Featuring Priscilla Aseye Febiri
In this episode, I chat with Priscilla Aseye Febiri about Ghana's evolving influencer marketing landscape. We explore key insights from her research, discuss the rise of micro-influencers, and share advice for brands on selecting the right influencer. If you're curious about the future of influencer marketing or want to grow as an influencer, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways.
[0:00] From the dead studios, this is Colours of Social Media, the podcast for digital marketers and small business owners who believe in digital marketing.
[0:08] I'm your host, Enoch, Robert Boy Appiah Jr., and today we'll be talking about influencer marketing, and I have with me Priscilla Aseye Febiri, an integrated communications professional who is also an influencer marketing expert and a self-published author to help me with this conversation.
[0:28] And I first met Priscilla when she published her research on influencer marketing, which is currently available to the public, and you can download it at her website, influencermarketinginsights.com.
[0:43] So without further ado, I just want to dial Priscilla in so that we have this conversation on influencer marketing. Once again, thank you for deciding to join me on Colours of Social Media podcast.
[0:56] Thank you for having me. Great. I just want to put a disclaimer out there before we even begin our conversation. I decided to have this conversation with you because of the research that you put out there about influencer marketing.
[1:14] I mean, I'm a bit skeptical about influencer marketing, so I'm all about reading about influencer marketing, the essence for businesses, and especially in Ghana, how businesses in Ghana can utilize influencer marketing in their marketing mix.
[1:33] And I chanced upon your research. I read it a lot. And I decided that I definitely have to have a conversation with you so that we can dig in further about influencer marketing in Ghana.
[1:48] So basically, that's the disclaimer out there. Charlie, yeah. So let's go. What do you want to know? All right. OK, so I want us to start out what marketers are doing wrong when it comes to influencer marketing in Ghana.
[2:10] OK, when it comes to influencer marketing, I mean, the space is still a little bit new. So everyone is finding their feet. When we come to Ghana, there are quite a few things that at the moment we are doing very well when it comes to influencer marketing.
[2:31] But there are still a few things that we need to watch out for. I think one of the things that marketers are not doing right when it comes to influencer marketing in Ghana is paying more attention to the audience much rather than, you know, the superficial things like, you know, followers.
[2:52] I mean, everyone wants to work with influencers with large followers and all of that. And they're not paying too much attention to the behind the scenes.
[3:00] So the platform analytics of the influencer, say, for instance, OK, who is there? Which audience do they have most in their followers? And does that actually match what the brand is looking for?
[3:16] I think that's one thing that we're missing and find that some from the research as well. Some some marketers are not actually asking for insights before the, you know, on board influences.
[3:33] So I am assuming that it's coming from a point of, oh, this influencer worked with this brand. They did really well. So they would work for my brand as well.
[3:45] But really, you should be paying attention to the insights from the influencers platform, the chosen platform via TikTok or Instagram. You should always ask for that before you go ahead and work with them, because you might end up working with them and you find out, oh, I'm fat because why the audience are not the same.
[4:11] So the influencer worked well for that brand because there was an audience match there. But they may not work well for yours because that match isn't there or the analytics do not speak to your brand.
[4:25] Do you know what I mean? Totally, totally. So let's talk about the research. And before we even go in, I just want my listeners and the viewers to know that it is currently available at influencermarketinginsights.com where you can just go and download it. Yes, exactly. It's totally free of time.
[4:44] And if you really want to go into influencer marketing, I suggest that you go over there to download it so that you can, you know, be abreast with what is actually happening when it comes to influencer marketing.
[4:56] Right. So Priscilla, why that research? Because your tagline, you are an integrated communications professional. Yes, I am. And you are a self-published author. So why did you decide to do a research on influencer marketing? Right.
[5:18] Before Priscilla answers that question, I'm going to take a page out of her own book and I'm going to put out this poll out there. Now I'm asking you this question. How effective do you think influencer marketing is in Ghana?
[5:33] A, very effective. B, some part effective. C, not very effective. D, not effective at all. I'm taking the question again. How effective do you think influencer marketing is in Ghana?
[5:49] A, very effective. B, somewhat effective. C, not very effective. D, not effective at all. So if you are watching this episode on Spotify or listening on Spotify, just go to the show description.
[6:05] This question will be put there. You can just choose your opinion, how you think influencer marketing is effective in Ghana. Thank you. Now let's go back to the conversation. So my journey with influencer marketing actually, I mean, I have to talk about the journey for you to understand how it happened.
[6:26] So my journey with influencer marketing started in 2016, where I worked with Stratscom Africa. So that was my first time working with influencers. And it was for a UNICEF campaign with Ghana Education Services.
