According to Google’ e-Conomy SEA 2019 report, Southeast Asia is a fertile ground for influencer marketing. That’s because there are 360 million internet users in the region and 90% of them connect to the World Wide Web using their mobile devices.So, what does this mean for brand owners?This means that it is high time for businesses to allot some of their marketing budget to social media influencer marketing. However, for any influencer campaigns to be effective, you need to understand the following:
1. User Demographics and Consumer Behavior
On average, the global population spends 6 hours and 58 minutes on the Internet. However, people from six Southeast Asian countries spend more than that:
- Singapore: 7 hours and 48 minutes
- Taiwan: 8 hours and 3 minutes
- Indonesia: 9 hours
- Thailand: 9 hours and 15 minutes
- Malaysia: 9 hours and 20 minutes
- Philippines: 11 hours and 1 minute
This explains why Southeast Asia has above average internet penetration. In Singapore alone, there is a 72% penetration rate. This means that 7 out of 10 people in Singapore have internet access.In relation to this, the region saw a significant increase in social media users for the past decades. In fact, Southeast Asia makes up 12.7% of global social media users. ‘Working age people’ in the region spend at least 3 hours and 15 minutes daily on an average of seven social media platforms.
In Singapore, people spend an average of 2 hours and 25 minutes on various social platforms per day.Meanwhile, Southeast Asians aged 16-24 years old spend at least 10 hours a day using internet-connected devices. This means that the youth in the region spend four times as much time on the World Wide Web than watching television.Almost everyone in this age group uses social media more than search engines, accounting for almost 25% of their waking lives. Their favourite platforms include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok. This also explains the rise of influencer marketing in Southeast Asia.The bottom line: Brands wanting to reach Southeast Asian consumers can use pretty much any social media platforms. You can focus your marketing efforts on one to two platforms, knowing that you can reach the majority of young consumers in the region.
2. Popular Influencer Marketing Platforms
According to Partipost’s Southeast Asia Influencer Marketing Industry report, Instagram remains the most popular platform in the region. In fact, 71.4% of consumers spend most of their time on this platform.Some of their Instagram activities include following a brand, which leads to visiting a store and making a purchase.In Singapore, the most popular social media platforms among consumers are:
- Instagram (78.1%)
- TikTok (11.5%)
- Facebook (6.1%)
- YouTube (4.3)
What brands can take away from this?If you want to make the most out of your influencer marketing campaign, your best bet is to look for social influencers on these platforms. Doing so ensures that you can expand your brand’s reach, building awareness for your products and services.Luckily, you do not have to spend hours on identifying which influencers can work well with your brand. At Partipost, we make it easier for businesses to connect with the right influencers, build a campaign, and drive desired results.Send us a message and discover how Partipost can help you create a successful social media influencer marketing campaign for your brand!
3. Types of Social Influencers
In general, businesses make five times more than what they spend when running influencer campaigns. However, the key here is finding the right influencers for your marketing campaigns.In Singapore, we have four tiers of influencers:
Mega Influencers
Mega influencers are celebrities and Internet-famous people with millions of social media followers. The fact that they have plenty of followers and are highly visible on online platforms makes them attractive to brands that want to leverage influencer marketing.One of the caveats of working with mega influencers, though, is that their endorsements can be expensive. Plus, being famous means that they have campaigns lined up, making it less likely for your campaign proposal to be noticed.
Macro Influencers
Macro influencers have a slightly smaller audience of 500,000 to 1,000,000 followers. They can be celebrities, although majorities of them are industry thought leaders. Think athletes, financial advisors, interior designers, stylists, and more.They use their reputation to gain social media followers and acquire brand deals. But just like with mega influencers, working with a macro influencer can be expensive. Not to mention that work for brands within a specific niche.
Micro Influencers
Did you know that 8 out of 10 consumers are likely to buy products recommended by a micro influencer? These are people with at least 5,000 social media followers.As a brand owner, working with micro influencers can help you drive as much sales as you can. That’s because they have a connection with their followers. Hence, they drive better engagement for your brand.
Nano Influencers
If the goal of your social media influencer marketing campaign is to drive brand awareness and engagement, consider working with nano influencers. These are everyday people with at least 200 followers on social media.Sure, they may not have plenty of followers; but what they lack in follower count they make up in engagement rate. On average, a nano influencer drives 7-10% engagement rate, which is the highest engagement rate across all types of influencers.Lastly, nano influencers allow you to stretch your marketing budget. Rather than spending 1,000 SGD for a single macro or mega influencer, you can use the budget to work with 50 nano influencers. Doing so lets you run a mass campaign to promote your products. Mind you, 9 out of 10 consumers need to see your products at least two times before making a purchase decision.If you are curious how mass influencer marketing campaigns work, check out our Case Study section to see how nano influencers can help your business.
4. Effective Social Media Content
Aside from knowing which influencers to work with, it’s also essential to determine the kind of social media content you’d want to leverage.
Product Review
Based on our Influencer Marketing industry report, more than 30% of social media users prefer to see brand reviews. That’s because they trust other people’s opinions. This also explains why working with micro and nano influencers are ideal if you want to drive brand awareness for your business. That’s because they are ‘everyday people’ and their product reviews are considered friend recommendations.
Storytelling
Another reason influencers are able to sway consumers to purchase a product is because of their authenticity. And this can be achieved through storytelling.But where does storytelling fit in influencer marketing? It’s in sharing their day-to-day activities and knowing how you can incorporate your products in their lifestyle.For instance, brands that sell baby clothes can work with mummy influencers to try and review their products. This is in alignment with their goal of building brand awareness and collecting user-generated content.
Video
Social media platforms, such as Instagram, favours video content. This means that such a content type is pushed more to platform users compared to in-feed posts. That said, brands should consider running influencer marketing campaigns that include IG Reels or TikTok videos.
5. Important Influencer Marketing Metrics
Influencer marketing is a fast-growing form of advertising. If you intend to add it in your marketing mix, you should measure the right metrics to ensure that you’re making the most of your budget and driving desired results.
Audience Reach
The first influencer marketing metric to analyse is audience reach. This refers to the number of people who saw your campaign. As such, you should measure audience reach when your goal is to build brand awareness.If your goal is to drive sales, though, you can use audience reach to measure the number of brand impressions that lead to sales.
Impressions
Impressions is the number of times your content is displayed on any given platform. So if your campaign made 680,000 impressions and 340,000 reach, it means that every audience saw your content at least twice.Why are impressions important? That’s because it can give you an insight into what content can go viral for your target audience.
Engagement Rate
Engagement rate determines how engaging your content is. It can be measured through the number of likes, shares, clicks, and comments that your content acquired.As much as possible, you would want your campaigns to drive engagement. That’s because content with a high engagement rate tells how effective your campaign is. Also, social media platforms push content with high engagement rates to more users.
Conversion
Whether it be sign up or sales, a tell tale sign of an effective influencer marketing campaign is conversion. Determining the number of conversions acquired through your campaign can also help you figure out how much it costs to have one customer. That way, you can optimise your marketing budget and point out which campaigns are working well for your brand.
