Building an Influencer Discovery and Management Platform Tailored for Agencies

My role

Product designer (Freelance)

TEAM

Product owner, 2 Engineers

TARGET AUDIENCE

Small-Medium Influencer management agencies.

TIMELINE

January 2020 to April 2020

(4 months)

BACKGROUND

According to a survey conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub, with more than 4000 marketing agencies,

"91% of respondents believe that influencer marketing is an effective marketing strategy."

Influencer marketing is now a $21 billion industry!

The industry has grown from $16.4 billion in 2022 to $21.1 billion in 2023. From movie stars to social media celebrities, influencer marketing is at its all-time high.

THE PROBLEM

Marketers and agencies struggle with influencer discovery and management, leading to difficulties in executing successful influencer marketing campaigns.

Finding the right influencers to promote a brand isn’t an easy task. And for a marketer, this matters because influencer selection has a great significance to the success of campaigns.

THE APPROACH

Understanding user needs

Interviews with marketers, marketing agencies, and social media managers to identify pain points and needs.
Competitor Analysis: Study competitor tools to uncover gaps in the market.

Interviews with marketers, marketing agencies, and social media managers to identify pain points and needs.
Competitor Analysis: Study competitor tools to uncover gaps in the market.

Defining key features

Collaborate with the product team to define the platform's features and functionalities.
Visualize the platform's structure, ensuring that it aligns with user needs.

Collaborate with the product team to define the platform's features and functionalities.
Visualize the platform's structure, ensuring that it aligns with user needs.

Implementation and evaluation

Conduct usability testing with a diverse user group.
Iterate on design based on user feedback, focusing on user needs and preferences.

Conduct usability testing with a diverse user group.
Iterate on design based on user feedback, focusing on user needs and preferences.

RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY

Understanding User Needs

Conducted 8 interviews with marketers, marketing agencies, and social media managers to identify pain points and needs.

PAIN POINTS

Finding the right influencers is time-consuming and complex.
Detecting fake influencers is challenging and can result in wasted resources.
Measuring the ROI of influencer campaigns is often unclear.
Managing influencer marketing costs efficiently is a problem.
Tracking and monitoring influencer activities across platforms is cumbersome.

Finding the right influencers is time-consuming and complex.
Detecting fake influencers is challenging and can result in wasted resources.
Measuring the ROI of influencer campaigns is often unclear.
Managing influencer marketing costs efficiently is a problem.
Tracking and monitoring influencer activities across platforms is cumbersome.

Competitor Analysis

Researched existing tools like :

Identified Gaps

Transparency Gaps: Existing tools lack transparency in their influencer data, making it challenging for users to assess influencers accurately.
Unaffordable Pricing Tiers: The high pricing plans of competitor tools are prohibitive for smaller businesses, limiting their access to effective influencer marketing solutions.
Steep Learning Curve with Complex UI: Users face a steep learning curve due to the overly complex user interface, hindering efficient usage of the platform.

Transparency Gaps: Existing tools lack transparency in their influencer data, making it challenging for users to assess influencers accurately.
Unaffordable Pricing Tiers: The high pricing plans of competitor tools are prohibitive for smaller businesses, limiting their access to effective influencer marketing solutions.
Steep Learning Curve with Complex UI: Users face a steep learning curve due to the overly complex user interface, hindering efficient usage of the platform.

Lack of multi-platform support: Competitor tools often lack comprehensive multi-platform support, restricting users in reaching their target audiences across various social media platforms.
Inadequate Trial Periods: Many tools offer no free trials or provide limited trial periods that do not offer users enough time to thoroughly test and evaluate the tool for campaign planning and execution.

Lack of multi-platform support: Competitor tools often lack comprehensive multi-platform support, restricting users in reaching their target audiences across various social media platforms.
Inadequate Trial Periods: Many tools offer no free trials or provide limited trial periods that do not offer users enough time to thoroughly test and evaluate the tool for campaign planning and execution.

THE SOLUTION

Influencer Discovery

SEARCH FEATURE WITHIN THE APP

Designed a streamlined influencer discovery process, allowing users to search based on niche, platform, and follower count.
Implemented filters and sorting options to help users find the right influencers quickly.
Included a recommendation engine that suggests influencers based on campaign goals.

Designed a streamlined influencer discovery process, allowing users to search based on niche, platform, and follower count.
Implemented filters and sorting options to help users find the right influencers quickly.
Included a recommendation engine that suggests influencers based on campaign goals.

WITH THE HELP OF 'SOCIAL IQ' CHROME EXTENSION

The extension will be triggered every time when the user visit different social media platforms.
User can see the post engagement on every post.
This will give a real-time analysis of influencer profile.
Influencers can be added to the database just by one click.

The extension will be triggered every time when the user visit different social media platforms.
User can see the post engagement on every post.
This will give a real-time analysis of influencer profile.
Influencers can be added to the database just by one click.

CREDIBILITY SCORE TO DETECT FAKE INFLUENCERS

Credibility score is calculated from the following data

Follower Growth Rate: Sudden, significant spikes in follower count, especially within a single day may indicate purchased followers.

Disproportionate Follower-to-Engagement Ratio: Assess if an influencer has a large following but receives low engagement (likes, comments) on their content.

Credibility score is calculated from the following data

Follower Growth Rate: Sudden, significant spikes in follower count, especially within a single day may indicate purchased followers.

