Interview: Dmitry Shyshov, Founder and CEO of the SocialMedia.Market Project

“We want to work in all global markets where influencer marketing is needed.”

On February 9 the SocialMedia.Market project launched its ICO, which has the potential to immediately transform the field of influencer marketing. On the eve of the introduction of their new token, the founder and CEO of SocialMedia.Market, Dmitry Shyshov, spoke about the present and future of this fairly new and rapidly growing marketing phenomenon, about the relationship between advertisers and bloggers, and about the new marketplace rules to be ushered in by the blockchain.

Q: Tell me more about your project. What exactly is SocialMedia.Market?

A: It is a solution for anyone who is interested in influencer marketing and wants to work with it. Our goal is to simplify the relationship between advertisers and influencers all around the world, to make the native advertising market on the most popular social platforms accessible to everyone, and to reduce the entry threshold for market newcomers.

Q: What’s the matter with it? Do advertisers and bloggers have any trouble interacting currently?

A: Right now, if you want to place advertising on someone’s page on a social network, you will most likely be offered three solutions: to buy a database of influencers and then proceed on your own, use an automated advertising system with very limited functionality, or hire an agency manager who will then collect a database of influencers for you and allocate contracts among them without revealing to you their real value or letting you choose exactly how to promote your product. As you can see, none of these solutions are very convenient. And if you also happen to be a beginner, then there is the risk of your project simply getting lost in the shuffle, all while paying a great deal of money and not getting a return on your investment.

Q: What is the alternative that you offer?

A: We want to create a single platform for users with various levels of expertise, both in influence marketing and in blockchain technologies, where the rules of the game will be clear to everyone. This is an automated all-in-one solution that will focus on the search for, creation, implementation and analysis of influencer marketing for specific advertising campaigns.

Q: How will your client benefit from the creation of such a platform?

A: They will get access to popular bloggers on all major social networks, a convenient CRM-system that will reduce risks and save resources for the organization, performance and analysis of advertising campaigns, as well as the opportunity to make international payments using our tokens. The latter option is especially useful for partners working in different countries, where different payment systems are being used. In addition, the introduction of smart contracts and blockchain will make it possible to streamline partnerships, standardize work and ensure secure mutual settlements.

Q: Why have influencers become so sought-after in the advertising industry?

A: Because these people are trendsetters in the digital universe. They’re the ones who determine who will go and where, what they will play, wear, eat, and listen to in the near future. When a blogger has several hundred thousand or even millions of subscribers, and their audience idolizes her and is absolutely loyal to her opinion, this creates a superb opportunity for product promotion.

Q: How loyal is this audience?

A: According to our research, today about 70% of Internet users are willing to make a purchase based on the recommendation of a person they follow online. This is a very significant number.

Q: Do you already have a pool of influencers?

A: Yes, these are influencers in the gaming industry, with whom we work