Influencer marketing has never been more valuable. On social media, brands can boost influencer marketing by sharing sponsored content from relevant influencers. In fact, many influencers eagerly await this app’s arrival.
Together with brand-owned content, influencer marketing can help raise brand awareness and increase consumer engagement, as well as sales. Social media engagement allows brands to provide customer service (often in a public setting) and start conversations with existing and potential customers.
But it’s difficult to do it yourself. Then there’s influencer marketing software.
When it comes to using influencer marketing software, you don’t always have to download it to your computer. Most of these influencer platforms are web-based tools that can be accessed from any Internet-connected device. After signup, no complicated setup is required.
In some cases, a computer or smartphone must be installed. When managing an influencer campaign, these powerful tools may allow for integration with other tools such as email clients, retailer software, and communication apps. A web-based solution may not be right for a brand that needs this integration.
Many features are the same whether a user opens an app or a website in their browser.
What Does Influencer Marketing Software Do?
Many brands turn to software after scouring social media and search engines for potential influencer partners. While Google is a powerful tool, it is not the most efficient. Brands and agencies may find users unwilling to be influencers. Identifying micro influencers takes time, unlike using an influencer database.
Wouldn’t an influencer search engine be handy? The influencer database is a crucial component of this software. They contain millions of influencers. A smaller list might focus on a specific type of influencer. Some platforms target Instagram or Pinterest users, while others target Gen Z influencers.
This research determines not only which influencers to work with, but also which influencer software to use. After all, focusing on Facebook marketing is futile if your target demographic only uses Snapchat or Tiktok.
While a brand may want to explore untapped markets, sponsored content may be inappropriate if an influencer has never discussed a brand’s product or service. Keyword and hashtag searches help brands find the perfect influencer match.
Once a brand has identified some potential influencers, it can narrow the list down to those who are a good fit. Use of social media/apps, network size, multimedia (photos and videos), or even the influencer’s tone of voice when posting and engaging with followers can all influence this. Aspects like the influencer’s family, lifestyle, age, or gender may also play a role.
Campaign Management Made Simpler
Influencer marketing tools allow brands to manage their entire influencer campaign, not just find influencers. Utilize your budget to collaborate with influencers to create and share sponsored content. Brands can also choose between a single sponsored post or a series of sponsored posts and content.
Influencers can be invited to campaigns. However, not all influencers are willing to work with a specific brand, or discuss specific products and services. It can start communicating with influencers who want to collaborate and tracking communications through influencer marketing platforms.
Campaign management assets include keywords, hashtags, URLs (used by the software to track campaign performance), and photos and videos provided by the brand for influencers to include with sponsored content. Some campaigns require the influencer to create original content, which brands can approve before sharing. Marketing software can ensure that influencers create content that meets all brand guidelines.
Brands and Marketers Want
Influencer marketing programs can save brands time and effort, and we all know that time is money. But these tools aren’t just handy. They reassure brands and influencers alike.
First, brands can see detailed information about influencers they may want to work with. This data includes network, follower, and website analytics. Influencers, for example, grant the software access to their social profiles so brands can see an exact representation of their network. Bloggers can install Google Analytics on their sites and give the influencer marketing software access to their website stats.
Brands can use this data to avoid influencers who produce poor sponsored content. Successful influencer marketing campaigns require thorough vetting. These programs also require both parties to sign a contract, protecting against influencers who take a company’s money and then disappear without fulfilling their end of the bargain.
Working with a brand through these influencer portals reduces the risk of an influencer not getting paid. Marketing software acts like escrow during a property sale by collecting payments from brands and paying influencers. The contract ensures that influencers know when they will be paid. These campaigns can also provide influencers with legal forms to report their earnings as influencers to the IRS.
Brands can better manage their influencer campaigns with detailed analytics provided by influencer marketing software. It shows brands how many people have seen their content. A brand can see which influencers used which words or hashtags. Some platforms provide real-time data.
Advertisers can use this data to fine-tune Brands may prefer specific wording or platforms. Some influencers may be a better fit and create more engaging content. A brand may be able to modify a current campaign or future waves, but this data is always useful for future campaigns.
The Best Branding Platform
A social marketing platform is clearly a useful tool for a brand. In fact, choosing a platform may be the most difficult decision for a brand. After all, there are so many to choose from!
Others are new to influencer marketing. Others may have dabbled or even run successful influencer marketing campaigns with or without this software. Some companies want to import influencer data from spreadsheets or lists so they can manage campaigns in one place. But not all tools have this feature.
Brands may also already use software or solutions that they wish to integrate with influencer marketing software. Test the software with their email client, payment processor, communication app, or e-commerce platform. Some platforms even allow brands to tweet influencers instead of just emailing them.
Requesting a demo of an influencer marketing platform is the best way to assess its suitability. Almost all of these platforms do. It will take more than a few minutes to see if the platform has all the features a marketer needs while remaining user-friendly. Of course, some of this is personal.
During the demo and shopping period, you can evaluate a company’s customer service. Influencer marketing software isn’t always free, and any issues should be resolved quickly. This advice may make or break an influencer campaign. If a brand’s campaign fails or the software is difficult to use, it may never use influencer marketing again.