What communication channels does influencer marketing incorporate?

The popular ones are social media – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, YouTube and blogs.

How familiar are APAC brands with these channels?

The awareness around influencer marketing has been on the rise for the past couple of years and brands are adapting quickly. Most brands in APAC are starting to realise the value of influencer marketing by now and we see more brands experimenting with influencer marketing campaigns everyday.

How can start-up indie brands best utilise influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing can sometimes be confused with merely engaging celebrities. However, that might not always be the case. Influencers fall under 3 main tiers – Mega, Macro and Micro. The “Pyramid of Influence” by StarNgage does a great job of explaining this. So, while Mega influencers might seem out of reach for start-ups, micro/macro-influencers are well within their reach. These are people who might have a small follower base, but high engagement. There is a lot that early stage start-ups can do, by using creative ways of finding these micro-influencers and engaging them.

How do these vary from the techniques that large multinational brands implement?

Multinational brands have relatively higher budgets and greater brand value, that gives them the luxury of being able to partner with celebrities and high-profile influencers for their campaigns – I.e the Mega-Macro level of influencers.

Can start-ups compete with multinationals through digital marketing?

Digital provides a level playing field for all brands irrespective of their size. While higher budgets and brand value can favour the multinationals at times, money cannot buy everything genuine in the digital world. You can pay a lot to run a campaign online, but if you aren’t engaging your consumers well or even driving any tangible business value, then the money you spend doesn’t matter. It all boils down to getting the best for your buck with the right strategies and implementation.

What does digital marketing in Asia look like in 2017/2018?

There is a general shift in the approach to marketing/advertising. Brands are increasingly moving away from intrusive advertising to objective based content marketing. Great story-telling is a crucial part of it be it for an ad campaign or an influencer marketing campaign.

There is also a lot of focus on building communities where brands can have two-way interactions with their customers and identify brand advocates.

Besides content, technology is an integral part of marketing, now more than ever. From using listening/measurement tools to leveraging the latest tech like AR/VR, marketing is only getting smarter and more savvy everyday.

From an organisational standpoint, companies are increasingly moving away from marketing silos. Teams are structured in such a way that marketing, CRM/sales teams work together more often towards shared business goals.

Khyathi Nirmal Kumar is presenting in the Marketing Trends Theatre at in-cosmetics Asia, which takes place from 31 October – 2 November 2017. Her presentation, entitled Unlocking the power of influencer marketing for your brand will highlight some of the most common influencer marketing mistakes that marketers make and share best practices to create a successful influencer marketing strategy. To find out more or to register to attend the exhibition, visit http://asia.in-cosmetics.com/visit/