‘Be authentic, follow what you believe in and the right audience will find you’

Influencer marketing has become an integral part of the marketing budget and this year brands have increased their budget allocation even further towards it. At the e4m Screenage Conference, influencers came under one roof to discuss how the content world was changing, given the frequency of trends coming and going.  

The session was moderated by Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, Global CEO & Co-Founder, Gozoop. The panelists were - Akash Choudhary, Snehil Mehra (BC aunty), Mantra Mugdh (RJ Mantra), Kevin Zingkhai, Sayali Sonule and Shashank Sanghvi. 

Naqvi started the discussion by asking the panel about what was working in the influencer marketing space. Choudhary responded: “Definitely the space is very crowded so what works for me is being authentic and following niche. There will be times when you'll feel trends are changing but what I feel is being authentic has always worked for me. Don't try to be something which you are not.”

Agreeing to Choudhary, Zingkhai, said, “You have to start considering what is working for you. For instance, is your content brand-friendly. Brand-friendly meaning brands should understand how to cultivate themselves in your content.”

Mehra added, “I have not changed much in the last year, I see my past content getting traction. When it comes to brand integration, one of the biggest challenges that I have faced is sometimes the brand doesn't fit into your content and then you force fit it. But I've realised when it's force fit, it doesn't work.”

RJ Mantra had a different take on it. He said, “No body actually knows what they are doing. Everyday the algorithm changes. Brands are after ROI as well. “

Sharing similar thoughts, Sanghvi said, "In today's time, no body knows what's going to work but you have to have your messaging clear.” 

Sonule shared that she has been trying different things to figure out. She said, “We were trying since three years, we tried different genres. So according to me, experimentation is important.”

Any marketing budget comes with one goal - ROI. Naqvi quizzed about how brands expect that. Choudhary shared an example of the recently viral Delhi entrepreneur Jameen Kaur of ‘Looking Like a Wow’ fame. He said, “Brands are very smart in today's time. They know your niche and how they can utilise you. Recently the 'Looking Like a Wow' lady got viral but the real question is whether she will be able to integrate brands that come to her. Any content can go viral but does that get you collaborations - No. ROI depends on the kind of audience that follows you, numbers won't work but finding the right audience works.”

BC Aunty shared an anecdote where she said that she did a collaboration and she was paid less because of the number of followers. She said, “Earlier the number of followers used to help in negotiations in brand deals but now it has flipped. It doesn't matter if you've have fewer followers but the reach and conversions are important.”

Sanghvi spoke about brands being constant with their collaboration and thereby having a higher recall value. He said, “It's about brand awareness, and brands have to be constant. Brand recall value should be taken in consideration.” 

RJ Mantra suggested brands should see the on-going pattern. He said, “They should definitely observe the market. Podcast is a background medium, there is a much chance to have your brand seep into the minds of the audiences.”

Zingkhai mentioned an issue that the influencer ecosystem faces. He said, “When it comes to collaboration, most brands have these unrealistic timelines. Brands should put their confidence in the creator. There has been a few instances where a brand has said something and it has not worked. But sometimes we have to adhere to it, because we don't want to hamper the relationship.”

While concluding the panel, the influencers said one should be authentic, true to their words and be agile.