BlogFrog Enjoys Breakout Year In 2012 As Influencer Marketing And Earned Media Hit Critical Mass With Marketers

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BlogFrog, the industry leader for influencer marketing technology, heads into 2013 with strong momentum based on both internal successes and strong shifts within the marketing industry toward content-based, earned media campaigns. Highlights of 2012 include the national launch of its Influencer Marketing platform, securing $3.2 million in venture funding, opening an office in New York City and doubling its staff, revenue and number of influencers within its network. It also added key new members to its executive team and received industry recognition for its customer successes and technical innovation. The coming year bodes well for BlogFrog as brand marketers increasingly look to connect with consumers in meaningful ways through the growing popularity of earned media and native advertising.

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"During the past year, BlogFrog made significant strides in all aspects of its business and, with the influencer marketing industry segment in rapid growth mode, 2013 looks even more promising," said Rustin Banks, co-founder and CEO for BlogFrog. "Brands, including the largest social networks, realize that authentic and meaningful content that results in earned media is the most effective way to engage with consumers. BlogFrog is excited to meet this increased demand with new innovative offerings in 2013."

BlogFrog experienced strong customer and revenue growth during 2012 due to its unique ability to help marketers quickly identify and engage with people who are influential online. Its Influencer Marketing platform helps brands mobilize the selected social media influencers at scale, and initiate and distribute meaningful content for consumers as they move through the purchasing decision-making process. It automates all aspects of an influencer marketing campaign, allowing brands to garner coveted "earned media" that increases awareness, drives engagement, supports brand values and improves bottom-line results.

Highlights for BlogFrog in 2012 include:

Business Performance – BlogFrog experienced strong growth in 2012 and doubled its revenue and employee headcount. After bootstrapping and building its business organically, BlogFrog closed on a $3.2 million round of funding in June, led by Grotech Ventures. It quickly expanded with a new office in New York City to better service its growing roster of publishing and agency partners. It also added key executives to the team, including Raviv Turner, product manager; Greg Zippi, vice president of sales; Jay Wallingford, vice president of engineering; Molly Theda, director of human resources, and Jennifer Beaupre, vice president of marketing. To bolster and manage its New York office, BlogFrog added Jennifer Swartley as head of channel business development.  The new executive additions bring expertise from digital content, online marketing and enterprise SaaS industries, based on experience working at companies like Omniture, DSL, Jive Software and Conde Naste.

Technology Innovation – During 2013, BlogFrog rolled out its Influencer Marketing platform that automates the "identify, activate, distribute and measure" processes of an influencer marketing campaign. It also added comprehensive analytics and reporting dashboards that present a graphical view of campaign effectiveness, real-time monitoring of influencer reach and content impressions and, most importantly, detailed analysis of social engagement. The company also announced its' Influencer Circle program which connects leading bloggers/influencers with brands to create relevant, authentic content that engages like-minded consumers. Currently, there are more than 100,000 bloggers and social influencers in the BlogFrog Influencer Circle network. In addition, BlogFrog launched a new Hispanic Influencer Marketing program that connects brands to its growing base of Latino influencers. BlogFrog's increased focus on influencer marketing for global markets now help brands create trust and better connect with a wider audience of consumers.

Market Leadership – BlogFrog was recognized for several industry awards during 2012, including the Forrester Groundswell Award, The Internationalist and the eContent 100. Forrester Research's Groundswell Award recognized the company for its work for the Million Moms Challenge campaign, a joint effort by ABC News and the United Nations Foundation (UNF) that generated more than 30 million social media impressions and connected thousands of moms in the U.S. with moms in developing countries. Lastly, BlogFrog began to focus on several new vertical markets which rely upon the ever-evolving visual web, including the food and fashion industries.

"BlogFrog had a breakout year in 2012 and we are incredibly excited to build on this strong momentum and to rollout new, innovative offerings during the coming year," said Holly Hamann, co-founder and CMO for BlogFrog. "As the social marketing industry continues to evolve and mature, BlogFrog will continue to work with customers and partners to develop best practices that result in new levels of engagement and results across the board."

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About BlogFrog
BlogFrog is the industry leader for influencer marketing technology. The company works with brand marketers, agencies and publishing partners to harness the power of social influencers through content-driven campaigns that are meaningful and useful for consumers. Its Influencer Marketing platform manages all aspects of high-impact social marketing campaigns, helping brand marketers identify and activate influencers, distribute content across all social networks and measure campaign performance. Brands that use BlogFrog for impactful influencer marketing campaigns include ABC News/United Nations Foundation, KOA Campgrounds, Udi's Gluten Free, Horizon Organics and Random House. For more information please visit www.theblogfrog.com.

Media Contact:
Christie Denniston
Catapult PR-IR
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SOURCE BlogFrog