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INFLUENCER MARKETING
Facebook remains a popular channel for influencer campaigns because of its in-built influencer performance tools
outperforms brand-led content, there is an almost insatiable appetite for it on the continent. He adds that Nfinity is increasingly working with influencers from Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana and Botswana. “Although the market is not yet as sophisticated as South Africa’s, they are catching up quickly,” Groenewald observes. That said, it can be difficult to stand out in an oversaturated market, according to social media expert and influencer Lindo Myeni. He says that to be successful influencers should be early adopters, identify a niche, and “go the extra mile with a smile” in every campaign, since brands shy away from influencers who fail to meet expectations. Farah Fortune, MD of African Star Communication, says that platforms to watch include rising star TikTok,
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Twitter Spaces (which competes with social audio app Clubhouse), Instagram Reels, social video platform Triller, and social live-streaming start-up Caffeine, in which 21st Century Fox invested US$100-million in 2018.
› Combine content and performance marketing According to Groenewald, Facebook and Instagram remain popular channels for campaigns because of their inbuilt influencer performance tools. “Combining influencer content with performance marketing was a game changer and a huge contributor towards the growth of influencer marketing,” he says.
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Anne Dolinschek, founder of specialist agency Nflu#ntial, predicts that Twitch will become a big contender in the future. She also believes that influencers will increasingly become ‘shopfronts’ for e-commerce brands and generate direct sales through live steams. “This is working well in other parts of the world, like China, and influencers are incredibly powerful when selling their favourite brand items to their audiences,” she states. “This may be some way off for the local industry, but it’s definitely on the horizon.” A range of influencer marketing tools makes it easier to put together costeffective campaigns that are quick to execute and easy to measure. “The industry has moved on from reach and engagement,” Groenewald says. “Today, we measure campaigns on real business metrics like the cost of website traffic created, accounts
