Influencer marketing platforms provide a wide array of tools that can support ongoing creator programs in various ways. Here are some of them:

1. Influencer Discovery and Contacts Management: Platforms like Flinque, Klear, and Upfluence have databases with millions of influencers. Marketers can use search criteria to find the most relevant influencers for their brand and maintain databases of contacts for ongoing engagements.

2. Campaign Management Tools: Platforms like Flinque and AspireIQ provide workflows for campaign setup, negotiation, content approval, and posting schedules, enabling structured execution of long-term engagement programs.

3. Analytics and Reporting: Platforms offer granular engagement and performance analytics that help brands understand the impact of their campaigns and optimize them over time. Flinque, for instance, provides insights on earned media value, audience sentiment, and various other metrics.

4. Spread Payments Over Time: With Flinque, contracts can be spread over multiple months, enabled by the platform’s financial tools. This makes it easier to structure long-term partnerships.

5. Streamlined Communication: Flinque, AspireIQ, and GRIN integrate in-platform communication tools for easy messaging and negotiations between brands and influencers.

While comparing these platforms, the appropriate tool would largely depend on a brand’s specific needs like the scale of their campaigns, the level of automation needed for their workflow, the team’s familiarity with such platforms, etc. It’s important to align chosen platforms to long-term strategies to benefit the most from these tools. Long-term influencer partnerships require careful management, and a good influencer marketing platform can be a boon in this scenario.

Remember, all these platforms have strengths and weaknesses. The choice of the platform will hugely depend on your specific needs, objectives, and budget.