#influencermarketing – Page 2

What are the Changing Dynamics of Influencer Marketing?

3 June 2022 No Comments

Influencer marketing is all about creating the buzz on a brand and the impact should reach out to millions. As the whole digital marketing trends have shifted to the front gear, influencer marketing has emerged as a significant game-changer. Influencer marketing is also considered effective when it comes to boosting a brand’s digital space. Influencers are gaining adequate attention from social platforms, especially on Meta (Facebook), YouTube, and Instagram. Brand awareness is being built through long-format videos, IGTV, blog posts, and reels. Even putting a story on the influencer’s profile could impact the market behavior. The latest study by the experts has shown that influencer marketing can gain 11 times the ROI of traditional advertising. But creating and sustaining influence will take more effort than just posting selfies and shots. Brands look for influencers who could facilitate maximum brand exposure, reach, and engagement. Brands strive to maintain a relationship of trust with the audience. When a brand approaches an influencer, marketers expect nothing less than brand visibility.

As social media platforms continue to evolve, more people are becoming influencers. Let’s say social media influencer marketing has begun with written blog posts. As social media changed, the kind of content influencers was making also changed. Video content has become the most popular content for influencers. Be it Facebook, TikTok, IGTV, or YouTube, all have shown the real power of video content. At the same time, influencers will also take advantage of new and innovative platforms. Very recently the audio-only app ClubHouse was trending, and influencers were using it for growing popularity. On the other hand, the way contents have been created has also changed. Influencers started sharing more of their personal life through social media. They have shown the importance of losing for future success. The vulnerability has been celebrated and the impact is significant. Influencers are more trusted by their followers. People love authenticity and that has been the biggest success of influencers of this generation. Influencers showing their reality have made their profiles more authentic and trustworthy. This makes the profile more strong and more engaging. These characteristics are suitable for micro-influencers and other levels of influencers that come after micro-influencers. They won’t necessarily be having a huge social following. Their audience is limited but they will be having a niche community. The number of followers could be lesser but the engagement rate is higher. In short, bloggers, niche-market personalities, and industry experts are the new game-changers in the arena of influencer marketing.

Finding the right influencer for a brand could be complicated. It is even more difficult to connect with them as you don’t know which profile is legit and fits the brand. The involvement of an agency has existed for the last couple of years. An influencer marketing agency is responsible for connecting brands with relevant influencers. An agency bridges the gap between an influencer and the brand and both the parties are benefitted from an agency. An inevitable trend of choosing influencer marketing agencies has lessened the burden on marketers.

The publishing frequency of content creation is on the rise and video becomes the medium of choice for many influencers. They are leveling up their video posts and finding new ways to connect with the audience.

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5 Mistakes Brands Make with their First Influencer Marketing Campaign

3 June 2022 No Comments

Social influencers have been a vital part of brands marketing and brand awareness. With the consequential rise in social media marketing, brands have extended their peddling to influencer marketing. At the core level, influencer marketing is considered to be a type of social media marketing. Brands choose influencers with a dedicated social following and a high amount of social trust. Influencers use endorsements and product mentions for brands. In return, they get paid by the brands and gain more audience for their profile or social media account.

Like any other marketing technique, influencer programs demand deliberate planning and targeting. A few years ago, the influencer marketing landscape was mostly dominated by celebrities and some dedicated bloggers. Now every individual in the digital space has understood the scope of turning their account into something more than browsing and connecting with friends. Especially during the pandemic, many people on social media started getting massive recognition for their talent. YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram witnessed the rise of individuals rising into influencers. Most of the newbies had a niche community of audience. Hence, influencer marketing slowly stretches the wings from celebrity influencers into different influencer tiers; be it macro-influencers, mid-tier, or micro, brands have realized the significance of using budding influencers with a strong digital presence. But for brands, influencer marketing strategies have become way more difficult to navigate than any other marketing tactics. Finding the best and right influencer for the campaigning is one of the many struggles. The 5 mistakes brands make with their first influencer marketing campaign are as follows. The 5 golden mistakes that should be avoided by brands with utmost carefulness.

