The idea is to simplify and automate work with bloggers is not new, but given the market demands and user requirements for such services vary and are rising every day.
In 2016, the global IM market was estimated at $2.5 billion In Russia this market is poorly examined. According to noncommercial partnership of assistance to development of interactive advertising IAB Russia, the Russian market of marketing of influence can be from 2 to 8 billion rubles a year.
According to the Deputy Minister for digital development, communications and mass communications of Alexei Volin, Russia today, there are 15 000-17 000 bloggers, their total salary amounts to 10 billion rubles a year.
How did the idea of the service Smmarty
My wife works in PR. She collaborates with bloggers, using this communication channel to promote clients. Four years ago, to start a mass rally in Instagram or to invite bloggers to the event brand, it is hand made base, selecting a network suitable to the task of bloggers. So there are friendly relations and pool of loyal bloggers. But the work was very time consuming. Then we decided to join forces and create a platform which automatiseret process.
Gather the right people and create a good team is essential to success. At the time of the start of work on the project, I already had an Agency, which is responsible for mobile (iOS, Android) and web development. Having a team of proven IT professionals, we found it a bit easier to start work on Smmarty. In the search for employees, I prefer to use the channel word of mouth and recommendations of friends. In the end, so found pretender and a lawyer. Search for a lawyer took more than two months – the candidate has suggested one of the customers.
Market, demand and competitors
Starting to consider the idea of the project, we began to study the market and Influencer marketing services for bloggers, which is at the stage of formation. Marketers have not yet come to automation of such work. Many are accustomed to work with agencies, someone collects a database of bloggers manually. According to the study TapInfluence is 73.9% advertisers communicate with bloggers directly or through management bloggers. 20% use the services of the Agency. 14.8 percent use the platform to interact with bloggers. While 67.6% of marketers say that the main difficulty in the work is a search for suitable project tasks bloggers. In the Western market services for the selection of bloggers appeared much earlier than in Russia.
Having defined the business idea and analyzing the market, we drew a Mind map with all the mechanics (originally there were 12), questions of potential developments, predictions of user behavior. We asked people from both parties (bloggers and advertisers) is critical to look for product description.
A survey of market participants showed that advertisers are interested in conversions (“how can we count how many people will come from bloggers and buy our product?”). By ordering advertising, the business wants to be sure of the trustworthiness of the blogger (“how to make the blogger fulfilled the agreed terms of publication?”, “How to keep track of what the post hung the agreed time?”) All market participants want to save your time and solve the problem of promoting prompt (“How long must I wait suggestions on bloggers platform?”).
Bloggers are looking for interesting proposals from services for advertisers. The “little” bloggers, microplanner (1000 followers) also want to orders. And they can find them. Pottery workshop in Saratov, Saratov Instagram-influencer with a clear audience in 1000 people will give good publicity and will bring orders. It would be more efficient than the picture painted clay cups from this workshop in the hands of the Moscow blogger with tens of thousands of subscribers. According to AdWeek, microplanner create engagement by 60% better in 6-7 times more efficient than big bloggers.
How it works
The advertiser publishes in the system advertising campaign (describes the product you want to advertise, tasks, geography, campaign, time). Using smart search, the system selects bloggers based on criteria specified by the advertiser. In the end, the advertiser receives a list of bloggers relevant to the objectives of the campaign. Bloggers can write directly and to start to discuss cooperation. For easy communication between the advertiser and blogger in Smmarty functions messenger with chat-bots. After the creation by the advertiser of the advertising campaign in some mechanic Smmarty responses from bloggers you can get after a few minutes.
After discussing the details of fasting in the messenger, blogger is making a concerted items in the virtual document – a smart contract. Now the blogger must fulfill these conditions – to publish the post, consistent with the advertiser. When he does, advertiser’s account will be debited and the money transferred to him. In addition, the advertiser can see the dimension on the accounts of bloggers and published posts. After each of the transaction participants receive accounting documents from the platform: when, at what time, in what amount and to whom funds were transferred to the.
The project is now in the MVP stage. We have developed a strategy to promote the service and plan to begin to implement it immediately after product launch.
