Influencer database software: Everything you need to know
Influencer database software is essentially an online hub that connects brands to relevant influencers. These influencer marketing tools do all the hard work of discovering, classifying, and tracking influencers for you. So you can effortlessly connect with the right influencer for your marketing campaign in a few clicks.
It’s worth noting that not all influencer database software is created equal. With the explosion in social commerce over the last decade, many marketing platforms have tried to incorporate influencer database software into their offerings. But only a select few have really cracked the code.
Benefits of influencer database software
Influencer database software can do wonders for a modern marketing team, which is no surprise — research from Deloitte shows that influencer marketing campaigns give brands more than double the return on investment over traditional digital marketing.
Here’s a look at some of the major benefits in more detail:
Time savings and convenience: Instead of manually combing through Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms to find suitable influencers, you can simply log in to your influencer database software and discover appropriate influencers in a few seconds.
Centralized campaign management: Best-in-class tools don’t just streamline influencer discovery. They offer in-app tools that help with campaign strategy, management, and monitoring, meaning you can handle all influencer-related activities in one place.
Data-driven insights: In addition to helping you to manage your campaign workflow, leading influencer database software tools use AI and automation to deliver real-time insights on campaign success, helping you to swiftly pivot or refine your tactics.
Perfect matches: Choosing an influencer who aligns with your brand’s values, mission, and style is crucial for success. With influencer database software functionality, you’re much more likely to make the right decision the first time around, saving you money in the long term and boosting the odds of campaign success.
Streamlined payments and contracts: When you sign up with a trusted influencer database platform, you’ll no longer need to jump between software platforms to secure your chosen software. It all happens within the software: from influencer discovery to invoicing.
Key software features to look for
As we mentioned earlier, not all influencer database software is created equal. To ensure your investment bolsters your marketing and sales efforts, you’ll need to pick wisely.
With that in mind, here are some must-have features to look for:
Influencer search: A great influencer marketing platform will have an intuitive interface that acts as a search engine, enabling you to seamlessly search through influencer profiles based on key factors like your target audience, followers, engagement rate, location, and more.
Campaign management: In addition to helping you discover influencers, your platform should facilitate easy campaign management. It should also offer insights into key metrics like reach, brand mentions, social media shares, and audience growth.
Integrations: Look for a tool that you can integrate into your existing marketing tech stack — tools like your CRM and content management system, for example.
Great customer service: Onboarding any new technology requires a little help. Ideally, your influencer database software provider will be hands-on, offering real-time customer service should you run into any issues.
Follower verification: Fake followers have become a huge issue on Instagram. Inflated numbers can impair your ability to judge an influencer’s marketing potential accurately. So it’s crucial to look for a software provider that vets influencers and verifies their followers.
5 popular influencer marketing platforms
Now that you know the key features you’ll need in an influencer marketing platform, let’s examine some of the best tools out there. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point if you’re looking for a credible influencer marketing platform!
1. Brandwatch
Brandwatch has a database of over 30 million social media influencers spanning all major social media channels and enables you to manage and measure your campaigns in-app.
While the software is powerful, the user interface is a little complex, and it can be intimidating for beginners. It also has an opaque pricing strategy, meaning you’ll need to request a custom quote to gain an idea of pricing.
That said, Brandwatch does come with broader social listening and digital campaign management capabilities. Overall, it’s a solid fit for global brands that want to run complex multi-national and local campaigns all at once.
End-to-end digital capabilities: This platform offers influencer management, social media management, and customer analysis all in one platform.
Cross-channel inbox: You’ll get access to one centralized inbox that stores messages from all your social media channels.
Influencer network: You can build a private network of influencers you’ve collaborated or built a relationship with, streamlining the process of getting in touch with your chosen partners.
2. Creator.co
Creator.co is an influencer-focused marketing platform that connects brands with content creators across X, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
While the platform has an extensive catalog of popular influencers, it can also get pretty expensive. There is a cheaper DIY plan that allows you to create and manage your own campaigns, but full-service tiers start at $1,795 a month.
Affiliate program: The app has a feature that allows you to launch and manage an affiliate program to boost sales.
Powerful automations: With a little technical knowledge, you can set up Creator.co to automate dozens of marketing jobs.
Influencer scoring: The platform suggests influencers that align with your needs based on an algorithmic score.
3. LTK
LTK is a unique app in that it’s not just for brands and creators — it also has a consumer-facing interface that shows off products people can buy with a couple of taps.
