By: Natasha Archary
Over 48% of Instagram influencers in South Africa reportedly inflate their follower and engagement statistics, a concerning trend highlighted by HypeAuditor.
Dashni Vilakazi, MD of The MediaShop JHB joins Gugulethu Mfuphi on Kaya Biz to share how the influencer landscape has changed the game of brand marketing.
The important question is, how do you measure influencer credibility in SA?
“South Africa is growing extensively with the influencer marketing, and it’s pretty much evolved here with the same momentum as it has abroad.
You know when a marketer is given a budget, the CFO and CEO is literally hounding them for return on investment.
As a result the authentic and credible manner in which influencers have been able to manage brand content has changed because more brands are seeing the power and recognising how strong the influencer partnership has become.
Some of the pitfalls and the negative aspect is that there are influencers who might over state their numbers. When you over state your numbers that is a challenge for marketers because reach is a big aspect of how much the budget is and how far that budget can go.
Working with credible agencies who have signed influencers as clients is key.”
A recent Influencer Marketing Hub report sheds light on this, revealing that 63% of South African marketers now prioritize performance-driven models like cost per engagement (CPE) or cost per click (CPC).
This shift underscores a growing emphasis on tangible results, aiming for a clear-cut return on investment in the influencer realm.
Dashni says that Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) can be a huge support for marketers, to help them navigate the influencer landscape with clear and effective guidelines.
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Biz:
Also read: SAPS warns South Africans to be cautious on Facebook Marketplace
