Influencer marketing continues to be a pivotal player in Thailandʼs digital marketing arena. Itʼs emerging as an authoritative kingmaker of how brands communicate with their audiences. Influencer marketing is going to be the go-to option for SMEs and new, small-sized businesses from 2020 onwards.
The value of micro influencers and nano influencers are soaring, making them precious options for brands of all sizes, not just top brands. As influencer marketing continues to gain traction, brands that havenʼt caught up with this fast-moving trend risk being left behind.
The reason being that consumers are beginning to value the authenticity, trust, credibility, and individuality influencers bring that all other types of Ads donʼt.
Cultivate Long-term Relationships
Sooner or later, the demand for high-quality influencers will exceed the supply rate. As a response, brands are beginning to realize the advantages of partnering with influencers in the long-term. Brands interested in activating loyal consumers would do well to work with influencers who have a growing, loyal audience. The positive impact it brings is enormous, as influencers actively engage, connect, and solidify trust with their followers – the same one’s brands are targeting. Cultivating a long-term partnership is a vital approach for brands to maintain their hold on audiences.
Increased Value Of Micro & Nano Influencers
In the past, influencer marketing involved brands working with celebrities or macro-influencers with large followings. These big-name influencers, with 100K+ followers, charge expensive rates for promoting products and associating themselves with a brand, because they were perceived as very influential and a great investment. However, this has proven wrong.
Working with them poses a big risk to brands because a large percentage of their followers are comprised of spambots and fake followers. The actual engagement rate they offer is next to nothing when compared to small tier influencers. The trend has shifted towards the small side with brands actively working with micro-influencers and nano-influencers because they have that element of authenticity, trust, and high-engagement that macros donʼt.
Brands new to influencer marketing should try working with influencers of each size. This again depends on the brandʼs campaign objective, budget, and target audience. Like A/B testing, brands can test the performance of each influencer tier, the KPIs they hit, and the ROIs they deliver. Brands benefit by having measurable metrics and relevant details allowing them to gauge the effectiveness of their campaign.
Rise Of Other Platforms
Instagram will continue to remain the main platform for influencer marketing. However, both brands and influencers will use other platforms to effectively reach their target audience. Linkedin is beginning to emerge as a platform well suited for B2B, tech, and other types of professional brand representation. It is a social platform thatʼs well-suited for influencer marketing.
Facebook will continue itsʼ influencer marketing appeal, particularly when it comes to reaching target audiences through Facebookʼs groups. TikTok, a platform well-liked by Gen Zʼs will rapidly soar. It allows influencers to create personalized content and gives brands the opportunity to strike a chord with their target audience.
Growth of Storytelling
Storytelling will be central to successful influencer marketing campaigns over the next decade. Consumers will increasingly value influencers whoʼre able to integrate their life story with the brand through a unique, authentic, and honest voice. Audiences will shift their focus from wants to know about a product, or seeing an influencer promoting one, to wanting to know “why”.
They will want to know the value of the product, what sort of benefits the influencer has received from using it, and what sort of value the product will add to their lives, through the eyes of the influencers. The focus will be on what sort of value consumers obtain by seeing themselves through the lives of others.
Significance of Authenticity & Transparency
When it comes to influencer marketing, audiences are wary of fake followers, vanity metrics, and over-promotional brand messages. Consumers know that influencers are being paid to promote brandʼs products or services and are not going to be fooled into it any longer. It is therefore vital that brands screen influencers they want to work with ensuring that they wonʼt pose any reputational risks or liability. Influencers, in turn, should be transparent and forthcoming about their collaboration with brands.
This is a win-win approach and goes hand in hand with the current trend of long-term partnerships between brands and influencers. Such an approach proves to consumers that the brand and influencer place a high value on authenticity and transparency, very sustainable qualities in the long-term.
Well-Defined ROI
Some brands are still struggling to make a decision on whether to include influencer marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy, as the industryʼs ROI has been viewed as ambiguous in the past few years. Some brands still opt for traditional marketing tactics because they consider the ROI to be trackable, measurable, and defined. However, technological advancements have proven otherwise.
There are credible data-driven tools backed by AI/ML out there thatʼll provide brands with a whole host of definite, measurable, and transparent ROI in real-time. Rest assured, these analytics offer a variety of metrics useful for brands to measure their performance effectiveness, KPI, ROI influencer spend, and more.
Video And Live Content Takeover Recorded
and live video content is already the most well-received form of content able to reach and engage target audiences. Different platforms offer lives, replays of live streams, and pre-recorded videos, giving viewers deeper access to brands and influencers in a more personal and meaningful way.
Video is easy to digest and convenient compared to impersonal ads and written content. Audiences can watch videos anywhere and replay them anytime, which is accessible and attractive than reading a blogpost or viewing a photo. The competition is fierce. With a variety of brands, influencers, videos, and platforms all juggling for consumersʼ precious attention, the need for authentic, high-quality storytelling is paramount.
TikTok, a platform beloved by Gan-Zʼs is rising rapidly. Their short, bite-sized videos that are super entertaining and easy to digest will make them the most in-demand platform in the coming years.
Organic Engagement And Authentic Conversations
Brands know well that engagement is represented in the form of numbers that lists out: comments, interactions, likes, shares, downloads, etc… However, brands should focus their attention away from these metrics to truly understand the underlying ROI. Authentic conversations are much more important as they blossom into an organic engagement.
For an influencer to make a visible impact on their followers, they must be able to consistently engage them in such a way that it results in meaningful conversations. Influencers should cultivate deep, long-term relationships with their audience through their content. Consumers need to feel that they are part of a brandʼs identity or a movement they feel is important to them.
This is the ideal ROI because it is measured in brand loyalty, where consumers keep on purchasing the brandʼs products because they believe in them. Influencers are the ones communicating the message out, therefore they need to establish an authentic connection in order for meaningful conversations to take place.
Overall Impact
Millennials and Gen Zʼs are the main targets of influencer marketing. These two groups tend to favor brands that are committed to making a positive impact on society. Brands who want to communicate their positive mission should do so by working with influencers who match their target audienceʼs values resulting in long-term brand affinity, loyalty, and trust.
With long-term partnerships on the rise, identifying suitable influencers whoʼre dedicated to a particular mission will give brands a significant advantage in the long run.
About Influencer House
Interested in knowing what Influencer House offers for your campaign? Visit Influencerhouse.co.th , or email us at inquiries@influencerhouse.co.th