Dive Brief: 

• Izea is launching Sponsored Marketplace, an auction-style platform that offers automated buys of posts from social media influencers like celebrities, mommy bloggers, and social media stars. 
• According to CEO Ted Murphy, Izea is looking to embrace the same process that works for selling digital display ads. 
• Currently, Izea has over 800,000 content creators and thousands of advertisers. 

Dive Insight: 

The move is in response to the overwhelming trend of automated buying in advertising. This will be the first time social media influencers will be accessible through an auction system. The practice of buying sponsored posts from influencers and the practice of automated buying are growing at an exceptional rate., so it makes perfect sense for Izea to move in this direction.