Influencer marketing is one such industry which has seen an exponential growth in India. The influence that influencers have on people in present times is astonishingly large. This influence has rapidly extended to consumer behavior which means that even the trends in the market can be controlled by influencers. In the years of the Covid- 19 Pandemic, the digitalization of the country gained a lot of momentum. As more and more people began to open social media accounts, the rise of influencer- centric marketing in India became imminent. 

According to a report by the Business Standard, 70% of Indians believe that influencer marketing has had an impact on them. Consumers have started relying on influencers to decide what to buy, and what not to. This has made influencers the new need- to – have for brands across the country.

WHAT IS INFLUENCER MARKETING?

Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing which utilizes social media accounts with a large and loyal following to market products with the help of people who influence their followers. This kind of marketing uses the relationship between influencers and their followers to advertise in a way such that people develop trust in the brand. An example of influencer marketing would be the renowned #ShareaCoke campaign of Coca- Cola which was launched in 2016 and which generated more than 9,00,000 musical.ly videos and 134 million views.

HOW DID INFLUENCER MARKETING RISE?

In recent years, as India saw a massive increase in the usage and reach of social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, companies realized the potential of taking marketing to the social media landscape. Social media sites primarily displayed short reels or quick to read posts, with more emphasis on the visual aspect of it all. 

As celebrities with millions of followers exist on social media sites, it became very beneficial for brands to use social media as the new advertising platform. 

The unique thing about advertising on social media was that a product could be showcased as something personally recommended and used by the celebrity who is advertising it. This kind of authentic feeling could not be gotten in traditional acting- based ads. 

Influencers came up as the easiest and fastest way to reach people and convince them to use a product or service. 

When a brand collaborates with an influencer, it converts mere advertising into friendly advice. If you ardently follow a chef or food influencer or blogger, and you then see them recommend or use a particular product, it automatically makes you want to use the same product. 

As brands saw the immense potential of the large population who used social media, influencer marketing started to experience a tremendous rise. 

SIGNIFICANCE OF INFLUENCER MARKETING

In the Indian context, influencer marketing has gained immense significance for several reasons:

Trust and Authenticity: Influencers often connect with their followers on a personal level, creating a sense of trust and authenticity. Audiences believe in the recommendations made by influencers, considering them as genuine endorsements rather than paid advertisements.

Targeted Audiences: Influencers often cater to specific niches, allowing brands to reach highly targeted audiences. This level of precision is a powerful tool in a diverse country like India, where consumer preferences vary greatly across regions.

Cost-Effective Marketing: Compared to traditional advertising methods, influencer marketing can be more cost-effective. It offers a high return on investment (ROI) since brands pay influencers to reach a pre-qualified audience.

Engaging Content: Influencers are known for creating engaging and relatable content. Their ability to craft content that resonates with their followers is a significant advantage for brands.

Data-Driven Insights: With the aid of data analytics, brands can measure the effectiveness of influencer campaigns, tracking engagement, reach, and conversions more accurately than ever before.

THE DOMINANCE OF INSTAGRAM INFLUENCERS

Among various social media platforms, Instagram influencers have carved out a distinct niche in the Indian marketing landscape. Here’s why Instagram influencers are dominating the scene:

Visual Appeal: Instagram is primarily a visual platform, making it ideal for showcasing products and lifestyle. Influencers can create visually stunning content to captivate their audience.

High Engagement: Instagram’s engagement rates are often higher than other platforms, with users spending more time on the app. This increased engagement translates to a higher influence potential for Instagram influencers.

Diverse Influencers: Instagram boasts a diverse range of influencers, from fashionistas to food bloggers, fitness enthusiasts, and travel aficionados. This diversity ensures that brands can find the right fit for their products or services.

Instagram Stories and Reels: The introduction of features like Stories and Reels has further enhanced the marketing capabilities of Instagram influencers. Brands can leverage these features for short-term and engaging promotional content.

Shoppable Posts: Instagram has integrated shopping features, allowing users to make purchases directly through the platform. This has transformed Instagram into a direct sales channel for businesses.

ETHICAL ISSUES IN INFLUENCER MARKETING

Although Influencer Marketing has helped brands connect with their audience seamlessly, and put their message forth in such a way that people develop trust in their company, there have been several controversies regarding the unethical practices utilized by brands and influencers in order to market products. 

The most significant ethical issue in influencer marketing is the fact that influencers often do not specify if their post is “Sponsored Content” or not. This is not just a breach of journalistic and marketing ethics, but also serves to mislead the audience you are catering to. 

On the flip side of the coin, Influencers also mislead brands themselves by gaining what is called as “fake” or “proxy” followers by using follower- increasing apps or paying people to follow their account. 

Avoiding unethical practices in influencer marketing is crucial for maintaining trust, integrity, and the long-term effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Here are some steps to help you and your brand steer clear of unethical practices:

Choose Ethical Influencers: Select influencers who align with your brand’s values and are known for their ethical conduct. Look for influencers who prioritize authenticity and transparency.

Clear Disclosure: Ensure that influencers disclose their relationships with your brand clearly and prominently. This disclosure should be placed in a way that is easily visible to their audience.

Authenticity: Encourage influencers to promote only products and services they genuinely use and believe in. Authentic endorsements are more likely to resonate with the audience.

Transparency in Compensation: Clearly outline the compensation and benefits influencers receive for their promotions. This includes monetary payments, gifts, free products, or any other perks.

Content Review: Review the content created by influencers to ensure it complies with ethical standards, is not deceptive, and does not mislead the audience. Offer guidance and feedback as necessary.

Honesty in Reviews: Encourage influencers to provide honest and unbiased reviews of your products or services. While the goal is promotion, consumers appreciate balanced opinions.

