Why influencer marketing may go regional and rural in the future
Opportunity India Desk
Jun 16, 2020 -
3 min read
According to a report by Greenroom, currently up to 15% of digital media investments are going into influencers, making influencer marketing one of the top trends in advertising and marketing right now. With the vast array of content available online, brands are constantly on the lookout for new ways to get their message across to a wider audience.
The growth in this industry is going strong and it is projected to be worth around $9.7 billion by 2020 and now with the rural population rapidly adopting internet and digital content, brands are looking at regional content to tap a wider base of audience. Based on a report by the World Bank, the rural population in India was reported at 66.46% which justifies the vast opportunities for successful brand endorsements in these sectors.
Influencer marketing is looking at going regional and rural majorly because of the following reasons:
According to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), there are currently 450 million active internet users which will increase to 635.8 million in the next three years. The increasing population of smartphone users is not English-speaking therefore with more consumers entering the digital space from rural India; it is imperative brands start using influencers to reach that segment as well. This also gives opportunities to regional influencers to gain big from brands looking to cater to regional audiences for their advertising and marketing.
The major reason why influencer marketing works is because of the bond of trust influencers create with their audience. The fact that an ordinary citizen is reviewing a product seems more comforting to people in their vicinity than a celebrity doing the same. Brands can use regional influencers to strengthen their presence and trust amongst their target audience via communicating in their mother tongue.
Not only will tapping regional language content help companies widen their clientele and elevate their brand but it will also help influencers in attaining premium followers as they will get to create regional content. Influencers can look at regional trends and issues to make more content, this will diversify their material as well as the audience. Brands can then use this as leeway to connect with audiences who will be able to relate via something they know.
Today videos are a huge trend in the digital marketing space especially with TikTok and Helo being such a massive hit amongst the rural population. A short video, user-generated content is being consumed at a higher rate than any other form of content because it is not only visually appealing but also gripping. Due to the high engagement rate, brands are looking at micro-influencers from such platforms as they see huge potential and reach for their campaigns. Even though the content might be cringe-worthy, but a lot of people actually follow these micro-influencers on the platform.
With the quality of technology improving and becoming more affordable, the quality of content is also improving with the rise of smartphones and internet connectivity. Influencer marketing is here for the long run and will sustain its level of growth in the coming years as it will look at other avenues like regional and rural to tap into more users.
This article is written by Rajeshwari Singh, Brand Consultant.
