NEW DELHI: In the times of social distancing and digital evolution, when millennials are spending a substantial amount of their time on the internet, brands are roping in influencer marketing strategies to communicate with their audience. With an evolved ROI, cost per view and demographic of an influencer, this space is maturing with the changing times. Brands have extended their influencer marketing work with chefs, designers, comedians and other content-creators besides Bollywood A-listers.

A range of new social media influencers including nano-influencers have also been appointed to scale up engagement. The impact of these influencers has been witnessed during recent festive season - where digital marketing experts estimate a 20 per cent jump in influencer marketing campaigns. Though the influencer marketing is on rise currently, it isn’t a new concept. Since the beginning of the early 20th century, we have been seeing Bollywood celebrities and other well-known individuals endorsing products and services. Brands are also tapping into these people as part of their marketing campaigns. 

Why influencer marketing is driving communication strategy for brands

When content is shared by someone, who is a friend or colleague or somebody who is not from the world of glamour, on social media, it creates an impact on the audience's mind. The trust level for that message is said to be a whopping 83 percent. This percentage is quite high as compared to other forms of marketing. This is also one of the prime reasons behind companies making their resources move toward marketing programs that focus on influential people with social media followings - instead of simply just traditional media. These influencers, too, work really hard to create content, which is authentic and relatable, and are focused on building their audience.

Earlier, an influencer or blogger’s world was confined to industries like fashion and lifestyle but as the reach of digital penetration increased, influencer marketing took a leap and started influencing a wide variety of customer base. This is why a brand should look at influencer marketing more seriously as it offers more profound engagement and organic growth.

People are spending more time digitally these days as compared to the real world. In the times of remote working, Indians have spent roughly 3 hours and 22 minutes on their smartphones per day, which increased to 3 hours 54 minutes in phase two of the lockdown, states the findings of a July report by television viewership monitoring agency BARC, and a Nielsen report that tracked TV viewership and smartphone usage during the various phases of India’s lockdown.

Brands are making use of this window in the best possible way because an increased screen time has made them recruit content creators and influencers. Through their posts, they created audience’s engagement on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube in the space of recipes, gaming and do-it-yourself (DIY) arts and crafts. Even influencers have become opinion makers, who can slip a brand into a consumer’s consideration set.

There are many situations where a brand can benefit from influencer marketing:

• To get the maximum result for a new product launch 
• Leveraging influencers to share already-created content or having them create their own content for marketing campaigns
• Influencers also do a great job of reporting and extending the life and impact of brand events
• In a crisis, they can also be invaluable by providing another channel to reach audiences 

However, one should not completely depend upon influencer marketing as it’s not a guaranteed success. Successful influencer marketing requires time, dedication and research. A well-thought-out influencer program should be incorporated as part of a much broader marketing strategy.

(The writer is the director of Bonn Group of Industries. Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to his views.)