Focusing on Followers and Not Analysing the Engagement

One of the most common mistakes for any marketer is measuring the follower’s count without analyzing the profile. Just because an influencer has a huge number of followers, that doesn’t mean they always make an impact on the audience. The followers could be fake or bot sometimes. So it’s important to analyze the influencer’s activity and engagement before choosing them for the campaign.

2. Not Considering a Goal for the Campaign

Not defining a goal for the campaign is one mistake most brands make at the beginning. It is really important to have a set goal. Whether it’s for customer loyalty upsurge, conversions, or brand awareness, understanding what you want from this campaign is the first thing brands should consider. Launching a campaign without a set goal is a mistake some marketers tend to make. Without a set goal, it is very difficult to measure the performance of influencers. With this brands won’t be able to know whether their campaign has succeeded or not. So have a clear understanding of what you expect from the campaign.

3. Not Setting Up a Budget

For any kind of campaign, budgeting is really important. Marketers should be very clear about how much money they should spend on a campaign. If the compensation model doesn’t fit your budget or goals, chances are high that you end up with huge losses. There are different compensation models for influencer marketing such as cost per acquisition, free products or experiences, cost per engagement, cost per click or post, etc. Always choose the best compensation plan based on your goals and always be open to negotiations.

4. Picking-Up the Wrong Influencers

Engaging with the right influencer for the brand is more important than just picking a random influencer with a huge followers count. Choosing the right influencer is based on what you want to identify as a brand. It will be weird and irrelevant if a cosmetics brand chooses a sports celebrity for the influencer marketing campaign. Understand the market, demographics, and self-image of both the brand and influencer. If they share common interests, that influencer would be a fit for the campaign.

5. Lacking Authenticity

Real communication and authenticity play a huge role in the influencer marketing arena. Consider it as a kind of Public Relation, a good interpersonal relationship with the person is a great way of building trust. Influencers are actual people who give their voice and credibility to the brand. So it is important to build an open, collaborative relationship with the influencers. After all, it’s a collaboration, so be authentic and build the relationship.

Choosing the right influencer for the marketing campaign is a complex process. In order to execute the marketing campaigns, brands must carefully avoid these mistakes. Brands can also approach influencer marketing agencies for the smooth transition of the campaign

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Hate Speech on Influencers

3 June 2022 No Comments

Some of us are terrible at not being judgemental. We as that part of the audience have a declined tolerance. We as that part tend to violently disagree with whatever content that goes against our ideologies and tastes. What makes us so hateful against people on social media? Especially celebrities and influencers?

We are exposed to a constant stream of information on social media, while most of the young generation have a clear digital identity. So the digital presence and information overload could cause the way this generation is being evolved. Or, let’s say this is what gonna reflect the core of what we are. So consider online spaces as a reflection of society. Earlier, individuals used to hold back particularly biased opinions in fear of societal backlash. These opinions have very recently found their space online. As a result, hate speech and polarising content have maximized on the internet. In this constantly evolving digital space, what we require for smooth communication is the critical skills to filter and navigate. We have heard about toxic influencers, now it’s time to talk about toxic social media users and hate speech on influencers.

Influencers are shape-shifting the social media marketing space through a variety of content ideas. What they are doing is content creation either for a strong digital identity or brand awareness. If the content is not biased, then they should rightfully be proud of what they are doing. But the amount of young people spending time online has spiked and literally they are living their lives online. The constant drive for attention and recognition is there, but seeing unrealistic lifestyles of others could trigger at least some of the audience. There is another part of us (The audience) that is frustrated with the existing lifestyle. That part of us neither likes ourselves nor others. Hence, just a post of an influencer could trigger us. The difference between an influencer and a toxic user is the way they look at social media. An influencer has understood the scope and possibilities of social media. They have a constant thirst for success and evolution. How to make the content better, and how to raise the brand identity or digital presence are some of the things that an influencer looks up to. While the toxic user is as simple as a toxic user. They are cyberbullies and sexists. A toxic social media user does not understand views, likes, claps, and praise. A toxic user only understands views and fights.

