We have all seen influencer marketing become mature and mainstream in 2018 among Indian marketeers and brands as rightly highlighted by India Influence Report 2018 released by Zefmo in the begining of the year. Through our experience working with multiple brands and influencers in 2018, we have come across some revelations which might reflect how the upcoming year is going to be for the industry.
Below are top five influencer marketing industry trends we are expected to see in 2019.
‘Don’t fake’ will be the mantra for influencers in 2019
Zefmo chalks out the top five influencer trends for the coming year
- Don’t fake, keep it real – There is no point in either pretending that you have been invited by top corporate brands for brand collaboration or stating in on your social handles. The influencer community is very well connected and any pretentious status update on your social handles will soon be known by your peer group. Therefore, refrain from posting fake collaborations.
- Don’t pay for views, likes or shares – Gone are the days when your followership alone would determine the ‘worth’ of the influencers. Yes, a decent following will continue to demand peer and brand respect, but adding fake followers isn’t the way forward. It is just a matter of time before someone will spot the irregularity in the traction of your social posts and the credibility will be lost forever.
- Content will continue to rule – There is no better alternative than quality content. Nothing can replace the hard work and effort that goes behind creating quality content. And without a doubt, quality content will be appreciated by one and all. It will lead to better engagement with your audience and give a new dimension to your credibility as a creator.
- Concentrate on long-term relationships – Expect both influencers and brands to look more towards longer term collaborations and not just one-offs. There is indeed merit in long-term value creation leading to authentic and consistent storytelling. Hence, do your best to retain and nurture relationships.
- Maintain brand sanctity – As brands scout for influencers, there are increasingly looking at the kind of brand associations that have happened in the past. Every brand has an ethos and if an influencer isn’t fitting the bill, then collaborations don’t fit into the picture. So, if you are creating content around a topic, make it your niche with the right doses of relevant brands within it. Integrating any number of varied and unrelated brands are not going to be the way forward for long.
– Shudeep Majumdar – Co-founder, Zefmo Media Pvt. Ltd.
