Thevi: I want to support the people who are so passionate about their products.
THERE is no denying that influencers have changed consumer spending habits and they somewhat play a role even for small businesses that want to gain traction.
An influencer is someone who is paid a flat rate per post to feature a product or service, also known as a brand deal.
There are many local and global influencers and in many categories from top celebrities to people who have managed to get enough followers to make a difference in consumer spending and brands.
McKinsey & Co in a report said the influencer market has grown astonishingly over the past five years. This year the influencer marketing economy is valued at US$16.4bil (RM72.78bil).
Thevi Ramalingam is a food enthusiast who goes by the handle @theviskitchen. She first began supporting micro/small local businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her followers (now numbering 22,500) grew and that also helped the small businesses grow. She received a lot of positive feedback from the owners of the products which she highlighted/posted and the followers that used them.
“I wanted to support the people who were so passionate about their products. It was then that we needed each other, #KitaJagaKita,’’ she said.
During the pandemic, several home kitchens were transformed into money-making kitchens, some of which have evolved into small businesses.
Nirmal: Brand awareness is more valuable than solely selling products.
Reverie Digital (M) Sdn Bhd director Nirmal Gill said any business can benefit from influencer marketing, especially those within the business-to-consumer or B2C domain.
“Influencer marketing works well in modern times due to the consumption of content that we all love (short, informative and unique). We set key performance indicators to ensure there is value in money spent on marketing,’’ he said.
“Don’t stinge because brand awareness is more valuable than solely selling products. It creates a strong image and ensures recurring customers.
“For every RM1 spent on influencer marketing, the returns can be about 100% to 300% if done right. This is relatively high in terms of return on investment,” he said.
The McKinsey report said in 2022, an analysis of more than 2,000 influencer marketing posts found that the strategy does yield a positive return on investment for brands
Image building is key in the current competitive times, with consumers being conscious of their spending habits amid inflationary pressures and an economic downtown.
Sharifah Shawati: Brand image is everything if businesses want to thrive.
Former news anchor and founder and executive director of Adamaya Consultancy and Services Sdn Bhd, Sharifah Shawati Syed Mohd, said brand image is everything if businesses want to thrive.
It is equally important for influencers too since they are the ones supporting or promoting a particular product. In the current times, buying decisions are made based on image and the experience that comes with it.
“It is the visual appearance, communication, knowledge and attributes that make up the image for consumers to resonate with. For influencers, they have their role and they must stay true to it to help a particular brand,” she said.
In order to trigger the interest of consumers, there must also be some elements of emotional attachment, she said.
“This relates to a ‘need’, which in itself prompts the subconscious mind and influences the consumer into believing ‘it’s true’. A brand is essentially a promise. So what do you promise (as a brand/influencer?” she said.
McKinsey said in a 2022 survey of more than 2,000 global brands, about 80% reported using Instagram for influencer marketing.
“Authenticity is the basis of any successful influencer marketing campaign and forming relationships with influencers who are already relevant to a brand’s message is vital,” it added
It is beyond scoring posts endorsing your products, as influencer marketing should be about building real relationships with creators that are truly behind your brand, it said.
Spending power with inflationary pressures is a lot less and authenticity helps.
Being an influencer in current times can also help people supplement their incomes.
You do not need a huge following to do that. Just find your niche, pick the social media that well resonates with you, have a content strategy and to make waves, you need to be consistent, have an opinion, engage with your audience and work your way to get noticed by brands.
Nano influencers are those with 100 to 10,000 followers and micro 1,000 to 10,000. So, just start somewhere. Ride on your skills and talent to increase your income.
“I honestly didn’t start doing this with the intention of becoming an ‘influencer’. What drove me was my love for food and the ability to help people learn how to cook with easy to find and minimal ingredients,’’ Thevi said.
She would encourage anyone to follow their passion. The most interesting part of being an influencer is the friends she has made in this journey. “The relationship that I have built with so many talented, artistic and amazing people who are so passionate about what they do is amazing,’’ she added.
