IZEA: A Look Into a Social Media Sponsorship Leader

Submitted by Daniel Tarockoff as part of our contributors program.

IZEA Inc. (OTC:IZEA) is a “social media sponsorship company that enables brands to connect with influencers and their audiences through multiple technology platforms.” With a network of over 700,000 registered influencers and 50,000 brand partners, IZEA has developed multiple social media platforms that cater to over 3 million sponsorships.

The company has recently rolled out several important developments in social media, intriguing more customers to join its current user base. In mid-June, IZEA partnered with Lenovo (OTC:LNVGY, a $30 billion personal technology company, to debut its new platform called Staree. Staree allows users to post photos or videos from their mobile phone or personal computer and share them through Facebook or Twitter. Users can earn money from product placement or display advertising in their posted content. Currently, Staree is targeting celebrity figures to help the platform gain traction and transform it into a valuable tool for companies to integrate into their social media plans.

Hundreds of celebrities have already joined, and Staree offers an easy way for them to showcase the products and experiences that they are passionate about. In fact, just a day after IZEA announced their partnership with Lenovo, the world leader in social media sponsorships tacked a face to their revolutionary Staree platform. On June 14th, Mario Lopez joined “existing celebrity ambassadors Kendall Schmidt and Logan Henderson in contributing exclusive photos, videos, and updates to the platform in addition to endorsing Staree in various marketing and public relations efforts.”

Lopez’s addition to the Staree team was a big announcement for the company, and has greatly contributed to the hype behind the platform. Lopez’s profile can be found at http://www.staree.com/mariolopez.

Following IZEA’s revealing of Mario Lopez as Staree’s celebrity ambassador, the company announced that the platform has garnered over 1 million visits since its public launch one month ago. With traffic pouring in from over 170 different countries, IZEA has experienced the biggest platform launch in the company’s history.

With its international debut behind it, Staree plans to continue to develop and transform the way we market with social media. As a core component of IZEA’s mobile sponsorship strategy, the company has seen a majority of traffic coming in through Apple devices, most prominently the iPhone. The company has developed a mobile webpage to accommodate the large mobile following.

Although overwhelmed by the initial amount of interest, IZEA is doing its best to tend to customer needs. Currently, users must apply and undergo a qualification process before being accepted to the platform. Staree accounts are currently available to a limited number of users, so the company is targeting users with a strong influence in the social media realm. Eventually, the platform will be available to the entire public. Until then, individuals can apply to the Staree platform on the website at www.staree.com.

Toward the end of June, IZEA was recognized for its social media innovations as CEO and founder of the company, Ted Murphy, “was presented with a Bronze Stevie® Award in the Maverick of the Year category at The 10th Annual American Business Awards last night.” The American Business Awards are known as the nation’s premier business awards program. Since founding the company in 2006, Murphy has come a long way and continue to be recognized as a leader in the social media sponsorship industry. The CEO has recently been featured on Fox Business, CNBC, and Good Morning America. “Details about The American Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners who were announced on June 18 are available at www.stevieawards.com/aba.”