[6:46] It was an amazing period. It was about debunking taboos around periods and all of that. So we engaged influencers. At that time, influencers were like the celebrities and, you know, we didn't have what we have today.
[7:05] So we engaged people like Israelite, Ms. V, and a few others in the media space as well. So that was my first experience working with influencers. Now, between 2016 and 2020, I had not done anything around influencer marketing.
[7:25] So I had moved to Belgium and during the COVID period, I decided to, you know, OK, I was job searching and I came across this influencer marketing agency.
[7:40] I reached out to them and they said, oh, we don't have any spaces, but we have internships. Do you want to do it? I said yes. So I was I was an account manager, an assistant account manager for I think about three months there.
[7:58] And I don't know if you're familiar working with agency versus in-house, but you know, agency, you get the creme de la creme of projects. Like you're you're doing everything. So it's broad and you're learning so much.
[8:12] So there's an assistant account manager. I was put in charge. I did everything from researching influences for brands in Belgium to finding influences, there isn't with them coming up with concepts, creative concepts for campaigns and, you know, just following through the whole campaign process, you know, the creating the calendars for them, following up with them, whether everything is OK, monitoring, evaluation, all of that. We had to do it.
[8:46] So it really opened up my mind at that point of when it came to influencer marketing. And let's say that's when I really started getting into it. So after my time there, I started writing, I started writing around influencer marketing for my joy online.
[9:05] And it started off as like a hobby. Like, I mean, for me, when I'm interested in something, I like to go in, I like to like just yeah, like it consumes me.
[9:16] So I was like, OK, start researching, you know, how is influencer marketing working in Ghana? I tried to take principles from what I had learned from my internship and I realized that there were gaps in Ghana.
[9:28] So just by looking at the way we did influencer marketing, I realized that, oh, there are things that we could still learn. There are things that, you know, I could bring on board that would contribute to the influencer marketing space in Ghana.
[9:45] So that was where the writing began. And then from the writing, we went on to being invited to speak on influencer marketing with women in PR.
[9:57] So I'm a member of women in PR Ghana. So whenever there were topics around influencer marketing, I would be invited to speak. And it was there that I realized the need for research.
[10:10] You know, in speaking about it and the questions that came up in the Q&A sessions afterwards, you realize that, you know, there were so many questions, you know, so many professionals were still skeptical when it comes to working with influencers.
[10:28] You know, there were questions about, you know, how do I select the right influencer? How do I know how much to pay influencers? You know, how do you deal with it when there are brand issues?
[10:40] And so I realized that there's research around influencer marketing in the Western space. But then when it comes to Africa, we don't have anything to look on.
[10:55] And at that time, I was like, okay, it was just curiosity. Let me just be honest. At that time, it was curiosity. I was like, let me just put the survey out and see so that I know how to structure conversations around influencers.
[11:10] In the beginning, it was just a matter of I just need the data to be able to understand where the gaps are so that when I am invited to have conversations, I know which areas to focus on more.
[11:23] So we did the survey, pushed it out, those many professionals as we could find in, you know, branding and advertising, PR marketing, pushed it out.
[11:36] And we got 70 professionals. And I just thought, initially, I was looking for like 100 of them. But time was going and I was like, Charlie, Charlie, we need to like get into the meat of things.
[11:48] So, yeah, start analyzing the data. And it was there that I was like, nah, I can't keep this to myself. You know, I need to put this out there. And I didn't have any one sponsoring, you know, my co-author and I, Emmanuel Merkou, we just, you know, he has a research background.
[12:14] So when it came to the analyzing or like, you know, looking at the data, breaking it down, it was super helpful there. And then my knowledge of influencer marketing and, you know, research, existing research came in to beef it up.
[12:30] So that was how it came about, really. That was how it started. That was what got us into it. And now here we are. To be honest, we've not done any, we've not done like any GDPR around it, but it has been well received.
[12:46] We've had like over 100 downloads of the reports. Yeah, since last time I checked was like in May. Yeah, we had like 100 plus downloads. So I'm sure by now it's probably more so it's been well received.
[13:03] And you see that a lot of the professionals are like, oh, yeah, this is actually true. It's actually what's on the ground. It's not like, yeah, something else just formulated, you know, and they vibe with it, which is a good thing.
[13:21] And I hope that they take the recommendations on board and, you know, we do something profitable with it to be able to add to the industry, to grow the industry in a positive way. Yeah. So that's it.
[13:36] One of the comments that came out of it from your respondent was that influenza marketing is still developing in Ghana. Do you think you did this research in February? Do you think in Ghana we've arrived when it comes to influenza marketing or we are still developing?
