to create custom content and to find an influencer to work with on a specific campaign. A software package such as IZEAx Marketer can make the most sense for you.
It’s the 21st century. There’s no reason to use spreadsheets or to track your influencer campaigns by hand. Whether you’re new to influencer marketing or are just looking for a better way, software is the way to go.
