Start-Up Watch COD: Extole makes social acquisition, engagement, and recommendations turnkey

As companies get more used to social media, they are increasingly searching for accountable metrics and simpler execution to help make this channel deliver on brand KPIs. While few brands dispute the potential for social media, the amount of time and effort it takes to fully leverage this channel can seem daunting.

Extole is a company focused on simplifying social media for its clients and streamlining its execution so that it can deliver actionable results and insights. Essentially, they offer purpose built solutions that can be customized for brands and implemented quickly. Extole manages most of the work required, so marketing teams can stay focused more on strategic issues.

Here’s a capsule run-down on the sorts of services they can provide:

Refer-a-Friend Platform offers a custom branded referral system that rewards people for getting their friends to participate in a brand. While many referral solutions focus solely on email, theirs combines an email based solution with integration into other social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and blogs (via a widget.) Back end reporting provides valuable insights, such as insights into your prime referrers and the demographics of people who take action based upon the referrals. The platform itself provides third party verification of the referral so that referrers can be assured that they will receive the rewards offered. Extole also manages the fulfillments of these rewards, significantly simplifying execution for the client.

Social Builder Platform grows your Facebook social media community through a sweepstakes platform that integrates easily into your Facebook page. The platform is fully customizable, and collects the information required to demonstrate brand impact. Virality is built in, so that as new people visit the page and interact with it, they can communicate the sweepstakes and brand messages to their friends. Extole dramatically simplifies execution by providing sweepstakes rules and the required winner selection and fulfillment services that can consumer time and resources when managed independently. Again, you get back end reporting that analyzes the growth and composition of your fans base, so that programs can be improved and optimized.

Social Marketing Services are delivered by members of the Extole team, who manage the strategic development and execution of programs. They also provide reporting and analytics services to round out the turn key offering.

As we all know, individuals are far more likely to convert – to purchase OR brand participation – when they become aware of genuine recommendations from their friends. By simplifying the dissemination of these recommendations and endorsements, Extole says it helps build real business results without major time or people commitments from its clients. Here’s a vid of their VP of Marketing, Blake Hayward:



That ease of execution is their hallmark benefit. Organizations small and large recognize the resource challenges of building social programs from scratch. By providing robust platforms and services, Extole states that it significantly speeds programs to market and ensures that all the is are dotted and ts crossed. Easy money, in other words. And who doesn’t like that?

Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first.