AXA Insurance ID's marketing head on how brands can nail micro-influencer strategies in 2024

The influencer marketing landscape in Southeast Asia (SEA) has undergone a dramatic transformation in the past two years.

The biggest change lies in the rise of micro and nano-influencers where brands are recognising the power of smaller creators. This shift reflects a growing consumer desire for trust and real connections. 

In addition, consumers in SEA are savvier and crave genuine connections, leading to influencer marketing campaigns prioritising transparency and "deinfluencing". This is according to R3's authenticity and transparency in SEA influencer marketing report where it explored trends, local nuances and its impact on the direction of influencer marketing in the region.

True enough, it was found that 50% relate most to micro-influencers with a follower count under 500,000 according to a survey done by Shopee Malaysia last year.

Don't miss: AXA and HK Express team up to enhance travel insurance experience

This could largely be attributed to today’s hyper social and hyper transparent environment where people tend to trust to the testimonies of the people they know in their daily lives, such as friends, relatives, or just ordinary people sharing similar life experiences with them, rather than public figures, according to Edwin Sugianto, chief operating and marketing officer at AXA Insurance Indonesia. He added:

This is particularly true when the testimonies are not always positive, but contain true experiences, whether they are positive or not-so-positive.

Sugianto explained that micro influencers also usually have their own group of loyal followers. "With their content originality, the number of followers normally grow over time, and it is not surprising that a few of them become genuinely viral when they are perceived as unique," he said. 

With micro-influencers being a source that consumers are turning to more these days and 67% of marketers saying that they are upping their investment in influencer marketing this year, according to Partipost, brands need to get on board.

 So how can brands leverage micro-influencers to enhance the viral potential of marketing campaigns? According to Sugianto, a key thing to remember is that brands need to let micro-influencers leverage their style and uniqueness, without dictating them based on corporate standards.

"Their content also has to relate with their own daily routines and in their environment. The message also needs to be delivered as seamless as possible," explained Sugianto. "In many cases, too much emphasise on a brand or product will jeopardise the positive perception of the audience."

He added that he is aware that keeping a brand’s image and identity is always the top priority of every marketer. However, brands need to brief micro-influencers early on the brand identity and positioning.

"Another option is to work with a media agency, who is already familiar with the brand identity. The agency acts as an extension to micro influencers, including filtering the candidates who are representative to the brand," he said. 

Sugianto added that at the end of the days, it is always important for a brand to deep dive into the statistics of the achievements of the campaign against the campaign strategy.

"With that, brands can continuously experiment and adjust every aspect of the campaigns, be it the content, the channel, the visuals, or the micro influencers we engage," he said. 

Digital Marketing Asia returns to Jakarta on 3 October, bringing the hottest trends, tech, and insights to future-proof your strategies. Network with 150+ industry leaders, discover cutting-edge tools, and learn from real-world case studies – all designed to propel your brand growth. Don't miss this chance to stay ahead of the curve!

Related articles:
AXA HK empowers everyone to plan ahead for retirement with new campaign
Etiqa Insurance takes to new TEL stations with interactive game and vibrant displays
Ronnie Brown steps up as Singapore GM and CTO of DirectAsia Insurance