Challenge
Influencer marketing is at the peak of popularity over the last years. Despite the enormity of the need, there is the risk that trust factor could fade. People are feeling more tired of sponsored posts that don’t suit the audience. Our customer came up with an idea to create a platform that stands out among Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Instagram. He partnered with our team in building a community-driven social network that would operate as a matchmaker for brands and creators (models, photographers, videographers, etc.) only. And all that without a glut of soulless ads. Problem to Be Solved The customer was eager to make the project much more than just a platform for content crafting—he wanted to monetize it effectively. To turn the app into a powerful selling tool, we needed to understand what matters to brands and influencers. After a careful research and analysis of the creative industries, we highlighted the following objectives: - ensure fast, sleek, and secure work of the app - reach the largest and most engaged in-app audience - make the app run seamlessly on any screen - combine marketplace and social networking features - encourage crafters to produce high-quality content and build a trust-based relationship
Solution
Win 1 React Native to hit iOS and Android At the planning stage, we decided to build the mobile app on React Native. The technology is a win-win option as it allows creating the application for both Android and iOS platforms at once. As a result, our customer cut costs and time efforts, and achieved the same high quality of the product as if he decided to build the mobile app separately for each OS. We released early versions of the app to both app stores simultaneously which allowed the customer to reach the largest and most engaged in-app audience. Win 2 Real Customer Presence in the Workflow As technical partners, we aim at not only getting instant results, but also providing long-term outcomes. Therefore, our Customer Success Manager, besides leading The H Hub project personally, helped the customer to develop essential steps to gain success, boost sales, and increase user base. Such transparency enabled us to achieve the effect of real customer presence in the development process. Smooth workflow and seamless communication in different time zones made it possible to deploy the project without any delays and avoid overspending. Win 3 Fast Delivery Control We are against template-based solutions. Therefore, all customer’s tasks were controlled personally by CEO, CTO, and CSM. As for this project, we involved three developers and the team lead. We received instant feedback from users and made appropriate adjustments in the fastest way. Additionally, we optimized costs on QA since the tech lead reviewed code himself. Win 4 Monetization We created separate sections for brands and creators with free and paid options. The platform is free for influencers. Agencies, in turn, pay for the best branded content. Features Companies can find and hire influencers in seconds due to the features we implemented: Advanced filters Brands can search for top creators depending on their followers, style, engagement, skillset, location, gender, age, etc. User rating Creators with higher ratings are showcased the first Publicationof projects Brands can create upcoming projects Invitation of creators Companies can invite top influencers to participate in projects To encourage crafters to produce authentic content and build a trust-based relationship, we implemented the following features: Careful selection Creators with 10.000+ followers can apply for membership; all the newcomers pass the moderation. Portfolio section Creators can upload, share, and edit portfolio Stats about content and audience Dashboards contain robust data on followers, engagement, likes, comments, and posts Event section Influencers can create meetups to cooperate with each other. Stack We developed the web platform in six months and the mobile app in four months. We ensured fast, sleek, and secure performance of the app due to: React Native Our developers used Angular to create the mobile app. Our coders applied Java Spring to create the mobile app. Our developers used API Google to create the mobile app. Our coders applied Java Spring to create the mobile app. Team Composition Five experts were engaged in the project—a project manager and four developers. One project manager was engaged in the project. Four developers were engaged in the project.
Results
One-Fits-All Solution The H Hub is the one-fits-all solution with all needed stuff and without advertising glut. Being launched in October 2018, the network already has 35.000+ members worldwide. The user base is constantly growing. Creators get support, professional growth, recognition, and earn money. Brands, in turn, hire top influencers to get the best branded content. The platform turned into the strong community where all parties benefit.
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