For any influencer, being exposed to any form of hate speech is painful. In the process, they might be able to overcome this negativity but it does affect a part of themselves. The feeling of being attacked will affect their self-worth and self-esteem and will impact their mental well-being in many ways. So any direct hate must be taken very seriously just like an offline/ real hate crime.

Social media firms have recently been inclined to make social media a safe environment. The cry for censorship and wanting to create a pleasant social media environment have proliferated. Users (Or influencers for that matter of fact) have the option of blocking certain types of comments. Hate speech on influencers is something that needs to be completely resolved. This is not only affecting the influencer’s mental well-being but also the process of creating quality content.

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How Hirect is Acing in Influencer Marketing

3 June 2022 No Comments

The close relationship between a brand and its influencer and how convincingly the message is communicated to the audience defines ideal influencer marketing. Organizations have mastered how to use influencer marketing effectively in the ever-evolving business landscape. Hirect is one of those companies that have effectively used influencer marketing. They aced it and killed it.

Hirect is a job platform that connects business owners, startup founders, HR heads, and recruiters directly to job seekers. Hirect uses AI-matching algorithms, inbuilt chats, and verification features to quickly connect with candidates and schedule interviews. The chat-based, direct hiring platform is designed for the hiring needs of high-growth startups. They meet the hiring needs without consultants and promise 100% data privacy. From their #BeyondHiring campaigns to the latest ad “Mai Ban Gaya, Tu Bhi Ban Jayega”, Hirect is smartly pushing its marketing boundaries. The mindless marketing of Hirect is something to be discussed.

Hirect creates event marketing strategies that completely focus on brand awareness to founders, hiring managers, and job seekers. Along with the PR and business development team, Hirect also works closely with influencers in raising brand awareness. The digital presence of Hirect is increasing day today. They have successfully used influencers for the brand awareness campaign.

Getting hired is not enough, there should be something beyond that. They have successfully converted this notion into a whole new campaign called #BeyondHiring. While YouTube videos focus on instructions to use Hirect, Instagram has made it more like baiting. It’s interesting to see how they are using different levels of influencers ranging from macro-influencers to mid-tier, and micro-influencers. Recently they had a paid partnership with comedian Harsh Gujral on Instagram. Hirect has also collaborated with Munawar Faruqui, Indrani Biswas (Video Creator), Matt Upham, etc. Their latest Instagram reel has asked the followers to click pictures of every Hirect billboard and poster and make a reel out of it. Hirect is having endless hashtags on Instagram; #hirect, #hirectapp, #hirectpartner, #hirectindia, #hirectreels, #hirectstartupjobs, #hirectposts, #hirectmemes. Then again, the list is endless.

This also gives a slight insight into what could be the future of the influencer marketing landscape. Startups prefer not to spend their whole marketing budget on one particular celebrity or brand ambassador. Instead, they find it effective among individuals having a niche community. Influencers with a dedicated social following in their niche are more likely to receive brand recognition and partnership from startups. Considering this to be the future of influencer marketing is quite fascinating, especially for micro-influencers and mid-tier influencers.

Let’s say, Hirect is one startup that effectively used Instagram influencer marketing along with marketing on other social media. What makes an influencer fit for brand awareness is their engagement rate. So technically having a good social following is not enough, influencers should ace in connecting with the audience. The followers should feel connected with the influencer. For that, there should be trust, authenticity, and real-time engagement.

Hirect has made a mark on how to use influencer marketing effectively. It has been proven that the thin line between being startups to well-established organizations is the need. The need for the customer or a problem solving, if that could be met by a startup, income will follow. Now that thin line has been crossed by Hirect with the idea/ campaign called #BeyondHiring. Kudos to Hirect for the brilliant campaigns and for informing others about the various possibilities of influencer marketing.

