Introduction
India appreciates the importance of the Internet, and its digital population is growing rapidly. By 2019, 330 million Indians were using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This is predicted to increase to 448 million by 2023.
290 million people in India access social media through their mobile devices. India’s median age is 27.1 years old.
Indian Millennials and Gen Z are major contributors to social media usage in India. 52.3% of social media results come from people who are millennials. 28.4% of social media conversations are from Gen Z, while those aged 35-44 account for 15.1% of all conversations on the internet. About 97% of Indians who are connected to the internet watch videos online.
Word-of-mouth marketing is growing rapidly in India, and you may have heard about the benefits of this approach. influencer marketing campaigns have marked its presence in India too. We will be looking at influencer marketing and its various components in India so that you can understand how it works.
Influencer Marketing, formerly seen as a trend, is quickly becoming a vital arsenal in a brand’s marketing war. Recent estimates of Indian spending are a walking testimony that shows how influencer marketing is evolving into an increasingly mainstream strategy for modern brands.
Social Media platforms in India
There are 4 major social media platforms in India known as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram & Twitter and nearly most of them have the largest number of Indian users in the world. Following are the recent statistics of users of social media in India:
- According to Statista, India has 230.25 million Instagram users as of January 2022 which is the largest number in the world.
- In a report published by globabmediainsight.com, India had 467 Million users on YouTube as of June 2022.
- There are nearly 239.65 million Facebook users in India alone, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size. To put this into context, if India’s Facebook audience were a country then it would be ranked third in terms of the largest population worldwide.
- Twitter has 23.2 million Monthly Active Users in India, which is 2nd largest in Asia-Pacific after Japan with 26 million MUAs.
- Snapchat and Moj are becoming popular with content creators with 17.79% of creators on Snapchat, and 8.53% on Moj.
- Telegram has 374.40 million users.
- Facebook Messenger (324.39 million users).
- The growth of LinkedIn in India is remarkable post-pandemic. Since India is their key market after US, a Hindi version of LinkedIn has been launched to target Hindi speakers. It is good for the brands if they need to choose a particular sector of the population.
Most Used Social Media Platforms in India 2022
Let’s take a look at what the most used social media platforms are in India, their popularity among internet users in the country. This can be used to your advantage when it comes to marketing your products or services.
PLATFORM PERCENTAGE ACTIVE USERS (IN MILLIONS)
Instagram– 76.50% 503.37
Facebook- 74.70% 491.53
Twitter– 44.90% 295.44
LinkedIn– 37.20% 244.78
Pinterest– 34.90% 229.64
MX TakaTak– 23.40% 153.97
Moj – 23.00% 151.34
Skype – 23.00% 151.34
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of influencer marketing by brands making it an integral part of the brand marketing strategy. And is now an important part of our media mix recommendation to brands. Brands leveraging their product or service through influencers on these platforms can help them create brand awareness and engagement, educate users about their product or service, drive incremental revenue via conversions or target a niche audience.
Indian brands are using digital and social touchpoints to better understand their customers, improve customer experience, and also for new product development.
Brands are using online advertising, social media, and mobile platforms to drive traffic across channels to attract users to their digital touch points. They are linking these channels together so that users can access them from various locations. Brands are also looking to create content that is compelling, such as storytelling and contests.
Insights on state of social media marketing and influencer marketing in the India
Quick insights on the state of social media marketing and influencer marketing landscape in India
- For many Indians who are connected to the Internet, social media networks are their main reason for accessing the Web. Urban Indians are more likely to use social media platforms than those living in rural areas.
- India has more Facebook users than any other country in the world, with over 200 million members.
- There are over 462 million internet users in India, 200 million of which use social media.
- Forty-six percent of Facebook users in India are men, while 24% of Facebook users reside in the country. This information illustrates how large barriers women face when trying to access technology and information in India.
- Different social media platforms have different usage rates among age groups and genders.
- Generally, social media services allow people of all ages to spend about 1 or 2 hours each day on them. As the age of the respondent groups increases, the amount of time spent on social media seems to decrease.
- Among key Facebook users in India, those aged 18-24 are the largest and fastest-growing population segment.
- College students account for the majority of social media users.
- On average, a user revisited Facebook 3 times.
- WhatsApp is used by 11% of Internet users.
- Facebook Messenger is used by 9% of Internet users to communicate online.
