In conversation with Yulia Aslamova, Head of Asia, DRIM Global

In our exclusive interview with the Yulia Aslamova, Head of Asia of DRIM Global, a trailblazing platform reshaping the influencer marketing landscape in India, we delve into the transformative power of influencer marketing. With social media’s rise and digital platforms’ dominance, influencers have become pivotal in driving consumer behavior. This interview sheds light on DRIM Global’s visionary approach, focusing on micro-influencers, data-driven strategies, and measurable results. By fostering genuine connections and leveraging advanced analytics, DRIM Global empowers brands to reach their target audience effectively. As the industry faces challenges, our interviewee discusses the need for transparency and ethical practices, while outlining DRIM Global’s initiatives to educate influencers and pioneer a performance-based model. With plans for expansion and strategic partnerships, DRIM Global is poised to shape the future of influencer marketing in India and beyond.

AR- Can you share your views on the emerging influencer marketing industry in India? What trends do you foresee in the near future?

Yulia- The influencer marketing industry in India has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years. With the widespread adoption of social media platforms and the increasing influence of digital media, brands have recognized the power of influencer marketing in reaching their target audiences effectively.

One of the key trends we foresee- brands will create a community of micro influencer to empower brand advocacy. While macro-influencers with large followings have traditionally been sought after by brands, there is a shift towards micro-influencers who have smaller but more engaged and niche audiences. Building a connect and long term collaboration with these micro-influencers have the ability to establish a personal connection with their followers, resulting in higher levels of trust and engagement.

DRIM’s emphasis on ROI rather than just follower count aligns with this trend, as we believe that compelling and authentic content is crucial for successful influencer marketing campaigns.

Furthermore, as the influencer marketing industry matures, we expect to see a stronger focus on data-driven strategies and performance measurement. Brands are becoming more sophisticated in their approach to influencer marketing and are demanding measurable results and return on investment. DRIM’s practical algorithms play a significant role in delivering monthly results and assisting growth marketing efforts for big brands, helping them optimize their influencer marketing initiatives based on data insights.

AR- How does DRIM play a role in bridging the gap between brands and influencers? Can you elaborate on the strategies or services that DRIM offers to facilitate this connection?

Yulia- At DRIM Global, we prioritize delivering a seamless experience for both influencers and brands throughout the entire campaign management process, content creation, and results measurement. Here’s how we ensure excellence in each aspect:

Campaign Management:

Our platform provides a centralized hub for influencers and brands to connect, collaborate, and manage their campaigns efficiently. We offer a user-friendly dashboard that simplifies campaign setup, communication, and tracking. Our dedicated account managers provide personalized support, ensuring smooth coordination and timely campaign execution. Furthermore, we streamline payment processes, ensuring influencers receive fair compensation for their efforts and that brands have transparent billing.

Content creation:

We help brands craft effective content strategies that align with their marketing objectives and resonate with their target audience. Our platform enables seamless collaboration between influencers and brands, facilitating creative ideas and content approvals. We provide guidance on best practices for content creation, ensuring influencers deliver high-quality and engaging content that drives results.

Results Measurement:

DRIM Global leverages advanced analytics and performance-tracking tools to measure influencer campaigns’ effectiveness. We provide detailed insights into key performance indicators, including engagement rates, reach, conversions, and ROI. Our platform allows real-time monitoring of campaign performance, enabling brands to make data-driven decisions and optimize their strategies. Additionally, we offer comprehensive campaign reports that provide a holistic view of the results achieved, enabling brands to evaluate the success of their influencer marketing efforts.

AR- DRIM has been working with micro-influencers using the Cost-Per-Action model. How does this approach bring a new experience to B2C brands? What advantages does it offer compared to other influencer marketing models?

Yulia- Working with micro-influencers using the Cost-Per-Action (CPA) model brings a new experience to B2C brands and offers several advantages compared to other influencer marketing models.

Cost-effectiveness: The CPA model offers cost-effectiveness to B2C brands. Instead of paying a fixed fee upfront, brands only pay when a desired action, such as a purchase, subscription, or lead generation, is achieved. This performance-based approach minimizes the risk for brands, as they only pay for actual results. Additionally, working with micro-influencers tends to be more budget-friendly compared to partnering with macro-influencers, making influencer marketing accessible to a wider range of B2C brands.

Measurable results and ROI: The CPA model allows B2C brands to track and measure the performance of their influencer marketing campaigns more effectively. By tying compensation directly to desired actions, brands can assess the return on investment (ROI) and the overall effectiveness of their campaigns. DRIM’s practical algorithms and data-driven strategies further enhance the measurement capabilities, providing brands with valuable insights to optimize their influencer marketing efforts and drive better results.

Higher engagement and authenticity: Micro-influencers tend to have smaller but highly engaged and loyal audiences. By leveraging the CPA model, DRIM enables B2C brands to collaborate with micro-influencers who can authentically promote their products or services to their niche communities. This approach fosters genuine connections and trust between the influencers and their followers, resulting in higher levels of engagement and a more impactful brand message.

Targeted reach and niche audiences: Micro-influencers often have a specific niche or interest area, allowing B2C brands to target their campaigns more precisely. This targeted reach helps in reaching the right audience, increasing the likelihood of conversion and generating higher quality leads. DRIM’s platform helps identify micro-influencers whose audience aligns with the brand’s target market, ensuring that the brand message reaches the most relevant audience segments.

