Decoding the true value proposition of influencers in post-pandemic times

According to the report, the influencer marketing sector would be worth $16.4 billion by 2022. One key conclusion was that 80 percent of marketers now consider influencer marketing to be effective, with 7 out of 10 believing that the quality of influencer marketing traffic is superior to that of other sources. Furthermore, 90% of customers interact with influencers on Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat on a weekly basis.

Keeping in mind the growing significance of influencers in brands’ marketing strategies, the latest episode of Adgully’s premier property #GullyChat turns the spotlight on ‘Audience relationship Versus Content production – the value proposition of influencers’. The Twitter Chat was held on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, between 3 pm and 4 pm.

The esteemed panellists included:

Aditya Gurwara, Managing Partner - Services, Qoruz

Akshae Golekar, Co-Founder, Optiminastic Media

Neha Pandey, Business Head, AdLift

Sagar Nair, Co-Founder & CEO,  Qlan - The Gamer’s Social Network

Chinmay Chandratre, General Manager, Madison World

Rohit Agarwal, Founder & Director, Alpha Zegus

Commenting on what does the Influencer Ecosystem look like in the post-pandemic times, Aditya Gurwara tweeted, “The IM industry, Post-Pandemic, will continue to grow exponentially, the creator commerce industry is not just limited to brands but various possibilities like NFTs, social commerce, and many more which are just starting out.”

Chinmay Chandratre added here, “Influencers have become one of the most key marketing platforms post-pandemic and they are here to stay for long.”

Presenting his views, Akshae Golekar said, “Let the influencer do the talking - this is what brands were doing now.”

Sagar Nair remarked, “The influencer community was, in fact, one of those that thrived during the pandemic and continue to do so. The digital medium rose to habit changing prominence with influencers across the board becoming the focal point.”

Neha Pandey observed, “The spends on influencer marketing are projected to increase from 120M to 300M in 2022 – that’s a 110% increase in spending, which is greater than any other marketing channel. Nano & Micro-Influencers will play an integral role with brands putting in 20-25% of the budget to reach the niche TG.”

Rohit Agarwal noted, “It is more relevant than ever! Due to a steep rise in content creators and content consumption during the pandemic, people are able to relate, trust, and interact more with influencers than with brands.”

On content production getting diluted as influencers need to promote brands, Sagar Nair said, “Gone are the days when your follower count made you an influencer. Influencer marketing has matured over time, brands today consider aspects like an influencer’s personality, style of content and organic synergies with the brand. Each stakeholder is now playing to their strengths.”

Akshae Golekar observed, “I think the best way is to subtly integrate and that is when the brand, the influencers, and the audience all win”

Commenting on the topic, Neha Pandey tweeted, “Influencers are known for their exclusive creative content. So both the brand and influencer need to think it through before getting associated. It’s not a one-time activity.”

Rohit Agarwal added here, “It is a Catch-22 situation that can be resolved by - picking the right brands that match your profile, aligning promotional content with your content style, and spacing out your branded content.”

On finding a middle ground, Aditya Gurwara said, “Many creators have grown with the power of just a selfie camera. that is often a disconnect for brands. It all comes down to understanding one another and making content work for both parties.”

Chinmay Chandratre said, “Marketers will want anything and everything for the Brand. It depends on how the integrations are done subtly, else influencers will start losing their followers.”