The ‘people’ era of marketing

Influencer marketing is here to stay and SwayFluence is interested to be the catalyst of this golden age of advertising Nisthula Nagarajan

“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.”

This quote is by one of the renowned marketing gurus in the world, Seth Godin. It speaks true to the core of what influencer marketing is — people. Today’s companies need to focus on giving their target audience what they want, building a rapport, and creating the kind of engagement that creates loyal customers.

‘Influencer marketing’ was simply known as ‘word of mouth’. Over the last decade or so, with the arrival and the rise of social media, a growing number of ‘influential’ individuals have made their way: influencers, bloggers and ‘vloggers’, ‘TikTokers’, Youtube personalities and content creators, the Twitterati. They exercise a real social influence by connecting and sharing messages with their own audience, significantly affecting a brand's visibility, the actions of followers/fans, and their purchase decisions.

This used to occur with celebrity endorsements, but now we are talking about the average Joe and Jane reaching out to millions from their bedroom!

Influencer marketing as a concept has therefore existed since basically humans could converse but it is clear to everyone that with the spread of social media, it has experienced its maximum expansion.

By 2010, social media had started making waves in the UAE and the rest of the GCC countries. The era of traditional advertisements on billboards and televisions is the distant past, consumers don’t rely anymore on celebrity endorsements and TV commercials. Millennials and ‘Gen Zers’ have disrupted trends in consumer behaviour and have changed the history of influencer marketing as we knew it. They need authentic social proof before they decide to buy anything. Videos of influencers trying products, testing them and advocating for them are now part and parcel of a company’s marketing campaign.

The key to the success of influencer marketing is how good a match the influencer is with the brand — without a good match, the influencer’s (and the brand’s) credibility is in doubt. This is where SwayFluence aims to make an impact — SwayFluence is a matchmaking platform that takes the guesswork out of influencer marketing.

Aviareps one of the world’s leading sales, marketing and communications agency for travel and lifestyle brands is launching the new matchmaking platform for influencer marketing. It takes the guesswork out of influencer marketing by making quality connections between brands and influencers for more authentic and impactful campaigns.

Utilising its growing international network of bloggers, (micro)influencers, freelance journalists and thought leaders, SwayFluence finds the right match and connects local influencers with exciting brands, so that they can tell their story together — no matter where in the world they are.

SwayFluence makes finding the right influencer as easy as filling out a form. When a brand has an idea for an influencer campaign, they can quickly and easily submit it on the SwayFluence website. The company’s experts take care of finding a reliable and authentic influencer that aligns with the brand’s values and goals. Moreover, the team can help a brand to create a goal-oriented influencer marketing strategy or even manage a campaign from start to finish.

Edgar Lacker, CEO, Aviareps explains that influencer marketing is already huge and it's only going to get bigger. New social media platforms, new types of content, and new ways brands can engage with their potential customers are emerging every year.

More and more brands are recognising the impact influencer campaigns can have on their business. Recent estimates show influencer marketing is set to become a $15 billion industry by 2022, according to Business Insider.

“Influencer marketing has gained gaining popularity over the last year and in 2021 in the UAE as well. Key trends include the rise of micro and nano influencers, brands looking for ongoing partnerships with them, different types of social media platforms, more performance- based deals, and more,” Lacker observes.

SwayFluence’s vision is to create a world of more collaborations across borders, more authenticity in digital marketing, and more purposeful engagement with influencers and brands. Ultimately, the goal is to make influencer marketing more authentic and accessible and to allow more influencers and brands to work together on meaningful collaborations.