[13:59] We're still developing and we still have quite a way to go. We've done very well. Don't get me wrong. But I feel like when it comes to influenza marketing, the space is constantly evolving.
[14:14] And especially this year, 2023 into 2024, if you've paid attention, you notice that there's a global economic crisis. It's not just Ghana. It's everywhere. And that has affected the influenza marketing industry quite a bit.
[14:37] There have been budget cuts when it comes to marketing, and a lot of marketers are not comfortable putting money into influenza marketing, especially because some also feel that when it comes to proving sales, influenza marketing is very difficult to show that influenza marketing has been effective in generating sales.
[15:07] So a lot of professionals are not putting in a lot of money. I like the fact that in Ghana there have been initiatives to support influences and to make the industry better, like the influenza marketing awards by Paul's Ghana.
[15:26] And a few others that I have come across have been really instrumental. I've seen a few on Clubhouse educating influences. So there are conversations. And then there is you as well, having conversations about digital marketing, which is also where influenza marketing falls in.
[15:49] So the education is there. There is that effort to learn and to understand how the industry works. But I think that for the industry to be able to drive better in Ghana, there needs to be a space for professionals and influencers to have an honest conversation.
[16:13] There have been a few webinars and all of that where influencers have been invited to speak and professionals have been invited to speak. But then this needs to be a consistent thing, like a roundtable event that is hosted on a regular basis for professionals to understand the needs of influencers and influencers to also understand the needs of the professionals.
[16:38] I think that's where there's a misalignment. So you find that sometimes influences that are thriving the most are those that have some kind of marketing background or understand marketing a bit.
[16:56] So then they know what is required of them from the professional. So they are able to meet them there. But for those that are coming up and or those that do not have that background at all, you find that, yeah, for them, it's just me. I'm a content creator. I'm just doing my thing.
[17:15] If you take it or you leave it, but it doesn't work like that. It's a relationship thing. Do you know what I mean? You need to know what the professionals need and be able to meet that if you want to be successful in the space.
[17:32] So, yeah, that's that for me is where I think that, you know, professionals and influencers need to come in so that the industry can get even better.
[17:45] But for now, I think that the economic crisis has slowed things down when it comes to influencer marketing. The industry is still projected to grow. I think the benchmark reports that influencer marketing have released this year.
[18:03] I think that the I think the industry is projected to grow to twenty four billion in twenty twenty four. That's the pace at which the industry is growing.
[18:16] And I feel like there's so much that we can do in Ghana. I mean, talking about a platform to bring brands, professionals and influencers together.
[18:29] Recently, I just came back from one influencer summit organized by Paul's Ghana, which I actually commend them collecting a team for doing that.
[18:40] And I just I just hope that they keep on doing it because Paul's Ghana is sort of the powerhouse when it comes to influencer marketing in Ghana.
[18:48] And I actually learned a lot. I was able to witness how the influencers work, you know, via main pain points and how, you know, professionals like me and other brands can meet them so that everything.
[19:02] I mean, it's all about the business success. And they were able to present their points out and brands also were able to present their points, which I think was a good direction by Paul's Ghana.
[19:17] Yeah. Let's let's get back to the report on on what you call it on preferred influences, looking at micro influences and macro influences. I realize that a lot of professionals are skewed towards micro influences. You see, do you think do you think a time may come when macro influences will overtake micro influences when it comes to preferability by professionals?
[19:46] You are already shaking your head. I think she just said the question. No, I don't think that they are going to overtake. I think that now, I mean, micro influences have been preferred for quite a while now. I mean, since I remember in 2020 when when I really started in influencer marketing, I remember that most of the influences that we engage were micro and nano influences. And the thing is that with micro and nano influences, yeah, they have a smaller following.
[20:28] And because of that smaller following, they are able to engage with their followers more. The thing with influencer marketing is that engagement drives a lot of what we do. So if you have a nano influencer who is able to engage with their followers, is able to interact, create conversations and all of that and follow up with followers.
[20:57] Like, you know, actually respond to comments, you know, engage with followers like on a personal level. That drives engagement up the roof. Now, micro influences, even now micro influences are falling into the same category. Micro and macro influences. Now, their following is large. The following is big.
[21:21] And you know, you're so focused on creating content and just, you know, getting it in that you're not putting time in into engaging with your followers.
[21:37] To be able to do this, I mean, content creation for influencers is not it's not beans. It's not child's play. You know, there's a lot of work involved.
[21:46] So I would say that for them to be able to get back to the place where they are engaging with their followers, they would need a team to understand.
[21:56] So you the influencer, you go about creating your content, but then you have like a community engagement person that would be responding to your comments, making sure that there's that authentic feel when it comes exactly response.