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Top Influencer Marketing Agencies in India

3 June 2022 No Comments

The influencer marketing industry has seen tremendous growth in the past few years. Influencers are constantly teaming up with brands not only for brand awareness but also for the mushrooming of each influencer. The term influencer marketing is the new buzzword in the world of digital marketing. If the modern world is a person, then social media is the alter ego. Every aspect of a person’s social life is merged into their social media accounts. Influencers with a sizable social following are capable of pursuing their audience. People used to love the digital presence of their favorite celebrities. Over the past few years, social media has also seen the evolution of non-celebrity influencers. People with no fame or public recognition started showing a strong digital presence using various hobbies and interests. Irrespective of the influencer level, people support these digital natives and trust them for their authenticity.

The influencer marketing landscape has been shaped by social media demographics. More brands have developed faith in influencer marketing. Hence, the need for influencer marketing agencies has emerged. The agencies aim to bridge the gap between brands and influencers. These platforms help in streamlining the process by connecting brands with relevant influencers. Let’s brief about some of the top influencer marketing agencies in India.

GryNow Media

One of the leading influencer marketing agencies in India with a huge base of more than 50, 000 influencers, bloggers, content creators, and artists. They have more than 5 years of experience in the social media realm. GryNow Media provides the right marketing strategies for the brand.

Klear

With more than 4 years of experience in influencer marketing, Klear has already been associated with famous brands such as Huawei, IBM, Adidas, JP Morgan, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, etc. Its mission is to promote authentic marketing effectively.

My Haul Store

One of the best influencer marketing agencies in India, which helps brands connect with the influencers effectively. My Haul Store is one of the leading platforms for brand awareness and boosting product sales. They run various marketing campaigns on different platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. They promise updated marketing strategies and always reach the client’s expectations.

Plixxo

Plixxo is a leading influencer marketing platform with more than 26, 000 influencers, YouTubers, Bloggers, celebrities, Instagram influencers, TikTok video creators, etc. In this platform, budding influencers get a chance to sign up for paid campaigns organized by brands.

OPA

OPA has a network of more than 50, 000 influencers. They have already worked with famous brands like Himalaya, Lakme, Marico, Mittal Teas, CocoSoul, Klairs, BeardHood, etc. OPA focuses on micro-influencer marketing in India and has already delivered great campaigns to some of the top brands.

Winkl

Based in Bangalore, this influencer marketing agency helps YouTubers, Bloggers, and content creators build their portfolios and present their content to relevant brands. Winkl helps agencies and brands launch, manage and track influencer campaigns.

There are several other Indian influencer marketing agencies doing tremendously well in the market. Grin, Influencer, PulpKey, Confluencer, #paid, CreatorIQ, Blogmint, Qoruz, StarNgage, BrandMentions, Eleve Media, etc are some of them.

Influencer marketing has been determined to be one of the most preferable customer acquisition channels in the coming years. The marketing scenario in India is constantly evolving. Hence, any influencer marketing agency that meets the brand expectations will continue to be blooming.

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The Scope of Influencer Marketing Agency in India

3 June 2022 No Comments

The term ‘influencer marketing’ has been making solid bells and whistles in the past few years. The pandemic has played a considerable role in making this a buzzword in the digital marketing field. People have explored multiple online-shopping options as they were ‘locked down’ and unable to go out of their houses. People started accepting the opinions of influencers on social media sites. They believed seeking validations from influencers has significance in a digitally sound environment. Influencer marketing has quickly become the marketing tool to help brands gain the desired digital presence. People gradually became subscribers, and subscribers became potential customers. Gen Z and Millennials have become the preferred demographic for influencers for all kinds of brands in the form of gadgets, accessories, shoes, jewelry, alcohol, food items, etc. Slowly, the thin line between content creators and influencers has merged. People have learned that there could be something more than just posting and getting likes and visibility on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, etc. Influencers have realized the scope of collaborating with brands for digital visibility and better monetization. Hence, influencer marketing agencies started expanding, and these platforms assist in connecting brands with relevant influencers in their niche. Some of the leading agencies around the globe are NeoReach, Viral Nation, Ubiquitous, Obviously, The Influencer Marketing Factory, HireInfluence, Kairos Media, Fanbytes, etc.