While LTK is great for showcasing fashion and beauty products, its influencer database capabilities aren’t as in-depth as other providers. Instead, LTK acts as an influencer marketing agency, taking care of influencer discovery and campaign management for you — but at an expensive cost of a one-off annual $12,000 subscription fee.
Brand partnerships team: LTK’s in-house team conducts influencer search and campaign management on your behalf.
High-converting shopping app: LTK’s shopping app boosts the likelihood of sales for your brand.
Premium influencers: LTK tends to work with high-profile influencers, meaning your campaigns will garner extensive reach.
4. Traackr
Traackr is a robust influencer marketing platform aimed at large organizations in the beauty, wellness, and fashion spaces. With this tool, you can easily discover and contact influencers and manage campaigns.
While the platform is incredibly powerful, it can also be confusing to use. Plus, if you have a small budget, this platform might be too expensive — it starts at $20,000 per year!
Benchmarking tool: Traackr comes with a cool tool that shows you how your brand fares against competitors when it comes to influencer marketing.
Influencer scorecards: This platform presents influencer analytics in a fun, digestible way.
Audience analytics: Traackr also shows you exactly who each influencer’s audience is.
5. Meltwater
Meltwater, formally Klear, is a solid influencer marketing tool for brands across a variety of sectors. However, it’s worth noting that it only works across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, leaving some gaps in visibility.
Moreover, Meltwater is more of a business intelligence suite than an influencer database, per se. Its major offering is media monitoring, which is great if you’re a brand that’s often in the press.
Media monitoring: This feature highlights mentions of your brand in the media.
Diverse influencers: Meltwater has a comprehensive list of influencers across industries.
In-house analytics: Meltwater’s analytics capabilities make it easy to build a comprehensive influencer strategy.
Do you really need influencer database software?
After reading about the providers above — and their pricing — you might be wondering: is influencer database software really a must for your brand?
In truth, the answer isn’t straightforward. Maybe you do. Maybe you don’t. Here’s how to determine whether an influencer marketing platform could help your brand.
Yes — here’s when and why
Many brands out there could revolutionize their sales by investing in an influencer marketing platform. Which brands are those? Typically, they fall into one of the following categories:
Ecommerce brands: If there’s one thing that sells well on social media, it’s ecommerce products. If you’re yet to tap into the potential of influencers as an online company, you’re missing a trick.
Multinational companies: Global organizations that want to ace their social media presence across geographies can harness the power of influencer database software.
Businesses curious about influencers: No matter what industry you’re in, if you’re curious about giving influencers a try, don’t hold back!
Probably not — here’s when and why
While many big brands can benefit from complex influencer marketing software, smaller, localized players might not be able to afford these tools — or even need them.
Local cafes and restaurants: If you run a cafe or restaurant in one city or state, a database of millions of influencers all over the world just won’t bring in more business.
Experiential spaces: If you’re a theater company or experiential retail space, you need influencers who can actually visit your location!
Companies that sell within brick-and-mortar locations: If you sell your products through a brick-and-mortar store, you need to tap into influencers who can visit your retail locations.
Hummingbirds: An alternative to traditional influencer marketing tools
If your brand falls into one of the above categories, we’re not saying you should turn your back on influencer database software altogether. Rather, you need a specialized solution — one that connects you with influencers who live, work, and influence in your area.
That’s where we come in. Hummingbirds is a unique, localized social media marketing platform that perfectly pairs brands with people who can promote their business.
We know you’re busy running your company, so you won’t have to do any outreach or negotiating. We’ll do it for you! Plus, our platform makes it effortless to run and manage campaigns from a single location.
Partner with Hummingbirds to build partnerships that have a lasting impact
Ultimately, while there are many influencer database software offerings out there, not many cater to brands who want to drive local, geo-based sales.
So, if you’re looking for an influencer database that empowers you to reach and engage with influencers in your area, Hummingbirds is the way to go! Not only do we connect you with local influencers, but we also understand that the best influencer marketing posts feel authentic.
Instead of a sales pitch, we work with our micro-influencers to create user-generated content that feels like getting a recommendation from a friend. It’s the kind of content that drives curiosity and, more importantly, sales.
Ready to see how we can help you boost local brand recognition and sales? Book a call today!
additional marketing resources
Foundations for creating a digital marketing strategy
Local versus nano influencers: What’s the difference?
What is a community-based marketing strategy?