[22:16] So that needs to be there. But another thing, another reason why I think that it would be difficult for micro influences to catch up now is because micro and nano and micro influences, they are normally niched out.
[22:37] So brands would particularly want to work with these influences because they talk about one specific thing. Do you know what I mean? If it's family and children, it's family and children.
[22:55] Maybe let's say, I don't know, I'm going to use an example, say Johnson's is about to maybe release a new product in the baby line of things and they want to be able to target, you know, mothers.
[23:12] It would make sense for Johnson's to work with a nano or several nano influences in the mother baby stage or parents niche of influences. Exactly.
[23:31] It would make sense for them to win them. Yes. Rather than working with one big influencer. Remember, influencers were not cheap. So if you are working with one big influence and you're going to pay that one big influence, one micro influencer, I don't know, off the top of my head, 10,000 data series or something.
[23:51] This is just an example. It's gone. And you have 20. Let's say 10, because my maths is about to go out the window. So let's say 10 nano influences. Who amounts to that 10, who amounts to the micro influencer?
[24:14] Exactly, who amounts to 20K or so. So let's say 10, each influencer has like, you know, 5K or 2 to 5K followers. Now, if you split that 10,000 amongst that 10 influences in nano and micro category, does that not make more business sense?
[24:40] You want engagement, you want conversion to sales and all of that. You are not going to get that with one big influencer. Do you get what I mean? So for this, the preference towards micro and nano influences, it makes more economic sense for small to medium sized businesses as well.
[25:03] Who wants to get into the influencer marketing space? Because those nano and micro influences are relatively cheaper to work with than the macro influencers.
[25:16] Let me not say cheaper. Cheaper is not the right word. They're more affordable to work with than the macro influences. So I think that's why we see a shift. And now with this economic crisis, because at this point now, it's just the micro and the research, the benchmark research also showed the same thing.
[25:43] It showed that, you know, professionals are choosing more to work with nano and micro influences more than they would like to work with the macro influences.
[25:56] So I think that there's a lot of work for micro influences to do. I mean, for micro influences to get up there or to be able to maneuver this.
[26:08] I would say, OK, add in other like other aspects to the influencer marketing, like instead of just tick tock, you know, content creation, maybe add a blog or something, diversify.
[26:26] Do you know what I mean? Don't just stick to creating the content. Exactly. Do you understand? And, you know, make yourself more open to the prospect of working to build your portfolio.
[26:43] You understand me. For me, I always say that influencer marketing for influencers needs to start with a goal. You need to know, OK, I'm going into this thing.
[26:53] What kind of clients do I want to be working with? Do you know what I mean? From the very beginning, what kind of clients do I want to be? OK, I want to be I don't know. I want to be a travel influencer. I want to be targeting brands like Move & Pick, Alisa Hotel, you know, hotels that are around in Ghana. Exactly.
[27:21] Do I want to be focused in Ghana or I want to be like an African influencer? You know, these are questions that you want to be asking yourself.
[27:30] These would guide you in the content creation process and make you visible to the brands that you want to work with. You've taken all the words out of my mouth for example. Oh Charlie, that sounds really mean I beg.
[27:48] Let's talk about engagement here. You may mention of engagement. Yeah. But then we are being controlled by these platforms. What is true engagement for influencers? Is it just liking or commenting? Which one will you rate higher when it comes to influencer marketing?
[28:14] So we all know that when it comes to engagement, engagement is higher on TikTok than it is on Instagram. And now professionals are looking to work more with TikTok influencers than Instagram influencers because the engagement there is higher.
[28:37] So I would say that engagement for me looks more like comments than likes. Likes are very superficial. I mean, you know, when you're on social media, when you're scrolling through, it's something we really need to do.
[28:58] Sometimes I like without knowing that I actually like it. Exactly. Yes. You just like but for you to comment, then I think has really caught your attention. Yes.
[29:11] So I think looking more at comments is a more effective way. But like I said, the calculation for engagement looks at it's an equation of likes and comments.
[29:27] So you can't take one without the other. But personally for me, comments are louder than likes. Yeah, for me, the comments are louder than the likes when it comes to engagement. And I think another one is saving the content. Yes.
[29:48] Because when a person saves it, it means that they have an intention to go back to it. Definitely. I have a lot of I have a lot of saved saved recipes from influencers because I see the recipe right now.
[30:06] I'm not ready to make this recipe. So I would rather save it. I wouldn't even comment because commenting that it should be telling people that I know.
[30:17] I would just save it and give it to myself. Exactly. So that's another way of, you know, looking at your engagements. And I think engagement and influencer marketing is everything. And to reach that engagement authenticity is key.