Recently, India has witnessed the business scope of establishing an influencer marketing agency. As a result, a good number of genuine agencies have evolved and started functioning full-fledged. Some of them have already been partnered with more than 1, 50, 000 social media influencers. From picking up the proper niche influencer to performing intense audience analysis, influencer marketing agencies have taken the business game to a whole new level. Choosing the niche and finding influencers who are brand relevant have been one challenging mission for marketers.

Many brands find it difficult as well as time-consuming in choosing the most suitable influencers, contacting them, running campaigns with them, etc. The limitations of actual marketers collaborating with influencers have sparked the scope of influencer marketing agencies. Pursuing the right audience at the right time is one golden rule in marketing and influencer marketing agencies have wisely adopted the spectrum and taken the shot. There are plenty of influencer marketing agencies in India that have explored deep into the new strategy of the marketing landscape. Some of the pioneer and beginner influencer marketing agencies are Grynow Media, Plixxo, OPA, Grin, Klear, PulpKey, Influencer, Winkl, StarNgage, Eleve Media, My Haul Store, BrandMentions, etc. Most of them have successfully carved a niche as the best influencer marketing agency in India. They are the middlemen in the influencer marketing landscape. From influencer discovery to management, and content creation, an influencer marketing agency helps brands in all these stages.

It has been agreed by professionals that influencer marketing is one of the most innovative strategies to convert the audience into potential buyers. In the past years, influencer marketing has seen rapid growth within the Indian market. By the end of 2021, the industry has marked total revenue growth of 900 crores. Choosing the right influencer and marketing strategy can sometimes be complex. The right influencer marketing agency can make the whole process breezy. A great agency bridges the gap between brands and influencers. It signals the marketing campaigns in the right direction. It is always better to work with an influencer marketing agency if the brand finds the whole process of finding influencers and running campaigns difficult.

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Micro-Influencers are Pocket-Rockets

3 June 2022 No Comments

Yes, you heard it right. Influencers with a dedicated social following of 10k to 50k (10,000-50,000 followers) are identified as Micro-Influencers. Marketing has assumed that going bigger is better only to realize that it is not always the same. The authenticity, trust, cost-effectiveness, availability, and many more pros of micro-influencers are making them one of the most valuable influencers in the influencer marketing landscape. All that makes them the pint-sized powerhouse, makes them the pocket-rockets.

Who Are They?

Influencer marketing, the new face of social media marketing uses celebrity influencers and individuals with a dedicated social following for promoting brands and products. Micro-influencer is a ranking terminology used mainly for Instagram. A very recent study from top-notch influencer marketing agencies categorizes the influencers into this:

Mega-influencers or celebrities (With more than a million followers)
Macro-influencers (500k to 1 million followers)
Mid-tier influencers (50k to 500k)
Micro-influencers (10k to 50k)
Nano-influencers (1k to 10k)

Each influencer level has its own pros and cons. However, the struggle brands might be having is in choosing the right influencers. The tremendous potential of influencer marketing elevates the brand’s visibility. Researchers identify micro-influencers as individuals with 10,000-50,000 followers. They are not necessarily celebrities, but an influencer with a dedicated following on their niche social media. They could be a food blogger, lifestyle coach, makeup enthusiast, or a dank memer.

What Makes Them Worthy?

Micro-influencers with not so massive followings tend to connect with their followers. These influencers are in the phase where they want to grow in all possible ways and level up. They have the potential to cultivate niche communities over a particular area. Micro-influencers have micro-communities which helps them with higher engagement rates. A recent survey of fashion and cosmetics found that 46% of marketers agreed with micro-influencers are the most effective influencers and 34% believed that macro-influencers were the best. A very lesser amount of people voted in favor of celebrity influencers or mega-influencers.

They always have higher engagement rates due to the tight-knit follower communities.
They are cost-effective and promote the brand in a consistent and specific way.
Their content is more personal and focused on specific areas of interest.
Micro-influencers share common interests with their niche audience or followers.
Gen Z prefers micro-influencers more due to the level of trust and relatability.