Data Privacy: Respect data privacy laws and regulations when collecting and using data for influencer marketing. Ensure that influencers handle data ethically and transparently.

Monitoring and Reporting: Continuously monitor influencer activities to identify and address any unethical practices promptly. Establish a reporting mechanism for influencers to raise concerns.

Clear Guidelines: Provide influencers with clear and comprehensive guidelines that outline the dos and don’ts of your influencer marketing campaign. Make sure they understand the importance of ethical conduct.

No Fake Engagement: Strictly prohibit the use of fake followers, likes, comments, or any other engagement metrics. This practice undermines the authenticity of influencer marketing.

Education and Training: Offer influencers training on ethical marketing practices, data privacy, and relevant laws. This empowers them to make ethical choices.

Cultural Sensitivity: Ensure that influencers are culturally sensitive and avoid cultural appropriation. Promote understanding and respect for different cultures.

Health and Safety: Do not endorse products or practices that can be harmful to health and safety. Prioritize the well-being of your audience.

Environmental Responsibility: Promote products and practices that align with environmental sustainability. Be mindful of the environmental impact of the products you endorse.

Pricing and Value: Ensure that influencers accurately represent the pricing and value of the products or services. Misleading consumers about cost or value is unethical.

Reviews and Feedback: Encourage open dialogue with influencers and their audiences. Acknowledge feedback and address concerns, demonstrating a commitment to improvement and ethical conduct.

Legal Compliance: Stay up to date with relevant advertising and marketing laws and regulations in the regions where you operate. Ensure that your campaigns comply with these laws.

Trust and Long-Term Relationships: Prioritize building long-term relationships with influencers based on trust and mutual respect. This approach encourages ethical behavior and accountability.

By implementing these practices and fostering a culture of ethical conduct in influencer marketing, you can maintain a positive brand reputation and continue to leverage the power of influencers in an ethical and responsible manner.

WHAT TYPE OF INFLUENCER DOES YOUR BRAND NEED?

MEGA INFLUENCER

Think about the most dazzling superstars with millions of followers on social media. The blue- ticked, Vogue- featured actors, singers, musicians, bands and other famous celebrities. Those people with more than 1 million followers would all come under the category of mega influencers. 

Due to their large following, mega influencers are used by brands to market their products as they can influence people on a large scale basis. 

However, as sponsorship content increases, users have become skeptical of mega- influencers whose celebrity- status often hinders them from becoming truly relatable to the audience. Apart from this, they also command high fees for the promotion of products and services. Hence, it is not necessary that the number of followers will automatically decide how many people buy from a brand. 

One of the simplest examples of a trending mega influencer would be Kiara Advani and her recent collaboration with Drools India is a testimony of this. 

MACRO INFLUENCERS

A macro influencer may have between 100k to 1 million followers on a single social media site. Unlike mega influencers, macro influencers are often more niche- specific. Sports influencers, food bloggers, fashion influencers, and other specific- content creators would come under this category. They are able to shape trends more effectively because they have a large audience, as well as a strong relatable factor with the people. This is because macro influencers have often risen to fame through social media itself. They are what some people would call the “real” influencers. 

Santoshi Shetty is one such fashion and fitness influencer with over 730K followers on Instagram.

MICRO INFLUENCERS

A micro influencer typically has between 10K to 100K followers and they have an extremely close relationship with their followers. They usually charge lower rates which makes them the first choice of many companies. Besides, when a company wants to target an extremely specific demographic, micro influencers are the ones to go to. They have an intimate follower base which means that there is a larger guarantee that their followers will tend to listen to them. As they usually post content specific to a smaller audience, people trust their opinions more than they would trust someone with an extremely large follower count. The setback of micro- influencers is obviously the fact that the follower base is restricted and it follows a very specific niche. 

Renuka Jhamtani’s @misscravingbuster account is a micro influencer account which posts food, travel and lifestyle related content.  

NANO INFLUENCERS

A nano- influencer has a comparatively smaller follower count between 1K to 10K followers on a single site. They have by- far the closest connections with their audience. They are most likely to reply to comments, stories and even individual DMs because of the low follower count. Because of their cost- effectiveness and high engagement rate, they usually ensure a high ROI for your company.

They usually do not post ‘professional’ influencer content but nevertheless have a follower base due to their personal and lifestyle- based posts. The recommendations provided by a nano- influencer often comes across as genuine and authentic because they cater to a very small community of people. They can be used for aesthetically marketing a product or service. 

A prime example of a nano- influencer would be architectural designer Hasan Zaidi and his Instagram account @aguynamedhasan

Whether your brand needs an influencer, or if you yourself are an influencer seeking to leave a credible mark on people… Your journey in the marketing field can be made easier with our help. Choosing a digital marketing agency who understands your brand- specific needs can be difficult and time- consuming.

At Abstract MediaVerse, we believe in creating marketing strategies which are personalized to suit your needs. Contact us today for further information!

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FAQs

What is influencer marketing? Influencer marketing is a form of marketing where businesses collaborate with individuals who have a significant and engaged following on social media platforms to promote their products, services, or brand.

Who is an influencer? An influencer is an individual who has established authority, credibility, and a dedicated following in a specific niche or industry on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and more.

What are the benefits of influencer marketing? Influencer marketing offers benefits such as reaching targeted audiences, building trust, generating authentic content, increasing brand awareness, and potentially driving sales.

How do I find the right influencers for my brand? You can find the right influencers by using influencer marketing platforms, conducting manual searches on social media, analyzing their audience demographics and engagement, and considering their alignment with your brand’s values and goals.

How do I measure the effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns? You can measure effectiveness through metrics such as engagement rates, reach, click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). There are various analytics tools and software available for this purpose.