[30:34] You need to be your most authentic self when you are an influencer. And it cannot be mentioned like more. In one of your articles on my job online, you wrote, and I quote, as an influencer, your vibe will attract your tribe.
[30:57] Yeah. What do you mean by that? This cafe is just your supporters like you on BuyMeACoffee.com. Now, by visiting BuyMeACoffee.com, you can help keep the college social media podcasts alive and thriving by buying me or my guests a cup of coffee or as many as you'd like.
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[32:55] There are even more ways to support the show that I don't have time to cover yet. So, check out the full details on the website. Thank you. Your vibe will attract your tribe. So, I remember this article, I was talking more about niche influences.
[33:15] So, I really like working with influences that are niche, rather than influences that are like doing a little bit of everything. Like, they're doing fashion, they're doing lifestyle, they're doing sports, like one person.
[33:34] I prefer to work with an influencer that is focused in one area. Now, I know that we as human beings, we are multidimensional, and no one person is one thing.
[33:50] We have different interests. But the reason why I like influences that are niche is because they have an audience that is following them because of that one specific thing they're talking about.
[34:05] So, if, say for instance, I am a mom of two, and I decided I wanted to start creating content for other moms. Like, I'm going to use my friend. Shout out to Giggles and Grunts.
[34:18] So, she is a mom, and she has been creating content around she and her daughter. And, you know, from when she was a baby up until this date. Now, the people that follow Giggles and Grunts, no word of a lie.
[34:41] Most of them are probably moms. Most of them are moms, and they follow her because of that content. They follow her because they know that, oh, yeah, she will post content around, you know, education for her daughter, whatever state she's at.
[35:00] You know, probably activities to do with children, teaching a child how to read, when it comes to feeding, and, you know, when they are small like that.
[35:12] All of us, our minds go blank as mothers, even if we've done it before. When we get to that point, they're like, hey, now, what will the child eat?
[35:21] Like, what should I be giving them? You can go onto Google and Grunts, and then you see her for my posts. And you're like, okay, I can give my child this.
[35:30] So, those influences, those niche influences, they have built a higher trust with their followers. Because their followers know that this person is, say, for instance, the lady behind the Giggles and Grunts page, Kukwa.
[35:50] We know that's Kukwa, what she's giving her child. It's not like some brand has contracted her to do it. No, it's just natural. She really loves the product. It's working for her.
[36:05] So, you'd rather follow Kukwa than to follow a content creator. I'm just using an example. You'd rather follow her than to follow a content creator that is creating content around, you know that, okay, they are not even a mother.
[36:20] They are creating content around fashion. Then tomorrow, they are creating content around babies and all of that. That trust is not there. They're just posting.
[36:31] Yeah. If I were to be a follower, I'd be like, but you... What's the credibility? Where's the credibility? Because I don't know you as a mom, but you're talking about baby food.
[36:44] An uncle, only baby food, your uncle, how does it work? You get what I mean? Yeah. So, people like that, you wouldn't follow them. But with someone who is giving their child the same thing, not because the brand has paid them, but because they actually love the product, would gain more followers that way.
[37:13] More authentic, their follower quality is higher. True followers. Then we put it that way. So, you as a brand, when you are working with them, if, say, for instance, Nestle decided to work with giggles and grunts, they release their new giggles.
[37:29] It would be easier. It would be easier. Do you understand? Because everybody knows that giggles and grunts are baby stuff. So, that's why I'm like, your vibe, which is here, we're talking about children and parents.
[37:42] Your authentic self. Exactly. Your authentic self will attract your tribe. It will attract your followers, and it also attracts the brands you want to work with.
[37:51] So, that's why we're looking at your brand, your vibe will attract your tribe. So, that was basically it. Thank you. Talking about brands, right?
[38:04] If a brand wants to engage an influencer, what are some of the criteria the brand needs to look out for? Okay. So, as a brand, if you're going to work with an influencer, first things first, you need to look at your goal when it comes to influencer marketing.
[38:25] What is it that you're trying to achieve? Is it brand awareness or sales generation? This would inform everything else. So, let's take it that for the sake of this question, the brand wants to increase brand awareness around their new product that they've released.
[38:48] So, fine. You want to look for influencers that are a brand fit, first of all. So, you're looking for an influencer whose brand voice, influencers who are brands, by the way, you need to make sure that their brand voice aligns with yours, their brand values align with yours.
[39:12] That's where the brand fit is. And once you have checked that box, you need to always look at their insights. You need to look at their reputation as well.
[39:28] Is this influencer known to be, you know, controversial? Exactly. Do you want your brand aligned with that? You need to ask yourself, some brands actually want that.