Long-term partnerships and brand advocacy: The CPA model, when combined with DRIM’s focus on community building and long-term collaborations, enables B2C brands to establish enduring relationships with micro-influencers. Instead of one-off campaigns, brands can cultivate brand advocates who genuinely support and promote their products or services over an extended period. This helps in building brand loyalty, increasing brand awareness, and fostering a sense of authenticity among the influencer’s audience.

AR- In what ways are influencer-led campaigns helping customers across the country? Can you provide some examples of successful campaigns and their impact on the target audience?

Yulia- For a good reason, brands now use this new opportunity in the digital world to exhibit themselves on social media platforms.

People now rely on the recommendations of their favourite influencers, as they admire them. Influencer marketing is an excellent opportunity for companies looking to spread their reputation and sell items to their target audience. Many individuals have purchased things because of what their favourite social media influencers say about them.

Moreover, DRIM helps firms connect more authentically with their target audience by using influencer marketing to increase their brand’s awareness.

For instance, by leveraging performance influencer marketing, we enabled Domino’s Pizza to clock over 400,000 orders in a calendar year. Another successful campaign was with Mcdonalds where over 27000 orders delivered in McDonald’s South and West in the first 8 months of the campaign.

There are several benefits to integrating influencer marketing into the company when marketing through social media platforms of any kind.

AR- As we are in 2023, how would you describe India’s current influencer marketing landscape? Are there any notable changes or developments that you have observed? What do you anticipate for the future of influencer marketing in the country?

Yulia- As of 2023, the influencer marketing landscape in India has witnessed notable changes and developments. One of the key shifts is the increased regulatory scrutiny, with guidelines requiring influencers to disclose paid partnerships and sponsored content. This focus on transparency ensures consumer protection and encourages ethical practices in the industry.

Furthermore, we have seen the emergence of new social media platforms and formats, providing influencers with fresh avenues to engage with their audiences. Another significant trend is the growing emphasis on content quality and storytelling. Brands are recognizing the importance of creating compelling narratives that resonate with their target audience. Influencers who can effectively communicate brand values and tell captivating stories are highly sought after for collaborations, ensuring authenticity and stronger consumer connections.

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Micro-influencers continue to play a vital role in the Indian influencer marketing landscape. Their ability to establish personal connections and drive higher engagement rates makes them valuable collaborators for brands. We anticipate continued partnerships with micro-influencers who possess authenticity, relatability, and expertise in specific niches.

Data-driven strategies and performance measurement are becoming increasingly important in the influencer marketing realm. Brands now demand more accountability and measurable results from their campaigns. Consequently, advanced analytics tools and technologies are being adopted to track campaign impact, optimize strategies, and demonstrate return on investment (ROI).

Looking to the future, we anticipate influencer marketing in India to witness further growth and innovation. The integration of emerging technologies such as AR, VR, and AI will enhance the consumer experience and create more immersive campaigns. Data analytics and ML-driven insights will also play a crucial role, enabling brands to identify the right influencers, optimize campaigns, and make data-backed decisions for better outcomes.

AR- Can you share any strategies or approaches DRIM is implementing to stay ahead in the competitive influencer marketing industry? How does DRIM differentiate itself from other similar companies?

Yulia- At DRIM Global, we believe in revolutionising the influencer marketing industry in India with our innovative and data-driven approach. Our focus is on driving real results (sales, installs or high quality traffic) for our clients, and we achieve this by leveraging the power of AI and machine learning to identify the best influencers and channels for each campaign.

One of the things that set us apart from our competitors is our rigorous influencer selection process, which involves analyzing a massive pool of data to identify the best-performing influencers for each campaign. Additionally, our proprietary technology allows us to track and measure the success of campaigns based on actual results, rather than just metrics such as likes and followers.

Our recent collaboration with McDonald’s India (South and West) is a testament to the success of our strategy. By working with a diverse range of influencers and using a cost-per-action model, we were able to generate 27,000+ new orders for the brand.

AR- What challenges do you believe the influencer marketing industry in India faces currently, and how is DRIM addressing these challenges?

Yulia- The main challenge in the Indian context is the lack of sales based advertising. Influencers today are creating content without conversions in mind. If the audience find value in the promotional content then they will continue to engage with the influencer in the long run. For example in order to increase the sales for Domino’s Pizza we created unique codes for influencers who consistently created content around food, so that it looked organic & their audience had a direct connection with it. In addition to this, the influencers need to keep engaging with the audience, one can not just publish a post and leave expected returns.

In order to bridge this gap, we’re working on building a creators academy where we will educate influencers on how to work on the Cost-Per-Action model. Such a model provides stable income for influencers and brings value to both brands and audience. This is our way to give back to the creators community, we expect to educate over 15 lakh creators & help them grow with DRIM.

AR- Lastly, can you discuss any future plans or initiatives that DRIM has in store for the influencer marketing industry? Are there any new strategies or areas of focus that the company is exploring to further enhance its services?

Yulia- We’re significantly scaling by onboarding valuable partners which are top agencies in India. We are already working with over 10 brand marketing agencies and providing them with our unique model for India-specific performance influencer marketing services.

In the next year, we are going to grow our revenue by 10x and expand our team significantly. We’re gearing to receive direct integrations with some top social media marketing networks in the country. As part of giving back to the bloggers’ community, we’ll launch the bloggers’ academy. Whereby we plan to educate over 5 lakh creators and also give them an opportunity to grow with DRIM.

We’re also gearing up to receive direct integrations with some top social media marketing networks in the country and empower both brands and influencers to grow on social media. Our goal is to reach a turnover of Rs 90 crore in India and expand our presence in the MENA region.