- Indian Internet users use Skype to communicate with family, friends and loved ones. Skype has gained in popularity, and is even used for more formal conversations.
- 6% of Indian internet users use Twitter; a micro-blogging website that gained popularity over the years and is now an integral part of the social media ecology.
- Twitter has a large number of Monthly Active Users in India, which is second only to Japan.
- Activities on Social Networking sites increase during the evening hours.
- Delhi and Mumbai are the cities with the most traffic to social media websites.
- Marketing professionals need to be aware of top influencer marketing statistics.
Top Influencer Marketing Statistics
Top Influencer Marketing Statistics Every Marketer Should Know
- 70% of teenage YouTube subscribers trust the opinions of influencers over those of traditional celebrities.
- There is a statistical likelihood that 86% of women will turn to social networks before making a purchase.
- Facebook is the most popular platform among influencers who currently work with brands, followed by Instagram.
- 71% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase because they have seen someone else do it on social media.
- 86% of the most-viewed beauty videos on YouTube are made by influencers, compared to 14% by beauty brands themselves.
- A majority of beauty and fashion companies rely on influencers as part of their marketing strategies. It is 57% of them
- On average, businesses generate $6.50 for every $1 invested in influencer marketing.
Spectrum of Influencers
We break down influencers into five main influencer tiers depending on the number of Instagram followers they have.
The wide range of influencers, in light of their specialty, their missions, their online media stages, all will fall under the group of any of these five types. So, pick up any random influencer. You can check their category through their fan base, and so you can get a clear idea about their prices. It is beneficial to know about this.
Mega-influencers: Earn their living some other way (e.g. athlete, actor, artist, top model, celebrity), and monetize their influence as a secondary source of income. They are the cardinal influencers with a fan base of over 1 million. The mega influencers are also labeled as celebrities. Their price per post is even higher than all the other influencer categories.
In India, many companies prefer them due to their colossal popularity. Their engagement rate is 2.21%. Their price range varies from Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh per post.
Some of the mega influencers in India are Preetika Rao and Roshni Kapoor and celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Virat Kohli, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan.
Macro-influencers: Earn their living as an influencer (e.g. professional blogger, creator, or journalist). (For example Amit Agarwal, Amit Bhawani, Archana Doshi and Saffron Trail)
We can call them a level up of the mid-tier influencers. They cost more than all the above-mentioned categories of influencers. It is because of the huge fanbase they have. Their engagement rate is 2.33%. The number of followers of macro-influencers lies between 500K to 1 million.
Talking about their price, In India, they charge from Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 4 lakh per post or promotional video. Some of the names of such influencers are Shefali Bagga, Shafaq Naaz, and Mansi Srivastava.
Mid-Tier Influencers: These influencers lie in between the micro-influencers and the macro-influencers. They have a fan base of 50K to 500K followers. The mid-tier influencers cost a little more than micro-influencers. They show an engagement rate of 3.07%.
Their price varies from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh. They are highly in demand in India. Some of the prominent names of mid-tier influencers are Anisha Sahai, Kalyani, Megha Bajaj, and Garima Bansal.
Micro-influencers: Consumers who have relevant influence and may not know it, or aspire to become a macro-influencer. (For example Shivani Patil, Rati TS and Shereen Sikka Bharwani)
They are the promoted version of nano influencers. There are many micro-influencers in India, and they are widely popular. They have a fan base of 10K to 50K followers. Due to a big increase in their number of followers, they also charge somewhat more than the nano influencers.
Their price range varies from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 50,000 per post, depending upon the content quality and the past sponsorships. They also show exponential engagement rates of 4%.
Some popular micro-influencers in India are Ankit Duhan, Gurjeet Chhabra, Dhruni Jani, and Piya Valecha.
Nano influencer: Most of the influencers are nano influencers. They have a fan base of 1K to 10K, which falls under nano influencers. They cost the least amongst all the other types of influencers. Hence, they are more cost-effective than others. Their prices vary from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 7000 per post.
Apart from their reduced charges, the conversion rates for nano influencers are also the highest. Reports showed that their engagement rate is 6.84%.
In India, the most famous nano-influencers are Srishti Singh Rawat, Guneet Jolly, and Koena Mitra.