[39:43] Do you understand? Some brands drive on controversy. So, yeah, but in your deep year. So, you want to find out if that brand, if the influencer is someone who has a controversial past and all of that as well.
[40:01] And you need to look at the engagement rates of the influencer. You need to look at the influencer's level of professionalism. You really, that needs to be key.
[40:15] And this also goes to influencers. No matter how small or large you are, professionalism will take you places more than your fellow accounts.
[40:26] That would open more doors for you. This quote is a quote. It's a quote. Yeah. Professionalism would take you to places more than your fellow.
[40:37] Yeah, it would. It really would. It would take you more places than your fellow accounts. So, that needs to be prioritized because you need to have that in mind as well.
[40:51] And another thing that brands need to look at, they need to look at the type of influencer marketing campaign they want to run. They don't want to run a short term or a long term campaign.
[41:03] So, we see short term campaigns are like, you know, after three months. And then the long term campaigns are like, you know, six months to a year campaigns.
[41:13] What type of campaigns do you want to run? That will also inform on the influences that you decide to work with. Because if you are going for like a three months campaign, a short term campaign, the idea is that you are doing probably for brand awareness.
[41:32] So, you are doing like the big fireworks kind of campaign. So, they have I think an influencer marketing call like, you know, you have several micro nano influences and you have one big macro influences.
[41:48] That's like the fireworks. So, the micro and the nano would, you know, build that momentum. Then the macro one would, you know, do the big unveiling.
[41:59] There's a whole thing to it. So, you need to know if that's what you want. If it's sales generation, the buyers, we have a thing in marketing called the buyer's journey.
[42:11] Buyer's journey for everybody is that there are key stages in the buyer's journey that happen at varying times. It will not happen the moment they see your brand for the first time.
[42:26] It will take time. So, sometimes a long term approach is good for brands who are looking for sales generation. Because in between the six months to a year, the influencers followers, they've built that trust.
[42:47] They've realized that the influencer is not just posting because they've been paid. They probably like the brand. You as the influencer now, for you to agree to such contracts, the six months to a year, that brand must be a brand that you love, you understand.
[43:08] And that's one thing. I feel like for influencer marketing to thrive, that's why influencers need to be conscious from their own set. You don't just work with a brand because they are giving you plenty of money.
[43:23] Because then you are doing yourself a disservice. Because when they don't see any results, you as the influencer, you look bad. Because you didn't like the product, you just went in it for the money.
[43:39] So, in future look-alike brands would be like, oh, she worked with that brand but didn't get the results. So, they will not be willing to come to you.
[43:53] But if you love a brand authentically, it shows in the way you advocate for the brand, even when there are issues. So, I think that brands need to be looking at this as well.
[44:03] How much does the influencer love your brand? So, sometimes before a campaign, when you know you're going to run an influencer marketing campaign, starts monitoring the influences you want to work with.
[44:20] You know, way back. So, if you know that I want to run a campaign, I want to start running a campaign in June. Start looking at the influences you want to work with from January.
[44:34] Look at patterns. See, okay, this influencer, buy a product. How have they actually shown that they love our products? I remember there was an influencer marketing conversation time ago that we had with, I think, Narshoko, if I'm not mistaken.
[44:58] And she mentioned this, that she has an influencer. I mean, she would work with brands whose products that she's already been using. Do you understand?
[45:11] So, yeah, anyhow, I think that she would post about it and her followers would be like, ah, nah, say this is your first time, aha. Their authenticity is there from date.
[45:25] You know, they've seen you use this product several times. So, now, when it's a brand collaboration, it's natural. It's not just, you know, you've been paid so you're doing it.
[45:38] Now, that is where real influencer comes in. That's where real influencer is defined because now you are leveraging the trust of your followers.
[45:52] Yes, to benefit the brand. So, it's, who's hand in hand? Yeah. So, talking about controversial influences, in the event of an influencer, you know, destroying brands' reputation, how can the brand bounce back?
[46:13] This one, I'll say that I'll start by saying first that if you don't have a PR team in-house, engage one. That's the first thing that I'll say.
[46:29] Me, myself, as a PR professional, I would definitely advocate for this. Do you get what I mean? When an influencer throws a brand's name under the bus or they do something that affects the brand, from my professional standpoint, now I'm going to wear my PR hat.
[46:55] From my professional standpoint, I would say that first of all, brand, acknowledge what has been done. Be honest. Right. This influencer did this and this and that.
[47:08] Be clear about it. Don't try to cover things up. It will just hurt your brand. And then secondly to show empathy to those who have been affected by this issue.
[47:23] Show empathy. Let them know that you understand what the damage that has been caused. Now have steps in place and be clear about them on what you are going to do to make sure that this never happens again.
