Unleashing the Potential of Influencer Marketing in Kerala’s Digital Landscape

Are you an entrepreneur searching for a social media marketing strategy? If so, influencer marketing could be a promising avenue to explore. The term “influencer marketing” refers to the practice of enlisting the help of well-known people to spread the word about a product or service online. Although the idea of using influential people to promote products is not new, it has seen explosive growth in recent years.

In Kerala, the digital landscape is evolving, and influencer marketing is gradually becoming a significant part of the marketing strategy for many brands. This article explores the role of influencer marketing in Kerala’s digital landscape, the benefits and challenges, and examples of Kerala-based influencer marketing.

Why is influencer marketing in its infancy in Kerala relative to other regions?

Influencer marketing is still in its beginning stage in Kerala compared to other places due to several reasons. Influencer marketing is a relatively new concept in Kerala, and many businesses are unaware of its benefits or are unequipped to embrace digital marketing fully. Besides, it is believed that influencer marketing requires a considerable budget, and many businesses in Kerala are small and cannot afford to allocate a significant portion of their marketing budget to influencer marketing. Also, the regulations and guidelines for influencer marketing in Kerala have made many businesses hesitant to invest in this marketing strategy.

Five Benefits of Using Influencer Marketing in Your Business

Influencer marketing has several benefits that make it a popular marketing strategy in many parts of the world. Connecting with a target audience through social media has become increasingly common for brands. Using people who already have a sizable online fan base to spread the word about your goods and services is what we call “influencer marketing.” While there may be some debate over the effectiveness of influencer marketing, there are several benefits that cannot be ignored. Five exciting benefits of inculcating influencer marketing strategy in your business are here:

1. Help to improve brand awareness and reach a highly targeted audience

By collaborating with a prominent member of a target demographic, brands can boost the chances that their message will be received positively. A cosmetics company, for example, might cooperate with a social media star who has a significant female beauty following. With this strategy, the company may engage with people who are more likely to be interested in what it has to offer. As a result, the brand’s influence and visibility may expand.

2. A low-priced strategy for brand exposure to many people.

Advertisements on television and in newspapers might be costly, but influencer marketing can help firms save money. Many influential people would gladly endorse something in exchange for freebies or a small payment. Because of this, influencer marketing is accessible to even the smallest firms with the tightest of marketing budgets.

3. Assist in enhancing a brand’s legitimacy and trust

If a popular figure in a certain field endorses a product or service, their fans are more likely to think highly of it. The brand’s reputation and customer loyalty can be enhanced in this way.

4. Drive sales and increase revenue for a brand

People are more likely to purchase after hearing positive feedback about it from someone they respect and like. It’s possible that the company’s revenue will increase as a result of this.

5. Boosts the Quality of Your Content Strategy

Sharing the content of the influencers allows a company to expand its content schedule. This works exceptionally well if businesses have run out of content ideas for their social media sites or simply need some high-quality content to publish on those pages.

Influencer Marketing And Its Challenges

Although there are many advantages to using influencer marketing, there are also certain difficulties to be aware of. There are, however, obstacles that must be conquered for firms to achieve success with influencer marketing. In this article, we’ll talk about the difficulties of influencer marketing and how to work around them.

1. Identifying the right influencers

One of the biggest challenges of influencer marketing is identifying the right influencers to partner with. It is essential to identify influencers whose audience is engaged and who are a good match for your brand. To do this, businesses must conduct thorough research on the influencers they are considering working with. This includes looking at their audience demographics, engagement rates, and previous partnerships.

2. Strengthening Ties With Influential People

It can be challenging to build a strong rapport with influencers because influencers receive a large number of partnership requests from brands. To establish solid relationships with influencers, businesses need to learn about their audiences and themselves. Providing value beyond the scope of a transaction may involve interacting with their content, spreading their posts, and providing value.

3. Guaranteeing authenticity

It cannot be overstated how important authenticity is in influencer marketing. Consumers are becoming more savvy about sponsored content, and they want to know that the influencers they follow are genuinely interested in the products they are promoting. One way to ensure authenticity is to partner with influencers who already use and love your products. You could also let influencers promote your products in their unique way. This enables them to produce genuine content for their audience.

4. Measuring ROI

Measuring ROI is another challenge in influencer marketing. It can be tricky to figure out how an influencer strategy has affected a company’s revenue. Businesses can overcome this difficulty by establishing and following through on well-defined campaign objectives for their influencer marketing initiatives. This can involve measuring engagement rates, website traffic, and sales conversions. It’s also crucial to keep in touch with key opinion leaders and solicit their comments on the success or failure of the collaboration.

5. Staying compliant with regulations

Finally, staying compliant with regulations is a challenge in influencer marketing. Many countries have laws and regulations around sponsored content, and businesses need to ensure they are following these rules to avoid legal trouble. This includes disclosing sponsored content, following advertising standards, and avoiding deceptive practices.

Success Stories of Influencer Marketing in Kerala

Using influential people to spread the word about a product is becoming increasingly common, and Kerala is no exception. Kerala is home to several influential celebrities on social media platforms, and many brands have leveraged their popularity to promote their products and services, resulting in improved sales and revenue. According to a recent study conducted by Social Beat, a digital marketing agency in India, the influencer marketing industry in India is expected to reach a market size of $75-$150 million by 2022. 

