Case Study: IES Abroad

IES Abroad has been shaping global education since 1950—and today, influencers are at the heart of how they share that story. Partnering with thousands of creators across 19 countries, IES Abroad taps into a global network of voices to showcase life in over 30 cities. Through authentic, influencer-driven content on Instagram and TikTok, they bring the study abroad experience to life with real-time, on-the-ground perspectives that resonate.

For IES Abroad, managing and scaling an influencer program wasn’t optional—it was essential. Multimedia Marketing Manager Kiah Zellner-Smith built a strategy to not only deepen relationships with existing influencers but also attract new ones across 100 destinations. The goal? Turn influencers into trusted storytellers and track top performers without missing a beat.

“We send about 10,000 students abroad each year. Our goal was to turn the most creative, driven students into storytellers—and actually be able to manage it all.” — Kiah, Multimedia Marketing Manager, IES Abroad

_The Challenge: _

Before MightyScout, IES Abroad was juggling a small group of nano-influencers—many of them current students—without the tools to scale. Tracking who posted, who tagged correctly, and who had public profiles was a manual grind. The team spent more time chasing content than using it, making it tough to grow the program beyond a few hands-on campaigns.

Without the right tools, the process was time-consuming and inconsistent, leaving the team buried in spreadsheets and screenshots. They needed a solution that could take the heavy lifting off their plate, ensure nothing slipped through the cracks, and free them up to focus on the bigger picture: growing a high-impact, influencer-powered brand presence across platforms.

“We’re a small marketing team. If we didn’t have a tool to manage this program, I honestly don’t know how we’d do it, I’d probably have to quit my job” said Kiah, Multimedia Marketing Manager at IES Abroad. “It’s not just about downloading content—it’s knowing who posted, what they posted, and whether it met the expectations. Without a system, it would be chaos.”

As IES Abroad looked to grow its influencer network into the thousands, they needed a solution that could scale with them—keeping content flowing and campaigns on track, all without adding to the team.

The Solution:

After Kiah signed up for MightyScout, their team could finally expand their influencer program without disrupting their day-to-day work. With MightyScout, Kiah was able to:

• Track and manage thousands of influencers, with clear metrics to ensure accurate and fair compensation
• Monitor campaign performance across 100+ destinations with automated, easy-to-digest reporting
• Download and repurpose UGC to fuel IES Abroad’s social content across channels
• Keep tabs on influencer activity across platforms like TikTok and Instagram—all in one place

From day one, MightyScout delivered exactly what the team needed—and more. It made it easy to manage a global network of influencers. With creators spread across countries and time zones, the ability to filter by location and performance gave the team clarity and control. The result? A campaign that didn’t just meet expectations—it raised the bar.

“Other tools we looked at were either way too expensive or had features we didn’t need,” said Kiah, Multimedia Marketing Manager at IES Abroad. “MightyScout gave us exactly what we were looking for—simple tracking, flexible plans, and the ability to grow our program without blowing up our workflow.”

IES Abroad’s influencer marketing program has grown fast—now spanning over 30 cities, 100 destinations, and thousands of influencers across multiple teams. MightyScout isn’t just a tool in that growth story—it’s the engine behind it, powering how they run and scale their program every day.

The Results

MightyScout has completely changed how IES Abroad handles influencer content—from finding it, to managing it, to putting it into action. It’s become their go-to hub for all things Instagram and TikTok. By leaning into authentic, influencer-driven storytelling, IES Abroad has sparked stronger engagement and built deeper connections with both their creator network and future students discovering the program.

TikTok ad campaigns, powered almost entirely by influencer content tracked through MightyScout, have racked up over 9 million impressions. And that visibility hasn’t just looked good on paper. IES Abroad saw a 37% spike in applications, a result Kiah directly links to the expanded reach and real, relatable voices driving their message on social media.

“Most of our ad content now comes straight from influencers. I used to create branded videos for campaigns, but now I just use what’s working organically,” said Kiah, Multimedia Marketing Manager at IES Abroad. “MightyScout helps us find what’s performing, get it downloaded fast, and turn it into ads. It’s helped us reach more students—and convert them.”

MightyScout instantly freed up time for Kiah and the IES Abroad team. Instead of chasing down posts or sorting through content by hand, they can now quickly verify who’s met posting requirements and surface top-performing content by engagement. That shift has given the team space to focus on what really matters—strategy, creativity, and growth. The result? An influencer program that’s not just growing—it’s built to scale.

“Before MightyScout, we had no way to tell who actually posted or who we owed payment to. Now, it’s all right there. It saves us weeks of work.”

What used to take weeks of manual tracking now takes just 20 minutes. With MightyScout, IES Abroad has full visibility into every influencer they work with—and can easily discover new, on-brand creators to grow their program even further.

This upgrade opened the door for IES Abroad to roll out its influencer program across offices in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome, and beyond—even with teams who aren’t social media experts. MightyScout has made it easy for new team members to jump in with little-to-no training. Their team can find the content they need, and get to work. With teams spread across time zones and roles, the platform has become a central hub that keeps everyone aligned and connected.

“Our on-site staff aren’t social media people—they work in housing or student life—but they can still jump into MightyScout, find their students, and grab great content. It just makes everything smoother,” said Kiah, Multimedia Marketing Manager at IES Abroad.

For IES Abroad, MightyScout isn’t just another tool—it’s how their team keeps everything moving. With a small crew and a big vision, they rely on it to run a global influencer program that’s always on, always evolving. It keeps content flowing, teams in sync, and gives them the flexibility to pivot fast—because in social media, what’s trending today might be gone tomorrow.

“It makes my life easier. It helps me do my job better. And it gives our students a platform to tell real, human stories about studying abroad,” said Kiah, Multimedia Marketing Manager at IES Abroad. “That kind of storytelling is everything—and MightyScout helps us bring it to life.”

IES Abroad knows they’ve found the right partner to grow with. As platforms evolve, MightyScout evolves with them—and comes with a team that actually listens. It keeps the focus where it belongs: on empowering influencers to tell meaningful stories, not getting lost in the backend.