[47:40] Do you understand? So first, be honest. Accept it. Apologize. Empathize. You know, let them know that, you know, you get your sorry. You understand the damage that has been done. Now take steps to make sure that that never happens again.
[48:01] Now some brands would go as far as to sanitize with the influencer just to, you know, make sure that they are not aligned with the influencer.
[48:16] And this will also depend on the contract that you sign with influencers. I'm big on contracts when it comes to influencer marketing. Because from the get go, influencers need to know boundaries.
[48:34] They need to understand what is allowed, what is not allowed. So spell that out clearly in the contract. Let us all understand what we are getting ourselves into before we get into it.
[48:47] Because if something happens and your contract did not spell things out clearly, influencers can say, but me, I didn't know. Me, I was just doing my influencer thing.
[48:58] I'll just be my authentic self, which is required of them. Yes, you cannot split them. It's there. So you need to like spell things out well in the contract so that people are not thinking that, or wanting to do whatever. So that's something that needs to be out there.
[49:22] And sometimes I'm not, I feel like there are certain situations where I felt that brands have rushed to sanitize with the influencer when they could have used that to their own advantage.
[49:41] You know, there are certain situations that it can turn around and be like what the enemy meant for evil. God has used it for my good kind of situation. Do you understand?
[49:53] I'm not going to mention names, but there was this one influencer that had an issue. Was it earlier this year or sometime last year, a female influencer?
[50:04] And she was working with a brand that focused on female hygiene products. And I think it wasn't that the brand cut ties with her when the issue came out.
[50:18] It's worked on a moral ground. You know, it was, you know, our cultural things. Yeah, it can create controversy right now. So in my mind, when I saw that the brand had sanitized, I looked at it and on one hand I could see why.
[50:40] Because in our cultural setting, there are certain things that are not allowed. And even as a brand, you can go down for it. But I also felt that this brand could have leveraged this to talk more about, you know, shaming females when it came to like, you know, moral things.
[51:07] Because majority of their audiences are females. Do you get what I mean? Their audience are largely females, young females. And there is this rising conversation about how we talk about men, philandering, and women doing the same.
[51:29] Men kind of get a slap on the wrist and it's like, yeah, that kind of thing. Women are drags. Do you get what I mean? So I felt like this brand could have used that to amplify conversations around that.
[51:47] But of course, it's also a lot of money to invest into, you know, talking about that, doing all of that for the influencer. I mean, it's for the influencer, but at the end of the day, it makes you look like a brand who also advocates for female rights and how they are treated.
[52:09] As one that is largely female dominated in terms of your audience or your customers. So I felt like that was a way that it could have been maneuvered.
[52:21] But again, when crisis happens, when there's more crisis, yeah, business must go on. So yeah, I feel like we are coming to sit down and strategize.
[52:33] Like if you don't have a PR team, it's very difficult. That's why I said when it happens, engage one, just engage one for peace of mind. And I also understand why they didn't go that route, because again, our cultural norms, it would have taken quite a while to penetrate and have that conversation open up, especially in the midst of that crisis.
[52:57] So it's neither here or there. But the best thing will be to get a PR. Pardon? A PR frame. Yes. I mean, the best thing is for you to get a PR frame and they will be able to know how to steer the affairs of the controversy.
[53:17] Yes, that's it. First of all, I have three important questions before we drop off this call. I'm going back to the reports, the findings you got during your research, right?
[53:31] Now, based on your findings, what advice would you give social media influences? Based on my findings. So in the report, the very last page, there's a part where we gave the professionals an opportunity to say what they felt about the industry.
[53:55] Yes. And there was one that has a permanent place in my mind. Like it has built a house, finished everything in my mind now. It's the fact that it was consistent.
[54:10] They said some influences act like divas. And I was like, wow, OK. So that's what professionalism comes in again. Remember what we said before?
[54:21] Your professionalism will take you more places than your followers. Than your followers. Your followers counts. Yes. So that for me is something that I think influences need to be.
[54:39] They need to be conscious when it comes to that. When they are working with marketing professionals. And I'm happy that you mentioned, you know, the polls events.
[54:50] Yeah, influence our summit. Yes. I'm happy that you mentioned that because it's it's allows an environment for influences and professionals to have dialogue.
[55:01] What is needed for me? What do I need for me? Let's see how we come together. Yeah. That's where that is missing. That's where we have issues.
[55:13] So I would. My key advice is that influencers should take advantage of these opportunities, these speaking opportunities. Like not speaking opportunities, but these summits, these events attend.
[55:27] Right. Network with professionals, you know, and also too with with influencers. I'll say that when you start off, don't be afraid to specialize.
