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The exponential growth of the influencer’s space

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See what is happening in our world – who is influencing whom and why.

The exponential growth of the influencer’s space

October 28, 2020

Influencer marketing has come a long way since the early days. When social media exploded across the globe and people began to realise that channels like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter gave them access to an audience of millions, the beauty, fashion and travel industries saw an amazing opportunity to tap into a vibrant, fast-moving and ever-changing culture. And people realised that they could monetise their passions by giving their audience a glimpse into their glamorous worlds.

As with all things, times change and the frivolous soon gave way to a more serious study of the effects of influencers – and the birth of a modern, professional and highly effective new industry.

A lot of people – businesspeople, marketers, brand managers, advertisers – still see influencer marketing as the ream of superficial and vacuous wannabe models trying to score a free lunch on a Mediterranean island, not something that would fit into their business models or goals.

This is far from the truth.

Agencies and brands are seeing the results of effective and expert influencer marketing. And the top shops around the world know that, whatever their industry, there is an important (some would say critical) place for influencer marketing in their comms.

The results speak for themselves. Genuine content creators are becoming ever more trusted. Their personal recommendations are more influential than traditional and often generic big brand ads. Their ability to speak honestly and directly to a receptive audience gives brands and messages a believability that is lacking in more traditional marketing that is trying to speak to the widest audience possible.

And that is invaluable.

But is there a place for influencer marketing in all industries? Surely, a good-looking world traveller has nothing to offer the mining sector? Can a home-schooling mom really have anything valuable to offer a pharmaceutical brand?
The answer to this is a resounding YES – and no. Yes, influencers can benefit every industry. No, a travel blogger probably wouldn’t add much value to the mining sector. This is where the influencer marketing industry is destroying the traditional marketing models, because when you find the RIGHT influencer for your market and your audience you unleash the power of personal, resonant and genuine engagement.

Take the mining industry for example. Beautiful photos of exotic destinations will not convince the audience that you know what you are doing. But a message from a mining expert, set in the context of the needs of the sector, and delivered to an audience that lives, works and breathes mining – that is powerful.

And that is influence.

Harnessing the power of influencer marketing relies on three important aspects:

  1. Finding the right influencer.
    This is business, not a popularity contest. Fame is not what you need. A genuine understanding of your industry, expertise in what they are speaking about, and a tone of voice that reflects your purpose will make your influencer believable and relevant.
  2. Telling the right story.
    The power of influencer marketing comes from the human touch. Our decisions – whether they are purchasing decisions, business decisions, political decisions or just what to wear today – come from an emotional reaction. By telling the right story an influencer engages the emotional response of the audience to become a trusted and persuasive voice.
  3. Working with the right experts.
    Finding the right influencer to tell the right story does not magically happen. You need to have experts who know the when’s, where’s, why’s and who’s of successful influencer marketing. R-Squared, for example, have dedicated teams who know where to look for the perfect influencers, local and global. They also know when to engage a macro influencer and when to engage a micro influencer. Remember the travel blogger/mining industry example earlier? Imagine a travel blogger talking to the efforts a mining company is making to reduce their footprint in a specific area. A micro influencer for the mining sector with a macro influence on the appearance of the company around the world.

So, does my influence look big in this?

The effect of influencer marketing can make a significant difference in any sector and for any business. When you have a trusted voice speaking from a position of authority and expertise to an audience that is primed to receive your message you are able to create a literal bond between them and your brand/company/product/message.

All you need to do is find the real.

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Freedom through syndication

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See what is happening in our world – who is influencing whom and why.

Freedom through syndication

July 8, 2020

We know the value of syndicated thinking and working between agencies, between influencer marketing, creative agencies, PR firms and paid media. But there is another aspect to syndication that is especially relevant to influencer marketing:
The syndication between influencer marketing agency, the brand and the influencer.

At R-Squared, we put this collaboration to the front of everything we do. It is what guides our strategic thinking, and it is what sets us apart – because it all comes from a belief in freedom.

There are many agencies who keep a ‘book’ of influencers, people they work with on a regular basis, people they know they can call and direct to add their campaign to the influencer’s feed.

Our thinking is a far more innovative and, together with other true influencer marketing experts, is fast becoming the way forward for this industry: find the influencer that fits the brand and message, not fit the brand to the influencer.

We do not keep a ‘book’ of influencers. Our clients have faith in us and give us the freedom to search out the influencer that will best suit the campaign. Which means we can find that person or persons who actually have an interest in our campaign, who have knowledge of our subject and who believe in what they are telling their audience. It tends to lead to a far more honest and resonant campaign.

Because added to finding the perfect fit is the giving of freedom. Our influencers have the freedom to be themselves, to speak as themselves. By finding the influencers in their own environments, in their own countries, we engage with the audience in their own language, their own style and their own culture. Influence is all about resonance, about believability and authenticity which you only achieve if your influencer is being open and honest – and having the freedom to add your message to their existing voice.

Giving someone a script makes them an actor. Giving someone the freedom to be themselves makes them an influencer.

This is not to say we let them loose like a kid in a candy store. Our expertise comes in the careful management of the campaign. We create a framework that combines the brief, the strategy and the influencer. They know the goals. They know the product. They know the audience. And they know the environment, including all local and international regulations and nuances. Everything is set up with an almost scientific attention to detail.

And then we give them their freedom.

This approach is only possible through syndication, through collaboration and trust between every person involved from the influencer to the agencies to the brand. By having the freedom to work with the best of the best we are able to offer you, the brand, the best. The best influencer, backed by the best influencer marketers, supporting the best creative, social media, PR and paid media agencies.