Top 7 Categories in India
What are Indian influencers posting about? What categories or industries do they belong to? So, here are the top 7 influencer categories in India in 2022:
- Comedy
- Fashion & lifestyle
- Beauty & makeup
- Food influencers
- Travel vlogging
- Fitness
- Technical
Successful brands that work with influencers
1. Netflix
Netflix is one of the top OTT platforms that use influencers and bloggers to promote their brand campaigns. Many of their social media pages feature multiple campaigns that involve bloggers in the entertainment industry. Netflix not only features famous people or mega influencers, but it has also partnered with small and medium-sized influencers. Their campaigns always have new faces, which means you can see many trending influencers on their page. Some of these people include Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh, Kareema Barry, Aisha Rahmed, Tanmay Bhat, Apoorva Goyal, Ankush Bahuguna, and many more.
2. Nykaa
Nykaa is a brand that focuses on diversity in the beauty industry. There is a range of ways to collaborate with bloggers. Many fashion, beauty, and lifestyle bloggers collaborate with them. Their campaigns vary tremendously as they have bloggers promoting Nykaa, but also brand campaigns that involve promoting their partnered brands like KayBeauty. The launch of Kay Beauty by Katrina Kaif on Nykaa was a collaborative endeavor that involved working with more influencers and bloggers.
3. Mama Earth
Every now and then a beauty blogger can see brand collaborations with Mama Earth. Many other YouTubers collaborated with beauty bloggers, such as Flying Beast and Tanmay Bhat. The company runs multiple campaigns to promote their different range of products on various platforms.
4. Durex
Durex is well-known for its spunky, trailblazing social media posts. In the past, they have collaborated with celebrities and bloggers like Radhika Apte, Bani J, Dolly Singh, and The Scribbles Stories. Their approach and diversity in their bloggers enables them to create successful influencer marketing campaigns.
5. Urban Company
Urban Company, a brand that has garnered 5. massive attention in the past 2 years has also executed many successful campaigns. One of their popular campaigns #YourHomeTeam had macro-influencers like Akash Choudhary, Rajni Khaitan, Asheer Ahmed, Shiwangi Singh to create a buzz around the IPL season.
Case Study
Three in five are likely to try a product based on influencers’ recommendation: Report
Influencer recommendations have a large reach among Indian consumers, with over 54.9 million followers. This comes from a new report by INCA, GroupM’s brand-safe influencer and content marketing solution unit along with Kantar. The report stated that about two out of five social media users follow more than five influencers.
The average number of followers an individual has is 7.5. In fact, about three-quarters of people are likely to try a product thanks to the recommendation of an influencer. The study found that, as compared to celebrities, influencers are more trusted by those aged 45-55 years. The report mentioned that Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are some of the most popular platforms preferred by consumers to connect with influencers.
How to link with social media influencers in India?
Linking to them is a bit tougher. If you want to meet or get promotional content from the influencers, then there are many channels like linking them directly if you have contact with their managers, or else take the help of the platforms made for these.
These platforms are in fashion in India. They fill the cavity between the influencers and the ordinary peoples. Names like Celefi –Top influencer marketing agency in india and Kapwing are the best-chosen ones. You can take the help of them.
India’s influencer marketing industry to reach Rs 2,200 crore by 2025
The Indian influencer marketing industry is estimated to reach a value of Rs 900 crore by the end of 2021, according to GroupM INCA’s India Influencer Marketing Report. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25% till 2025 to reach a size of Rs 2,200 crore, the report added.
“Over the last few years, brands have shown significant interest in influencer marketing. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of influencer marketing by brands making it an integral part of the brand marketing strategy and is now an important part of our media mix recommendation to brands,” Prasanth Kumar, CEO, GroupM South Asia, said.
GroupM’s brand-safe influencer and content marketing solution unit INCA has released ‘The India Influencer Marketing Report’ on Friday. As per the report, personal care (25%), F&B (20%), fashion and jewellery (15%) and mobile and electronics 10% are the top four categories that contribute to 70% volume of influencer marketing. Besides, celebrities account for 27% of influencer marketing spends while influencers account for 73%. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of the Indian population follow an influencer.
100% of marketing leaders have agreed that influencer marketing was a high or top priority for their marketing calendar for 2021, as per INCA influencer marketing survey. The survey has also found that the 50% of respondents are set to increase influencer marketing spends by 25-36%.