What to Look for in an Influencer Marketing Platform

Partnering with influencers is a great way to support brand marketing efforts. The process can be pretty time-consuming, from identifying influencers in a specific industry to managing campaigns. Brands who want to streamline their influencer marketing campaigns or who plan to expand the number and frequency of their campaigns often opt for some kind of influencer marketing technology. Once brands realize the benefits of using influencer marketing technology to support their efforts, it’s a matter of choosing the right platform. 

We’ve outlined the top features to look for when assessing influencer marketing platforms so you can find the one that works best for you!

Vetted influencer community

One of the primary reasons marketers turn to influencer marketing platforms is because many of them offer a community of available influencers. With the ability to sort by industry and number of followers, these services can help narrow down the list of potential partners. But, the key thing to look for when considering platforms is how those influencers are vetted. Check the platform to see if they have requirements for influencers who want to join their marketplace to get an idea of the quality you can expect from the influencers. 

Influencers should go through (at least) two different checks in the vetting process:

• Analytics Check: This automated check verifies that influencers have a 2% engagement rate, which is the industry standard, a specific number of interactions per asset, and a minimum follower requirement. It should also analyze their audience demographics, including location, age, and the authenticity of those followers.
• Aesthetic Check: This is a manual check to confirm that influencers are creating high-quality, original content that aligns with the verticals for the platforms they use. 

Finding just the right influencers can make or break campaigns and a good influencer marketing platform will vet the influencers in their marketplace. Make sure potential platforms offer this feature so you can be confident in the quality of potential partners in their community.

Profiles for influencers

Once you have identified potential partners, you’ll still want to perform your own due diligence to make sure they’re a fit for your brand voice, audience, and values. Look for platforms that give you access to each influencer’s profile so you can see additional information on each influencer before you make a decision. This should include audience demographics, number of followers, basic performance metrics for the channels the influencer uses as well as information about their interests and a personal profile to address any specific beauty concerns, personal style, etc. With this information, you can make an informed decision about who you choose to work with.

Analytics dashboard

Measuring the results of your influencer marketing campaign is obviously important, but it can also be challenging. If you’re running omni-channel campaigns with different influencers, an influencer marketing platform can help you filter out the noise and focus on the metrics you need. When you’re evaluating influencer marketing platforms, find out whether they offer an analytics capabilities, specifically an analytics dashboard.

With a built-in analytics dashboard, you can seamlessly track influencer collaborations to see how your campaigns are performing. Look for analytics that influence interactions, potential reach, link clicks, earned media value (EMV), number of orders, and engagement rate. Good platforms will also give you the ability to customize your reports using date and campaign filters so you can drill down on the specifics you need.

Content dashboard

Partnering with influencers is a great way to create user-generated content, but when you’re running big campaigns it can be hard to track down all that original content. Many influencer marketing platforms offer a content dashboard to house all the content created during your campaign. The right platform should help you track all of your content in real-time across the different channels, including Instagram, Instagram Stories, and YouTube in one, easy-to-use dashboard.

In-platform messaging

Building and managing relationships with your partners is key to keeping everyone on the same page. But, when you’re working with multiple influencers who might have different communication preferences, it’s easy for things to get lost in the shuffle. Instead of trying to find the most current contact info or dig through old emails and DMs, find a platform that offers built-in messaging capabilities. With messaging integrated right into the platform, you can easily contact your influencers and keep all your correspondence organized in one place.

Logistics capabilities

Shipping products to influencers can be expensive, time-consuming, and overwhelming. Instead of asking every individual influencer for their best address, packing products, and managing shipping yourself, let an influencer marketing platform handle it for you! Influencer platforms offer everything from full logistic and fulfillment services to tracking dashboards for personal shipments.

Figure out which solution makes the most sense for the number of products you’re sending to help save yourself time. Partnering with a platform to help fulfill orders not only makes your life easier, it helps strengthen relationships with influencers. You can provide them with tracking numbers and updates and be sure that their package will get to them on time.

Community marketplace

If you’re developing an influencer marketing program on your own, you’re probably sending out cold outreach to potential partners. While this tactic can work, it’s not as effective as partnering with influencers who are actively interested in trying and promoting your brand and product. With an influencer marketing platform, you can access a community marketplace instead. With a community marketplace, interested influencers reach out to you when they’re interested in trying products.

This creates a shopping experience that’s much similar to the way customers purchase products in real life. It also builds more authentic partnerships when influencers make the first move and choose your product for themselves.

Campaign targeting

Finding vetted influencers is a big benefit of working with an influencer marketing platform and adding on the ability to target specific influencers is an added bonus. With the right platform, you can target influencers easily based on key demographic information and whether they’re in your industry or vertical.

Some examples of key filters you can use to target the influencers who are the best fit for your campaigns are: age, location, specific skin concerns, hair types, number of followers as well as audience location, age, and gender. Using these filters not only narrows down your potential partners, it increases your chances of connecting with influencers who are the best possible fit for your products and your individual campaigns.

Variety of social platforms

Influencers often operate on multiple platforms, and sharing user-generated content across multiple social media platforms can really boost your reach. Some influencer marketing tools are platform-specific, so you’re limited on where you can post and how you can track. Instead, look for influencer marketing platforms that support multiple platform options so you can diversify your content and hit the KPIs that tie into your campaign goals.

eCommerce reviews

When people think about user-generated content, they often forget that written posts are a form of UGC. This includes text reviews and testimonials, which are a huge form of social proof for brands. eCommerce reviews help build trust for your products and your brand, which can have a direct impact on conversions. In addition to visual UGC, find an influencer marketing platform that lets you collect authentic text reviews that can be featured on your site and product pages. 

Account management

Working with an influencer marketing platform is great, because it gives you access to the tools and technology that can help you streamline your campaigns. Some platforms operate on a self-serve model where you do everything yourself. This can be a good place to start, but if you run into any issues with the platform or need advice for your campaigns, then you’re on your own.

If you want to take advantage of support and industry insights, find a platform that offers account management. Account managers can help you navigate the platform and can share insights about their influencer community and the industry at large.

FTC compliance checks

As the influencer industry has expanded, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has created requirements for compliance. The FTC works to stop deceptive or false advertising and requires that influencers disclose their relationship with brands when they create sponsored content. If the requirements aren’t followed, both influencers and the brands they represent face consequences. Influencers are responsible for disclosing their relationship, but it can be hard to track.

To make sure influencers are following the rules for disclosure, find an influencer marketing platform that will check all the posts submitted by your influencers. This ensures that every influencer you partner with is complying with the regulations on every post they submit.

Choosing an influencer marketing platform is a big — and exciting — step forward for running influencer campaigns at scale. With the right platform, you can manage every step of the process from finding the perfect influencer to making sure content abides by FTC guidelines. By partnering with an influencer marketing platform that offers all these capabilities, you can streamline the process, save time, and focus on running successful campaigns to drive your business forward.

While there are a variety of standalone tools and platforms to choose from, Octoly does it all!

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