How Singapore's Social Influencers are changing digital marketing strategies

Singapore is one of the most socially connected countries on earth with smartphone penetration over 100% and facebook membership and usage at record highs.

Therefore the way to have a successful business here is to engage social influencers and inspire social advocates. They can make or break your business.

Engaging with social influencers is more challenging and yet more rewarding than spending your marketing dollars online. As long as you deliver a quality service or product, engage and reward influencers they will become your greater advocates.

However, there are dangers that the opposite can happen if your brand fails to deliver, you fail to engage, and you don’t reward influencers which could have a devastating effect on your business.

Unlike advertising where people can ignore it, take it or leave it and know that it is there to sell you a product, an influencer online is like the friend who you trust and who recommends a product or service that you were thinking about buying but were not quite sure about. You needed that extra “go on, it’s great” to push you over the edge of purchasing.

That comes from good old-fashioned “word of mouth,” just nowadays it’s all online. If you’re not making use of the most powerful, most followed influencers and turning them into brand advocates with persuasion and treats, then your competitor probably is.

According to Gartner, 74% of consumers rely on social networks to guide their purchases, so this is clearly an area that any online retailer or business needs to focus on if they are to maximise sales in Singapore.

In a country where people won’t take risks and are reluctant to purchase something that hasn’t been endorsed by a celebrity, their friends, or respected social influencers, tapping into social influencers and turning them into a brand’s greatest advocates is not only wise but essential for a successful marketing campaign.

Singapore is a status-driven society and young Singaporeans especially are looking at influencers to be opinion formers and role models on what to buy and how to behave, especially when it comes to the choice of brands.

Singaporeans constantly need recommendations from third parties, or someone that we look up to or respect, and social media makes it easy to follow these role models. This society of Singapore is the reason why influencer marketing works here.

Social influencers have a major say in purchase decision in what is becoming known as social commerce or sCommerce. The key to this is that they are propelled by social influencers for good or bad.

If you’re not looking after social influencers in your market sector, then your competitors may well be. Those that may have been positive about your brand may become powerful advocates of your competitor's brand instead.

It’s also worth remembering that influencers are people too and not just marketing tools and therefore can be inspired but also let down, can have mood changes and be influenced themselves to change direction.

Brands have to manage and develop them as such and not expect them to do things automatically. Influencers have emotions just like everyone else and need to be treated with care.