When you look at the celebrities and social media influencers in Kerala, recently they have gained immense popularity among the youth and have helped to promote brands across various sectors. For instance, the fashion industry in Kerala has seen significant growth in recent years, and several fashion brands have partnered with influencers to promote their products. Dulquer Salmaan has over 8 million Instagram followers and is a well-known actor in the Malayalam cinema industry. He frequently partners with major fashion and lifestyle companies because of his impeccable sense of style. Besides, being techno-savvy, Dulquer has also, partnered with the brand Oxygen which soon evolved as a leading digital shop for electronic products. As a result of his many successful product endorsements on social media, Dulquer Salmaan is a highly sought-after influencer in Kerala.

Nazriya Nazim is one of the most popular actresses in the Malayalam cinema, and she has around 6.8 million Instagram followers. She is known for her fashion sense and has collaborated with several fashion and beauty brands. Last year, together with her husband Fahadh Fasil, who is one of the leading actors in the industry, became the ambassadors of an ice cream brand named Camerry. The online teasers and brand film featuring the couple gained much media attention as well. Moreover, their influence on social media has helped in the promotion of this brand among youngsters.

During the lockdown period in 2020, popular Malayalam movie actor Tovino Thomas collaborated with a leading fashion brand to launch a sustainable fashion line. The brand reported a 50% increase in sales during the campaign period, which was largely attributed to Tovino’s fan following on social media. Besides, he is known for his fitness and healthy lifestyle and is often considered a youth icon. He has over 4 million Instagram followers and uses them extensively to promote health and fitness-related products and services.

Pearle Maaney is another renowned television personality, anchor, and actress in Kerala. She is known for her bubbly personality and infectious energy, which has earned her a massive following on social media. With over 2 million followers on Instagram, Pearle Maaney is one of the most influential social media personalities in Kerala. Amazon, Oreo, Flipkart, Oxygen, Currease and Curl Up are a few of the companies she has worked with.

Social media star and Malayalam cinema actress Ahaana Krishna has been making news with her lively posts and sizable fan base. She has promoted numerous fashion and cosmetic product brands through her social media channels, leading to an increase in business for those companies. One of the recent examples of Ahaana’s successful collaborations is with the online fashion retailer, Myntra. Ahaana promoted Myntra’s products on her Instagram account, which has a following of over 2 million users. 

Another successful collaboration of Ahaana was with the health and wellness brand, Soulflower. Ahaana’s promotional posts showcased her using Soulflower’s products and shared her personal experience of their benefits. In addition, the company has provided promotional discounts to clients who have used her coupon code. This increased sales for Soulflower, with many of Ahaana’s followers trying out the brand’s products.

Influencer marketing has also been used by technology companies in Kerala to get the word out about their goods. Sujith Bhakthan is a big deal on social media and started the Kerala Tech Travel Eat group. He is known for sharing on social media his love of technology, travel, and food. With over 700k subscribers on YouTube, Sujith Bhakthan has become a popular name in influencer marketing in Kerala. He has worked with companies involved in technology and travel, including Asus, Oyo, and Uber, to mention a few. He is a key player in influencer marketing in Kerala as a result of his social media influence, which has assisted in promoting several businesses and goods to his target audience.

Self-taught freelance web designer, YouTuber, and technology enthusiast Ratheesh R. Menon has amassed a sizable fan base over the years thanks to his Malayalam-language vlogs on YouTube and other social media platforms. His channel is the ‘First Malayalam Tech Channel and is known on YouTube for better reviews and promotions. He is currently the most popular YouTuber for topics like technology and DIY fixes. He is currently recognized as the ideal technological influencer who may have an impact on the marketing strategy of a brand.

Kerala’s food industry has grown significantly in recent years, and several food brands have partnered with influencers to promote their products. Food delivery companies in Kerala have leveraged the popularity of social media influencers such as Mariyam Vlogger and YouTuber Sujith Bhakthan to promote their services. Consequently, these businesses have experienced a significant increase in online orders and customers.

The use of social media influencers by brands in Kerala has proven to be an effective marketing strategy, resulting in improved sales and revenue. A new analysis by Influencer Marketing Hub estimates that the worldwide influencer marketing industry will be worth $13.8 billion by 2021, expanding at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 32.4% from 2016 to 2021. Modern digital marketing relies heavily on influencer marketing. With the influencer marketing industry expected to grow at a rapid pace, more brands in Kerala will likely continue to leverage the power of social media influencers to reach their target audience and achieve their marketing goals.

Influencer marketing is becoming increasingly significant as social media platforms expand and adapt as a means for reaching consumers. Brands in Kerala’s digital landscape are catching on, and influencer marketing is playing a bigger role as a result. Although it is still in its beginning stage, it has several benefits that make it a popular marketing strategy amongst budding entrepreneurs in Kerala. Kerala has one of the largest purchasing powers in India, and it is one of the top five GDP states. It is really important to improve the conversion rates of businesses using a proper influencer marketing strategy. Finding the proper influencers who share the same values and aims as the company and can therefore produce genuine content is crucial to the success of any influencer marketing campaign. It’s high time that you identify a compelling influencer figure who can boost the marketing of your company to bring it in front of the right people and help it grow.