Disproportionate Follower-to-Engagement Ratio: Assess if an influencer has a large following but receives low engagement (likes, comments) on their content.

Influencer Management

Women’s day campaign

Active

Share Campaign

Add Influencers

Influencers

Reports

Content

Chats

influencer

Followers

status

cost

emv

Rating

Search Influencer

Mary Walters

@fashionblooms

Emma Thompson

@thetrendsfreak

Maria Edward

@womensfashion

509K

$50

$100

202K

$20

$80

197.8K

Not set

$140

Confirmed

Pending

5.0

4.0

3.0

TOTAL INFLUENCERS

TOTAL BUDGET

TOTAL POST

TOTAL STORIES

ENGAGEMENT RATE

ESTIMATED REACH

ESTIMATED MEDIA VALUE

$500

105

86.5%

610K

$500

01 Jan 2021

20 Jan 2021

View Content

Home

Influencers

Content

Campaigns

Upgrade

My Account

Women’s day campaign

Active

Share Campaign

Add Influencers

Influencers

Reports

Content

Chats

TOTAL INFLUENCERS

TOTAL BUDGET

TOTAL POST

TOTAL STORIES

ENGAGEMENT RATE

ESTIMATED REACH

ESTIMATED MEDIA VALUE

$500

105

86.5%

610K

$500

01 Jan 2021

20 Jan 2021

Mary Walters

2 days ago

Estimated Reach

2.68K

Estimated Impression

2.68K

EMV

$150

View More on Instagram

Mary Walters

12 Feb 2021

Estimated Reach

2.68K

Estimated Impression

2.68K

EMV

$150

View More on Instagram

Mary Walters

05 Feb 2021

Estimated Reach

2.68K

Estimated Impression

2.68K

EMV

$150

View More on Instagram

Mary Walters

28 Jan 2021

Estimated Reach

2.68K

Estimated Impression

2.68K

EMV

$150

View More on Instagram

All posts

Sort by

Date

Edit Campaign

Delete Campaign

Home

Influencers

Content

Campaigns

Upgrade

My Account

Influencer Activity Tracking

Designed an intuitive interface for users to track the activities of multiple influencers across different platforms.
Integrated tools for monitoring influencer posts, coupon code usage, and sales attribution.

Designed an intuitive interface for users to track the activities of multiple influencers across different platforms.
Integrated tools for monitoring influencer posts, coupon code usage, and sales attribution.

Cost Management

Developed tools for estimating campaign costs based on influencer rates and engagement rates.
Provided budget tracking features to help users manage their expenses effectively.

Developed tools for estimating campaign costs based on influencer rates and engagement rates.
Provided budget tracking features to help users manage their expenses effectively.

ROI Measurement

A dashboard for tracking and measuring the ROI of influencer campaigns in real-time.
Included data visualization to make campaign performance easily understandable.

A dashboard for tracking and measuring the ROI of influencer campaigns in real-time.
Included data visualization to make campaign performance easily understandable.

USER TESTING

Usability Testing

Before going into the actual implementation, we tested the hi-fi prototypes.

Conducted usability testing with a diverse group of users, including marketers and social media managers.
Evaluated user feedback on the prototypes to identify pain points and areas for improvement.
Iterated on the design based on user feedback, ensuring that the platform addressed their needs effectively.

Conducted usability testing with a diverse group of users, including marketers and social media managers.
Evaluated user feedback on the prototypes to identify pain points and areas for improvement.
Iterated on the design based on user feedback, ensuring that the platform addressed their needs effectively.

Implementation and Evaluation

Development and Launch

Collaborated closely with the development team to ensure the design was implemented accurately.
Assembled a focus group consisting of marketers, marketing agencies, and social media managers.
Conducted thorough testing to identify and rectify any UI/UX issues prior to launch.

Collaborated closely with the development team to ensure the design was implemented accurately.
Assembled a focus group consisting of marketers, marketing agencies, and social media managers.
Conducted thorough testing to identify and rectify any UI/UX issues prior to launch.

User Training and Support

Created user guides and tutorials to onboard users effectively.
Offered customer support to address any questions or issues during the initial launch phase.

Created user guides and tutorials to onboard users effectively.
Offered customer support to address any questions or issues during the initial launch phase.

Results and User Feedback

Post-launch, gathered user feedback through surveys and direct communication.
Users reported a significant reduction in time spent on influencer discovery and management.
Positive feedback on the intuitive interface, especially the fake follower detection and ROI measurement features.

Post-launch, gathered user feedback through surveys and direct communication.
Users reported a significant reduction in time spent on influencer discovery and management.
Positive feedback on the intuitive interface, especially the fake follower detection and ROI measurement features.

conclusion

The Impulze influencer discovery and management tool has effectively tackled the challenges encountered by marketers in the influencer marketing industry. By prioritizing user-centric design and consistently refining the platform based on user feedback, it has emerged as an efficient and user-friendly solution for influencer marketing campaigns. This experience was a valuable learning opportunity that emphasized the importance of understanding user needs, conducting usability testing, and iteratively enhancing the design to create a valuable and effective product in the influencer marketing space.

Let's Connect!

Feel free to get in touch with me here ↓

manumohanan.de@gmail.com

LinkedIn →

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Let's Connect!

Feel free to get in touch with me here ↓

manumohanan.de@gmail.com

LinkedIn →

Bento →