Influencer marketing may be relatively new, but it has quickly made a serious impact on how companies reach customers. Google searches for the term "influencer marketing" increased by 21.6% from 2019 to 2020, reflecting increasing buy-in from brands and businesses as they include influencer outreach programs in their marketing strategies.
In fact, according to influencer media firm Influencer Marketing Hub, about 75% of marketing departments aimed to have significant influencer marketing budgets in 2022. We don’t blame them; the data shows that that money gets results. For each dollar spent on influencer marketing, brands earn an average of $5.78. It's no surprise that by the end of 2022, the social influencer marketing industry will be worth $16.4 billion.
On the flip side, as more businesses are tapping into the industry, influencing has become a viable career for millions of people. Estimates vary, but one outlet found that there are anywhere between 3.2 million and 37.8 million influencers around the world operating on Instagram, and YouTube. As the space gets more crowded, it becomes even harder for brands to find the best influencers, and micro-influencers, to partner with to achieve their marketing goals. Luckily, tools like influencer marketing hubs, influencer marketing tools, and other influencer management platforms make it easier to get brand-influencer partnerships off the ground.
Table of Contents:
Influencer Marketing Hubs 101
Using an Influencer Marketing Hub to Find Influencers
An alternative to influencer marketing hubs
Getting That Influencer Marketing Hub Right
Influencer Marketing Hubs 101
To help you get more familiar with influencer marketing hubs, here are answers to a few common questions.
What is an influencer marketing hub?
Influencer marketing hubs are software platforms that make it easier for brands and influencers to connect. You may also hear them referred to as influencer marketing platforms, influencer marketing tools, or influencer marketing software solutions.
Tip: Download your free Influencer Marketing Platform Buyer’s Guide.
Why are influencer marketing hubs important?
Unlike influencer marketplaces, which simply let brands search for influencers, influencer marketing hubs see users through the entire partnership process, from first outreach to finished content. Features vary depending on which one you choose, but in general, influencer marketing hubs are lifesavers when it comes to vetting influencers, planning campaigns, and tracking results.
What is the best influencer marketing hub?
There are several hubs available, with more being created every day. The best one for you will depend on your marketing needs. However, Klear consistently ranks as one of the top influencer marketing hubs. Let's take a look at how it compares to a couple of other leading influencer marketing tools.
1. Klear
Klear, which is part of Meltwater's suite of media intelligence solutions, analyzes data from the top influencer channels like Instagram, and YouTube. However, it also covers other channels that brands may use to reach target audiences, like Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, Pinterest, and blogs. With an easy-to-navigate user interface and advanced features like automated influencer marketing reporting and analytics, Klear is a top choice for businesses looking to plan robust but streamlined influencer campaigns.
2. Grin
Grin is another top influencer marketing platform that helps users navigate influencer marketing. But it covers fewer social media channels and does not currently offer collaboration or payment tools.
3. Creator.co
Creator.co lets users sign on to automated influencer campaigns and affiliate programs. Like Klear, it analyzes a wide range of social media channels, including emerging ones like Shopify and WooCommerce.
Tip: Are you using Shopify for your eCommerce online shop? Consider taking a look at the best Shopify podcasts to listen to. We also have a list of the best eCommerce podcasts in general that could be helpful to you.
Using an Influencer Marketing Hub to Find Influencers
For many marketers, the peace of mind and convenience these influencer marketing tools offer means it's not necessary to outsource the work to an agency. Technology is making it easier for brands to manage their relationships directly with the influencers across platforms. (Tip: When evaluating different influencer platforms, make sure to check that the software offers access to influencers on the networks you care about most. Not all platforms will offer the same number of channels).
Here are a few more ways adopting an in-house influencer marketing hub or another influencer platform can help you manage influencer marketing campaigns and analyze, contact, and build direct relationships with relevant influencers.
Tip: These are the best influencer marketing tools and the best influencer management platforms on the market.
Let AI find the right influencer for you
Meltwater's influencer marketing platform has a database of over 500 million influencer profiles in 60,000 different categories across a range of social media platforms. Our AI-powered analytical tool simplifies the selection process by grading influencers according to their content performance, engagement, and reach. This makes it easier for brands to find the best influencers to partner with for their campaigns and goals.
Tap into the power of True Reach
Follower counts and other straightforward metrics are not enough when it comes to scouting influencers and predicting a campaign's performance. Too often, they can include the presence of bots and fake profiles, giving an unreliable impression of an influencer's, well, influence. True Reach helps brands get a more accurate picture of whether or not an influencer can deliver the kind of results they're looking for.
With True Reach, a machine-learning algorithm predicts the number of real views an influencer gets per post. This helps brands weed out fake influencers who may not bring any value to their campaigns and identify star influencers who can help them tap into new niche markets.
Tip: Learn more about Instagram impressions and reach to more easily validate an influencer's authenticity.
Use demographic breakdowns to target the right audience
A good influencer marketing hub should let you take a deep dive into the demographics of an influencer's following. Consider details like interests, age group, and locations to make sure that you're honing in on an audience that will find your brand or campaign relevant and exciting.
Build relationships by contacting influencers directly
Seamless communication between brands and their influencers is key to strong partnerships. Take advantage of an influencer marketing hub's built-in messaging functions to make sure workflows continue smoothly as you collaborate with influencers on campaigns.
An alternative to influencer marketing hubs
Aside from scanning platforms like Instagram directly — an imprecise and time-consuming process — brands can hire agencies to carry out the legwork of finding influencer partnerships. Keep in mind, this option takes away the speedy benefits of having direct relationships with your influencers, leaving more chances for important details to get lost in translation.
Getting That Influencer Marketing Hub Right
Once you know that an influencer marketing hub is right for you, there are a few more details you'll need to look out for when building that campaign.
Use keyword analytics
Use social listening to analyze keywords, trending hashtags, and topics related to your market as you plan an influencer campaign. Getting timely social media insights — like a spike in conversations on Facebook or a Twitter trend — gives you an extra edge over your competitors.
Meanwhile, social listening can also help you keep track of your competitors and how their influencer campaigns are performing. This information will come in handy as you build relationships with influencers, brainstorm content, and execute your own campaigns.
Using media intelligence to make informed decisions
Use a media intelligence tool to research content creators in your market on mainstream media sites. Bloggers, analysts, and journalists aren't influencers, per se, but they can play a major part in shaping public narratives about your brand.
Media intelligence tools make it easy to search across blogs, media sites, and even competitors’ news coverage to find storytellers to reach out to.
Now that you have guidelines for building a successful influencer marketing hub for your brand, get started with your search for the ideal influencer. Fill out the form below to learn how Meltwater’s influencer marketing platform can help.