[55:46] From the research, we see that nano and micro influences are the ish. And we also see that from the benchmark reports from influencer marketing hub, the message is consistent there as well.
[56:01] They are working with micro and nanos. Nanos specialize. So when you're starting out, don't be afraid to specialize. Don't be afraid to stand out in the market, you know, and don't be afraid to explore areas that have not been tapped.
[56:23] You know, areas like in the report as well. Gaming is an area that I don't maybe have not intentionally looked when it comes to Ghanaian influences.
[56:40] I've not really seen much when it comes to game. Maybe they are there. I know one one. Well, again, you see just building your tribe. She doesn't see herself as an influencer.
[56:56] But then it is gradually coming up because a lot of gamers are actually following her. I think the name is Selassie. And she she just talks about her gaming day in day out.
[57:10] She's building a tribe like that because we know her as a gamer. Yeah. And she has developed that name. So, yeah, there are a couple of influences out there when it comes to gaming.
[57:22] Another thing is that, see, have fun with it. That's one of my advice for people getting to influence them. Have fun with it. Do you understand?
[57:35] You know, when you be professional, but have fun. Don't, first of all, just always have that goal in mind. Where do I want to be? And then activate the fun.
[57:49] Do you get it? Be yourself. Don't let anybody make you feel like you're doing too much or whatever. Just be yourself. So those are my, yeah, two cents.
[58:04] Let's talk about the future. That's actually my last question. How is the future looking like for influencer marketing in Ghana? The future is very bright.
[58:16] You might need shades. We might need double shades or something like that. You know, the ones that flip up and then you put them down when the sun is too much.
[58:25] We might need those kind of shades for this level of bright. Yeah, because the industry is looking bright. I mean, 24 billion. It's up for grab, yeah?
[58:41] 24 billion. That's like worldwide projection. So we need to also position ourselves. How can we tap into that 24 billion? How can our business markets also tap into that 24 billion?
[58:58] That's why in the research, one of the recommendations was adaptability. We need to be adaptable. We need to tap into technology when it comes to influencer marketing.
[59:11] Because now there are so many platforms when it comes to influencer marketing that do the entire campaign process for you. From finding the influencer, everything in one place.
[59:30] Finding the influencer, signing contracts with them, paying them, following through on campaign process, reviewing materials to see if it works, and then monitoring and evaluation as well.
[59:44] Wow. There are platforms. Do you know just briefly some of the platforms? I mean, there's Affluence, which is one of them. We have our very own, what is it called? In Ghana.
[1:00:01] Yeah, Wupra is a good one as well. So that's doing well. And Wowzy is another one. Wowzy. Yeah. Yeah. So it's... I'm going to link them in the description.
[1:00:17] Yeah. So there's quite a few. When I think of them, I'll let you know as well so that you can add them on. Update it. Awesome. There's quite a few because I've been looking in that space myself to see what to be able to recommend to people that I end up working with in the influencer marketing space because it makes work so much easier.
[1:00:41] The only thing is that the influencer marketing hub actually published a research about inclusivity and diversity when it comes to influencer marketing.
[1:00:53] So when it comes to these tools, they are focused on their markets. Yeah, that's the thing. And I think that was why you were preaching that locally our developers should develop our tools for the market.
[1:01:10] Yes. Which I totally side with you on that because I mean, meeting Ghana, we know our audience, we know our markets, we know how our, what you call it, our influencers post their stuff, the sort of stuff that will get people taken.
[1:01:28] Yeah. So I'll side with you on that. Yeah. It's really important to become up with our own thing. Priscilla, I know a way to get the report. Okay.
[1:01:40] But then if someone listening to this episode or watching this episode on YouTube, when I get hold of the report, how can they get it? So you can get a hold of the report.
[1:01:50] You can get a hold of it by influencer marketing insights and you can download it on there. And you can also get the link to the reports via my LinkedIn page, which is Priscilla C.
[1:02:11] So you can get it from those avenues. Those are the key areas. And then also on Instagram, I am on Instagram as purplecombs. So there's also a link in my bio to the reports on there as well.
[1:02:33] So those are the ways that you can access the report. Got it. Thank you so much, Priscilla, for joining me. Thank you. On college and social media.
[1:02:44] Yeah. I truly appreciate your insights when it comes to influencer marketing. Thank you. And I love what I had. Oh, thank you. I'm glad I could share.
[1:02:53] And thank you for having me. And thank you for being so flexible with my time as well. Awesome. Yeah. This episode, just like any other episode of Colours of Social Media Podcast, is produced by Builders Studios and recorded at Tribal Mark Studios, 13 Asiko Street, Tontra Hills, Accra.
[1:03:12] Thank you, Daddy.