Every influencer level comes with advantages and disadvantages. A micro-influencer cannot reach a massive audience, because what they are having is a smaller community audience. Hence, a multi-market reach is what a brand should aim for. A brand may expand its reach by collaborating with multiple influencers that cover multiple market segments. Micro-influencers cannot achieve the same level of impact on brand awareness as larger or mega-influencers. On the other hand, the fake following has always been a threat in the influencer marketing domain. It’s high time marketers focus on the quality of content and engagement rather than focusing on the follower count. Follower analysis tools such as IG Audit or HypeAuditor can be used to scan followers for bots.

The influencer marketing culture is widening with different levels of influencers and the revenue is just one click away. The immense potential of micro-influencers for elevating brand visibility has been proven. From the different levels of choice, brands now idolize micro-influencers. The underutilized influencer tier has changed the concept of going bigger is better. Despite the broad reach, large influencers have certain downsides such as cost, authenticity, availability, etc. At the same time, micro-influencers are being built on relationships and credibility. What they seek from the collaboration is growth. They are smaller but focused and powerful. Marketers have recognized the idea of micro-influencer marketing and the importance of choosing pocket rockets.

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Influencer Marketing In India and its Biggest Hosts

3 June 2022 No Comments

As an Indian, living in India (big surprise) I have seen Shah Rukh Khan, Rajnikanth, and Chiranjeevi being hero-worshipped. Cut-outs, poojas, fireworks, and rallies, all of these are all common phenomena in India. This only shows how much India loves its celebrities and it is not stopping anytime soon. And thanks to the booming social media, the celebrity culture took a whole new turn of phrase – INFLUENCERS.

With this mad rise in social media users, brands are heavily relying on these influencers to boost their brand image, products, and in turn sales. Influencer Marketing practically takes a brand to the potential consumer’s home and demands them to obtain the product.

Advertising in India has drastically changed in the past few years. The foundation of advertising and marketing went from sales to brand awareness. And since then the whole marketing strategy and campaign of brands has transformed for the Indian audience.

Although influencer marketing has a huge success rate in India, the competition is also equally high. It is quite difficult for brands to crack it and reach their target.

Here are a few brands in India that absolutely smashed their record sales and increased brand awareness over and beyond the charts with their influencer marketing campaigns.

1. Filter Copy and Loco

Filter Copy is one of the famous YT-based short video companies. It makes short videos that are relatable to day-to-day life. Filter Copy released a video called “Things Fathers Do” in honor of Father’s Day. The father uses the loco app in one part of the video. Despite the fact that the plot appears to be so natural that there is no sense of a commercial endorsement, Loco will achieve its goal. This is one of the most effective Influencer Marketing campaigns I’ve seen.

2. KFC India

As they stepped into the Influencer scene, KFC India launched a new line of burgers and called it the “secret burger”. Outlets across the country invited Food Bloggers and got them to taste the burger and post about it without revealing the name which built up curiosity. And once the burger was actually launched, bloggers were invited over to taste, review and post about it which attracted a whole lot of customers.

3. H&M

We all are very familiar with this multinational brand that is basically the one-stop solution to cheap fast fashion in India currently. They chose some of the top influencers on Instagram and hosted a photoshoot with their new line of clothes. The influencers then posted the same on their personal social handles and it was immediately attractive to consumers.

4. NYKAA

Nykaa took influence marketing to a whole new level by making it unique in every manner. They teamed up with Rohan Joshi, a well-known comedian. What, are you serious!! A comedian promotes cosmetics. That was the catch, to be sure. Nykaa planned to take advantage of Joshi’s celebrity and achieve notoriety in an unusual way.

5. AMERICAN EXPRESS

With the trendy hashtag #ExperienceAmex, American Express kicked off its influencer marketing campaign in full force. They teamed with bloggers from diverse niches such as fashion, beauty, travel, and food to highlight their experiences with American Express cards and the rewards they received as part of the campaign. This is exactly what they said!

Well, these are some of the most attractive Influencer Marketing Campaigns that ran in the Indian social media market. And based on the trends of Influencer Marketing today, I am sure we will see many other campaigns in the future that are absolutely brilliant, appealing, bewitching, and captivating.

