Influencer marketing can help increase brand recognition, maximise ROI and has been deemed effective by 80% of marketers, with 58% considering it the most effective form of marketing. This article will highlight the top influencer marketing software platforms available today.
Running an effective influencer marketing program involves multiple aspects which can be categorised into the following:
The ideal influencer marketing platform covers all these steps. As the different platforms all have their benefits, challenges and offer different features, we have created a clear overview of the top 10 Influencer marketing software platforms including pricing and contract details.
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The majority of the platforms in the table above cover Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Now where the comparison becomes interesting is when we look at pricing. The majority of the platforms come with a big price tag as well as annual commitments.
The majority of the platforms start from $2K/month.
In terms of pricing and contract terms, Influencer Hero and Publicfast positively stand out with much cheaper monthly pricing and without any annual commitments. The annual commitment with e.g. Grin, CreatorIQ and Upfluence seem to cause the most friction for users, especially small businesses.
In case the software does not meet your expectations, these platforms seem to force payments. You can find some shocking reviews where customers reveal how Upfluence and Grin forced them to continue payment despite wanting to get out below.
“Useless – We got tricked into a 12 month agreement. They gave us these 2 options. We chose the Monthly thinking it would be month to month, but turns out hidden in the contract was billed monthly for 12 months. The way it was presented was very sly. Through the confusion, they have yet to release us from the contract for a platform that is not beneficial to us, and has not helped in any way.” – read the full G2 review here.
"They are very good at cold selling, demo, etc. - and coerces small businesses into signing a 12-MONTH contract (you can't get out, even if their service is off). Since Meta changed its policies, their creator search and curated lists are basically handicapped but they would keep charging you for the reminder of the contract (auto-renewal, another trick) - very smart they know how to squeeze the demand and take advantage of small businesses to maximize their profit. Grin is also glitchy at times especially when syncing with Shopify." - Read the full review here.
When looking at Influencer Discovery, Influencer Hero seems to perform best by covering all major platforms and offering the most competitive pricing without any long term commitments.
Next to Influencer Discovery, lets see how these platforms perform when it comes to features and capabilities. When it comes to features, you want a platform that offers the start-to-end process all in one place.
When it comes to content or user-generated content (UGC) collection, it’s worth noting that Upfluence, Traackr, Tagger and Aspire don’t offer this service. The other platforms do let the influencer manually upload their posts, which can be an inconvenience for both the influencer and the team.
The exception to this is Influencer Hero, which offers automated post detection by the CRM, making it a more efficient and convenient option for all parties involved. Additionally, it’s important to highlight that other platforms don’t include complete email automation with flows, unlike Influencer Hero. Another area where some platforms fall short is in product send-outs, which is not supported by all platforms.
When looking at the features which are included in the platform, Publicfast seems to miss some of the crucial features such as email automation, affiliate marketing and automatic product send outs. Influencer Hero on the other hand seems to cover all relevant features at a fraction of the cost compared to the other platforms in the overview.
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When managing an influencer marketing campaign, it’s important to prioritize a platform with a user-friendly UI and UX, particularly if you’re handling a start-to-finish campaign. We discovered a review from Upfluence user that mentioned “the interface and search function can be confusing and the overall process of a campaign didn’t feel the most user-friendly.”
Some other platforms have interfaces that are overwhelming, with unnecessary elements that confuse users and require them to spend more time than necessary to complete simple tasks. In comparison, Influencer Hero is an excellent option in this category. It offers a highly effective and user-friendly tool, with a simple interface that is easily understandable to users.
When it comes to effectiveness, Influencer Hero is an excellent option due to its comprehensive features, which streamline influencer campaigns. The platform prioritizes effective campaign management, enabling users to manage an unlimited number of influencers in one place, automate communication through email, automate product send-outs, and automate payments, making it a one-stop-shop for campaign management.
In contrast, other platforms may have limitations on the number of influencers that can be managed, and effectively structuring communication can be challenging.
Comparing the UI/UX and effectiveness of different platforms makes it easier to determine their value for money. It’s crucial to ensure that the money you spend on a platform is worth the features and advantages it provides. Unfortunately, most platforms charge a high subscription fees with an annual commitment, but offer limited features that can affect the work’s effectiveness.
To ensure that your investment is well-spent, we need to find platforms that offer extensive features, proven effective, and are easy to use. Both Grin and Influencer Hero offer extensive features compared to other platforms. However, Grin’s subscription fee starts around $2K per month, while Influencer Hero only charges $249 per month.
This significant difference in pricing is an important factor for businesses to consider when selecting an influencer marketing platform. By choosing Influencer Hero, businesses can access the same comprehensive features as Grin, but at a much more affordable price.
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After reviewing the tables above, it is evident that Influencer Hero is the best option for businesses. Not only is Influencer Hero affordable, with a monthly commitment of only $249, but it also offers the most equipped features for streamlining influencer campaign management.
Instead of risking being forced into annual payments, Influencer Hero is a cost-effective solution that delivers all the desired features and capabilities which a comprehensive influencer marketing software should have. In conclusion, Influencer Hero stands out with the highest average score when evaluating platforms across UI/UX, effectiveness, and value for money.
Read a step by step approach for creating a performance driven influencer marketing program in our Ultimate Influencer Marketing Guide here.
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