BlogFrog Launches Influencer Marketing Platform

BlogFrog, a company that specializes in social media marketing technology, today unveiled its Influencer Marketing platform for marketers. Using BlogFrog, brands can identify and reach out to social media influencers (active bloggers and Facebook, Twitter, and other social platform users) with relevant content. In addition to being fully automated, the BlogFrog platform includes a searchable database of more than 100,000 social media influencers, community-based information, and new management dashboards that monitor and measure the effectiveness of social influencer programs.

Gartner predicts global social media revenue will reach $16.9 billion this year, a 43.1 percent increase from 2011. Advertising is expected to contribute the bulk of that revenue, at a total of $8.8 billion. EMarketer predicts social media ad revenues will reach $11.9 billion by 2014. The growing practice of enlisting bloggers to tell their readers about a brand's products by offering them free samples or even a paycheck is in line with projections for increased social media spending.

To identify social media influencers, BlogFrog uses three criteria. "They [bloggers] have to have at least 1,000 unique visitors per month; they have to post at least once a week; and their content has to be brand-friendly," BlogFrog cofounder Holly Hamann explains.

If a blogger does not meet these requirements, he or she can still join BlogFrog's community and receive access to information on how to grow a blog. Noting that recruiting bloggers to write and tweet about a brand's products is a time-consuming process, clients will be pleased with BlogFrog's time-saving features, Hamann adds.

When working with bloggers, a brand will "usually have to vet…bloggers' content to see if they are a fit, reach out individually, explain what the campaign is about, and manage blogger participation and content with spreadsheets," Hamann maintains. "Every aspect of that process can now be tightly tracked and managed."

Highlights of BlogFrog's Influencer Marketing platform are as follows:

Brands can select influencers on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and other social networks and engage with them based on topic, vertical market, social influence, and consumer reach.
The platform provides a number of templates for social media programs that influencers can join and brands can use to build campaigns. Programs range from sponsored conversations on the influencer's blog to video posts and Facebook and Pinterest campaigns.
BlogFrog also lets users distribute content across the Web on social sites and brand properties, or curate it for custom display on their own properties, such as a corporate Web site or Facebook page, via ready-to-use widgets.
Users can also track and monitor the creation, distribution, reach, and engagement of influencers' content. Brands can access real-time performance metrics that track how consumers interact with and spread the social content, such as comments, shares, votes, pins, tweets, coupon downloads, page visits, and more. The platform tracks key performance metrics, allows brands to build ROI profiles, and provides reports that measure consumer impressions, engagement, and overall effectiveness.

Founded in 2009 with headquarters in Boulder, Colo., BlogFrog's clients include ABC News in collaboration with the United Nations Foundation, KOA Campgrounds, Meredith Corporation, and Random House.