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The emergence of influencer marketing in India

3 June 2022 No Comments

It comes as no surprise that the concept of influencer marketing can be traced back to ancient times. Commercial messages, to be precise, could be considered the first form of marketing. Making sales messages and posters in papyrus was a common practice of advertising in ancient Rome & Greece. The direct command to the consumer technique was first introduced by psychologist Walter. D. Scott in the 20th century. He said, “Man has been called the reasoning animal but he could with greater truthfulness be called the creature of suggestion”.

With each invention in history, marketing has evolved one step at a time. Persuasion is thought to be the best way to reach the masses, whether through television, newspaper, or radio. In time, marketing has drastically evolved to meet the target group. As a result, the insane marketing algorithm keeps on demanding answers to the question, why do brands do what they are doing?.

A brand is a notion of identifying a particular product or service by a particular company. Back in the day, criminals and slaves had branding irons. The brand on a sheep identifies the owner rather than it identifies the animal. They don’t say this mark belongs to this animal. They say here is the mark I have made, hence the sheep is mine.

Influencer Marketing

A brand is a business concept that helps people identify a company or an organization. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc are some of the popular brands. A minimalistic logo is enough to trace the brands. Brands use different marketing strategies to increase their reach, generate leads, and eventually accelerate increased sales. The most modern and effective marketing strategy that brands practice is influencer marketing. It is a kind of social media marketing where influencers use endorsements and product mentions in order to build the brand identity. Celebrities or individual influencers with a dedicated social following have been practicing influencer marketing to drive potential customers.

Latest Social Media Statistics in India (2022)

Much like the west, new media has also found its way into the social media marketing landscape of India. Budding influencers have matured into potential influencers with dedicated following over a short span of time. The average time spent on social media platforms by Indians has increased to 2.36 hours per day.

India has a total population of 1.40 billion people. The number of internet users is 0.658 billion. There are around 0.467 billion active social media users.
The number of people using the internet has increased to 658 million which is almost 47% of the total population of India.
Similarly, 225 million people use YouTube, which is around 16% of the population.
The average time spent using the internet per day is 7 hours and 19 mins. The daily average time spent on social media is 2 hours and 36 mins.
Instagram is the most used social media platform in India as of 2022 with 76.50% of users.
Facebook is the second most used social media platform with 74.50% of users.
Other popular social media platforms are Twitter- 44.90%, LinkedIn-37.2%, Pinterest-34.9%, MX TakaTak- 23.40%, Moj-23.0%, Discord-18.20%, etc.

Evolution of Influencer Marketing in India

The significance establishing a strong online presence is vital in the marketing domain in India. The past few years have witnessed drastic changes in the social media landscape in the country. By the year 2016, brands have started considering the scope of influencer marketing in India. Similarly, the idea of a niche audience and content-driven marketing has emerged. Early 2019 had expected the end of influencer marketing in the marketing domain. However, the global pandemic has shape-shifted the advertising landscape, and influencer marketing has come back to the scene in full force. According to various survey analyses, there was a significant increase in usage of social media in the first phase of the nationwide lockdown. The last three years have seen the massive growth of both celebrity and non-celebrity influencers on various social media platforms. Some of the best Instagram influencers in India in different niches are Diipa Büller-Khosla, Savi and Vid, Dilsefoodie, Kanan Gill, Ranveer Allahbadia, Siddharth Seema Chandekar, etc. While the top celebrity Instagram influencers are:

Virat Kohli – 178 Million followers
Priyanka Chopra – 72.6 million followers
Shraddha Kapoor – 68.6 million followers
Neha Kakkar – 67 million followers
Narendra Modi – 64.7 million followers
Deepika Padukone – 63.6 million followers

The brands have become more interested in the trust and authenticity that influencers share with their followers. As per the INCA survey, every marketing leader has agreed that influencer marketing is their top marketing strategy for the next year. The overall Indian influencer marketing industry is expected to reach Rs 2, 200 crores by 2025. The world of influencer marketing is forever evolving. Choosing the right influencer can be complicated. It is important to understand the objective of marketing or branding.

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How does Gen Z change the influencer marketing game?

