ORLANDO, FL — (Marketwire) — 04/01/13 — IZEA, Inc. (OTCQB: IZEA), the pioneer of Social Media Sponsorship, today announced results for both the fourth quarter and fiscal year of 2012. Revenues for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, were $4,954,239, an increase of $607,004, or 14% compared to the same period in 2011.
Gross profit for 2012 increased by $408,196, or 17%, compared to the same period in 2011. The Company-s gross profit margin increased to 57% in 2012, up from 55% for the same period in 2011. This increase was attributable to improved internal campaign management of the Company-s advertiser accounts, which generate a higher profit than accounts managed directly by advertisers.
“The Company continues to grow its top line while remaining focused on the bottom line,” said Ted Murphy, IZEA-s founder and chief executive officer. “Throughout 2012, we retooled our sales organization, reduced operational expenses and refocused our efforts on our core technology platforms. While we achieved record revenues and gross profit margin in 2012, many of the improvements and operational efficiencies we put in place are just starting to be realized in 2013.”
IZEA-s operating expenses for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 increased by $586,864, or 8.8%, to $7,269,316, resulting in a net loss of $4,672,638 for the year. The increase was primarily attributable to increased payroll expenses, professional fees, costs of being a public company and increases in sales and marketing expenses, primarily promotional marketing expenses, offset by a decrease in investor relations fees.
“We continue to see growth in demand for Social Media Sponsorship through increased rates of recurring business and larger sales opportunities,” said Mr. Murphy. “Our robust suite of technology platforms, combined with our cost-saving initiatives, have positioned IZEA for significant shareholder value improvement and another record year in 2013.”
The Company will hold a conference call on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time (11:00 a.m. Pacific). Ted Murphy, chief executive officer, Ryan Schram, chief operating officer, and Donna Mackenzie, chief financial officer, will be participating in the call and will be available during the question-and-answer session. To participate in the call, please dial (877) 941-1427, or (480) 629-9664 for international calls, approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. The conference ID for the call is 4609035.
A replay of the call will be available for two weeks from 5:00 p.m. ET on April 2, 2013, until 11:59 p.m. ET on April 16, 2013. The number for the replay is (877) 870-5176, or (858) 384-5517 for international calls; the passcode for the replay is 4609035.
About IZEA
IZEA, Inc. is the pioneer of social media sponsorship, operating multiple online marketplaces including Staree, Sponsored Tweets and SocialSpark. IZEA connects advertisers with social media influencers, helping them monetize their social media presence. The company has completed over three million social media sponsorships for customers ranging from small local businesses to Fortune 50 organizations. For more information about IZEA, visit .
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release that are forward-looking include the company-s estimated levels of revenues, gross profit margin and net operating loss for the 2012 fiscal year. These forward-looking statements are based largely on IZEA-s expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond IZEA-s control. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of, among other factors, competitive conditions in the social media sponsorship segment in which IZEA operates, failure to popularize one or more of the marketplace platforms of IZEA, inability to obtain additional capital, and changing economic conditions that are less favorable than expected. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information contained in this respect will in fact occur. Please read the full statement and disclosures here:
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