To bring you the best, most resonant marketing campaigns for local and global audiences.

We call it authenticity. And it will make a huge difference to your campaign.

Stephane Rogovsky

Stephane is a 41-year-old Belgian citizen. He grew up in Brussels, lived in Switzerland, before moving to South Africa. Authentic conversations with real people inspire Stephane, an entrepreneur with more than 15 years’ leadership experience, utilising strategic foresight, analytical abilities, and trend spotting in diverse areas. He founded R-Squared Digital, a leading Influencer Marketing Agency that partners with some of the largest brands, media, and advertising agencies in South Africa and internationally.

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Success comes from an accurate focus on influencer marketing

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See what is happening in our world – who is influencing whom and why.

Success comes from an accurate focus on influencer marketing

June 11, 2020

Influencer marketing is one of the most powerful channels of communication for any marketer – if it is done properly.

There are tons of horror stories out there, from celebrities to beauty queens to sports stars, of social media going absolutely postal over a tweet or post that is either not appropriate for the audience or racist / sexist / homophobic / just plain wrong.

So how do you filter who gets to be the face of your brand or the mouthpiece for your message?

You speak to experts.

Not everyone with access to a Twitter feed or Instagram account knows what they’re doing. And not every influencer marketing ‘professional’ understands the importance of getting the right person for the right job and the right audience. Many agencies have a set book of influencers with whom they have relationships, and they try to force fit these influencers into their campaigns. With disastrous results.

Context is king in influencer marketing. The right person, at the right time, for the right client, with the right message.

For example, would you believe a famous chef if they were giving you beauty advice? Chances are, probably not. Stick to your recipe, Gordon!

BUT, what if it was Nigella Lawson giving skincare advice? A beautiful, powerful, successful woman who spends her days in a hot, humid, smoky, steamy commercial kitchen?

Different story.

Successful influencer marketing needs to focus on getting the mix right. You need an agency that has the ability, and the influence, to attract influencers from anywhere in the world. You need an agency that knows that a fitness product needs an athlete for maximum exposure, but also has the intelligence to realise that a busy female executive can also appeal to office workers looking for exercise equipment and tips. And can open up an entirely unexpected direction and market.

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ methodology to creating a successful influencer marketing campaign. It needs proper thought, careful strategies, proper budgeting and expert management.

And it starts at the beginning. From the strategy stage, influencer marketing should form a part of any campaign. It is a top down approach that helps to eliminate any risks of bias or conflict of interest and brings the perfect person or people into your campaign to give an authentic voice in a world that is on the hunt for falsity and deception.

Stephane Rogovsky

Stephane is a 41-year-old Belgian citizen. He grew up in Brussels, lived in Switzerland, before moving to South Africa. Authentic conversations with real people inspire Stephane, an entrepreneur with more than 15 years’ leadership experience, utilising strategic foresight, analytical abilities, and trend spotting in diverse areas. He founded R-Squared Digital, a leading Influencer Marketing Agency that partners with some of the largest brands, media, and advertising agencies in South Africa and internationally.

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Influencer Marketing: Adapting to Markets and Cultures

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Influencer Marketing: Adapting to Markets and Cultures

May 11, 2020

Managing influencer campaigns within specific territories or cultures can be very challenging, particularly for brands and marketers who don’t have expertise within particular regions. There are challenges related to culture, audiences and legislative requirements and restrictions.

At R-Squared, we operate globally, running influencer campaigns for multi-national groups in a variety of vertical markets. We have expertise in managing campaigns within a range of regions and cultural realities. We believe that understanding how influencer marketing differs from region to region is fundamental to the overall success of a campaign, affecting engagement and campaign costs.

Setting individualised missions for influencers is essential, factoring in all of the market and influencer-related specifics. Questions to be considered include market maturity – is influencer marketing well established in the region, or is it still a developing market? The answers will affect how competitive the market is, whether an audience will click on a link (conversion rate), influencer fees and influencer availability.

Once a brand or agency has established the above in the specific local markets internationally, and has created a brief for the influencers, the brand or agency should work with the influencer to understand their lifestyle, and how to integrate the brand concept into authentic content.

By sending one brief to all influencers for the same campaign, all influencers will produce very similar content. Within specific verticals, there is often an audience overlap, in which case, followers following several influencers who are all part of the same campaign will see the same type of content produced, which may alienate the audience. At this point, the importance of influencer mission setting plays a role in the success of the overall campaign.

It’s paramount to match the missions to the influencers and not the influencers to the missions. With the influencer tailoring lifestyle journeys, the content the influencers’ create will reinforce the brand message in their signature style. The tasks the brand or agency set should be a framework for the influencer to work from, not a script.

Thinking out of the box is necessary when it comes to dealing with influencers. It’s all about creating the perfect framework that allows for full creativity, authenticity and engagement while remaining aligned with the brand’s objectives and protecting its brand equity. Authenticity in the content is crucial to ensuring the message resonates with the target audience, in a way that is original and organic. In our opinion, agencies discussing individual missions with the influencers, and agreeing on those missions and objectives together, ensures that the content perfectly tells the influencer’s story, while aligning with the needs of the campaign.

Michelle Marais, Digital Marketing Manager

Michelle Marais

Michelle Marais is the Digital Marketing Manager at R-Squared, a leading influencer marketing agency partnering with some of the largest brands in South Africa and internationally. Our team focuses on out of the box solutions for authenticity in influencer marketing.

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