3 June 2022 No Comments

How does Gen Z change the influencer marketing game?

If influencer marketing is the contemporary marketing strategy, Genz is the integral momentum. The new Genz youth is clearly influencing the purchase of various products and services, be it personal care, apparel, or food and beverages. A consequential number of consumer behavior is based on Genz influencer marketing. Now those who are not familiar with the term Genz, let’s leap into the breach.

What is Genz?

Genz or Generation Z (Also known as zoomers) are considered to be the first social generation to have grown up with digital technology and the internet from a very young age. Researchers and modern media call those who have been born in the late to mid-1990s Generation Z. They are the children of Generation X. 1990s are stated as the starting birth years and early 2010s as the ending birth years of Generation Z. It is a term initially used to determine Americans, but eventually became relatable to all demographic cohorts. Unlike Millennials, Gen X represents a digitally literate generation (Millennials are the people born from 1981 to 1996). Millennials are the first global generation and the very first generation brought up in the internet age.

Why is Genz fit for the new world of influencer marketing?

Gen Z a.k.a. Zoomers are becoming the most literate and ethnically diverse generation in the world. According to the World Economic Forum, Gen Z spends an average of 3 hours per day on social media. This makes them the most digital natives of any other generation. They are multitasking, multi-device personalities who live in multiple realities at the same time. Living in both real and digital life, they are consciously aware and tolerant of differences. They are socially committed as well as pragmatic to technologies. Gen Z takes part in social activism and is more concerned about climate change, hence they seek sustainable products. Some factors considering the value of Gen Z in influencer marketing are:

Their social media literacy makes them comfortable with influencers.
They are more likely to trust recommendations from influencers.
Influencer marketing encircles Gen Z. In other words, Gen Z is the new influencers or they want to be influencers.
Gen Z is pragmatic, they don’t just spend 3 hours on social media, but seek out how to make use of it in all possible ways.

The essential unpredictability

Gen Z is in the phase of becoming a potential customer. The concept of influencer marketing affects them so much that even before becoming the earning member of the family, each Gen Z youth is going to influence their buying decision. Influencer marketing strategy is dynamic, as are the decisions made by Gen Z. The changing factors influencing Gen Z are so unsure that brands need to keep on revamping the campaigns.

Gen Z is not brand loyal, they can easily switch from one brand to another. Anything reiterative is not going to lay hands on the attention of Gen Z youth. Hence they are not brand loyal but particular about the brand content.
Gen Z is a technologically advanced generation. They are highly literate in at least one niche, so they don’t have to depend on influencers when it comes to acquiring knowledge about a specific product or service.
They are great at instantly articulating digital data. This makes Gen Z a fast opinionated audience, hence their word of mouth matters in the influencer marketing game.
Gen Z is everywhere so the influencer marketing strategy has to be relevant and on point. Their most engagement happens on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Spotify, etc.
The hero-worship of celebrities is long gone. Generation Z youth does not blindly do whatever their favorite celebrity preaches. Gen Z demands equal attention and respect, hence they want to be connected with influencers rather than just praising celebrities redundantly.
They tend to follow micro-influencers and nano-influencers. What Gen Z is looking for is a genuine insight into a product or service. Micro-influencers with a niche are more likely to get adequate engagement with this generation. They look for authenticity and valuable information.
They are a visually augmented generation. Not necessarily an expert in visualization. But when it comes to information analysis, they choose visual representation more than any other medium. So for Gen Z, video content is the king.
Gen Z considers visual content more beneficial. They are particular about shareable content. Gen Z is always ready for content that is unique and worthy of sharing.

Who is the game-changer?

The baby zoomers or Generation Z youth are changing the influencer marketing world. Brands are already aware of how Millennials respond to campaigns. They are comfortable buying through in-store shopping. Gen Z is a group of tech-savvy young buyers who could easily be turned into potential customers if their demands are met by the brand. When an influencer deals with endorsements and product placements, they are more likely to be engaged with Gen Z. If not, definitely a Millennial who feels more like Gen Z or influenced by Gen Z.

Influencer Marketing for Gen Z: The Complete Guide

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