Social Media influencers share trade secrets

Influencer marketing. It’s a term that everyone from multi-national corporations to advertising behemoths are war of today, such is the impact these social media icons — who range from teenage make-up artists to music stars and football players — have had on the branding industry. Instagram is the coveted platform for these modern-day demi-gods whose word is taken as gospel by niche fan followings.

Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is the most followed Instagram personality in the world with 120.5 million followers and counting. The 21-year-old makes an estimated $1 million per sponsored post and tops the list, followed by others like singer Selena Gomez and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo who also earn sizeable amounts for their posts, be it promoting a new designer or asking fans to purchase the new FIFA video game. Together with thousands across the world, they contribute to the $1 billion influencer market, which is expected to double in value by 2019.

Fashion, travel, entertainment, beauty, food, tech, parenting, kids, fitness… these are just some of the industries that depend on these millennials to popularise their products and offers, and India has well and truly taken to the trend as well.

Even in Chennai, new influencers rise everyday in a variety of spaces. College students do it to earn some moolah on the side, while some look to enter using their social media fame; yet others hope to add a much-needed boost to their careers.

In markets like the USA, even a start-up has to shell out close to $70,000 per influencer just to get the company’s name known. In namma ooru, with the rage just picking up, a post can earn someone with a follower count over 100k upwards of Rs 50,000.

Actress Yashika Aannand of Bigg Boss fame became a teenage star on Instagram first as she accumulated a huge follower count by interacting with her audience regularly, and by endorsing clothing brands, fashion and beauty accessories. She says she has absolutely no qualms about being omnipresent online as most of her peers too are the same way and earn money through the process. 

“For an account with around 2 lakh followers, companies pay from Rs 10,000 to 50,000 per picture. All we need to do is pose along with the product – be it a tea packet, accessory, or make up kit,” says the 19-year-old, who has 7,70,000 followers.

Along with an influencer’s number of followers being important when it comes to calculating their fee, their level of engagement, the industry they are a part of and their sense of personality also plays a huge role.

Wife of cricketer Lakshmipathy Balaji, Priya Thalur’s account constantly features her baby son Araan, who is a huge hit on social media. Priya’s posts appeal to new moms across the city, looking for new kid-friendly products to buy for their children, as well as deal with the challenges of being a first-time parent. “I always make sure that I try out the items personally, before endorsing it online, as we are trying to tell parents how to raise their babies using healthy, organic, chemical-free products. If they are big brands, I charge accordingly. But if it’s a start-up that’s looking for some visibility, especially by women entrepreneurs, then I post out of goodwill as I want to support them,” she says.

The former model, who is a fitness enthusiast now, also posts on post-partum weight loss and measures that help the process. “It’s a space where many new moms are trying to figure out how to cope, and I’m happy to motivate them.”

It’s understandable when a film star or sportsperson becomes an influencer, but how do high-school teenagers posting from inside their living rooms become worth millions?

“That’s because users don’t consider them as people being paid to endorse a product, like in television or print ads. They share a very real connection with them: like a best friend who recommends a hairspray to you after she uses it. This apparent authenticity goes a long way towards making these young icons popular,” says Pranita Ram, a college-goer in the city, who follows many influencer accounts and herself re-posts endorsements.

Influencers with a sizable following don’t have to pay for products in their niche also, with brands sending their newest catalogue additions directly to the former’s houses, in an ‘Instagrammable’ box. Sometimes, the posts aren’t even advertising the product; they are placed in the background of a photo, similar to product placements in movies. 

Social media marketer Sorav Jain, CEO of echoVME, adds, “Instagram is where generally people hangout these days, and it makes a lot of visual impact when compared to Twitter or Blogs. Lots of people have defined their niche and have started endorsing brands on cost per post or cost per story basis. I once saw a very popular chocolate spread brand hiring all the fit guys to apply the spread over their bodies or talk about the product as their regular morning breakfast, helping the brand achieve a perception about it being a healthy affair with models doing some seductive indulgence with the product.” But, there is also a murky side to the phenomenon. Brands approach influencers based on their follower count, reasoning that more the number of followers will equal wider reach.

For someone looking to quickly rise up the influencer bandwagon, there are fake followers ready to be bought. Google reveals multiple websites and apps (Smrole, Brainpulse, 1StopInsta, Social King, etc..) that offer bronze, silver and gold packages to increase the follower count. Rs 200 for 1,000 followers, Rs 4,000 for 20,000.

“It’s easy to judge number of followers vs. the engagement it brings... so brand managers really need to check how many people watch the influencers’ stories, and what kind of people like, comment, or save their stories. They should not depend on number of followers and likes only,” says Sorav.