February 8: The digital revolution has enabled the genesis of Influencer Marketing. This new industry has flourished and branched out faster than any the world has seen. In a technology-driven and internet-focused world, brands exploring Influencer Marketing is a surefire way to align profitable goals through new channels of marketing. Since the industry is new, the standards are perpetually altering and transfiguring. Keeping up with these trends requires the brands to thoroughly analyze and evaluate the basics of how to collaborate with influencers and content creators alike in order to do away with the apprehensions that accompany them.
The proliferation of creative content creators have given rise to an even playing field for brands to look out for effective collaborations. Marketers look for certain metrics that fall in line with the brands’ objectives and formulate strategic campaigns to achieve a common goal but the elephant in the room lingered for quite some years – how to find the right fit for the brand. The void in this process was gradually widening and needed to be addressed. To bridge this gap between brands and content creators, The Plug Media emerged as a key player in the digital marketing space. As the co-founder of a 360-degree social media marketing and talent management company based out of Mumbai, Apoorv Bhatnagar has tackled many challenges pertaining to brand-influencer communication since inception.
The Plug Media helped in determining the metrics and standardizing a process for both the brands that wanted to explore Influencer Marketing and the content creators who looked up to emerging opportunities. The “number game” that prevails in the social media industry was given more meaning and direction when it came down to marketing campaigns. Imparting a clear picture about a brands’ motives and expectations, Apoorv Bhatnagar shared “The route that the first conversation takes depends on the brands’ campaign objective. When the idea is to work on brand awareness, brands opt for big numbers. But when it is more about brand positioning through credible content, it’s all about content quality and relevance.”
For a layman or a common consumer of digital content, the terms “content creators” and “influencers” often crossfade, so much so that they’re interchangeably used. As the industry is evolving, the definitions of these terms seem to face a little ambiguity too. In the general sense of the words, content creators create content that caters to a niche audience. Influencers, on the other hand, cater to a mass audience and speak big in terms of the numbers that govern the Influencer Marketing industry. However, in recent years, an overlap between the two has been observed. Content creators are building huge audiences and influencers are creating content to make sure their feed remains engaging and relevant.
With the distinction slowly fading away, it becomes important to understand if and when this matters in a business prospect. In a thriving and upcoming industry such as the Influencer Marketing, every marketing decision is highly consequential. While the defined terms for social media personalities are up for debate, brands have one lookout when indulging in Influencer Marketing – working with creators who create value addition to the brand in ways that the brand can not achieve single handedly.
Content creators and brands in India recognize that the audience on social media platforms consume branded content in a distinctly different manner than it did on offline platforms. As “traditional ads” on television are replaced by engaging content via content creators on social media platforms, brands have embodied this new-age tool to target high profits and new audiences.
When asked about how India as a country is taking on this big wave of Influencer Marketing, Apoorv Bhatnagar said, “The Indian audience has evolved with time. They like to watch content that resonates with them rather than something that’s too perfect. Additionally, regional content is on rise. Easy access to the tools for content creators has affected the way tier-two and tier-three cities are consuming digital content as well.”
Rightly so, India has a massive audience base that is segmented into Tier I, Tier II and Tier III cities. Influencer Marketing plays a massive advantage in a setting like this because the brands’ communication varies based on this segmented audience. Reaching out to content creators, now known as micro influencers, not only ensures a direct connection to the audience but also increases the overall efficacy of a marketing campaign.
