Singapore is a land of opportunity when it comes to influencer marketing and advertising. As the nation sets its sights on becoming a Smart Nation by 2024, its rapidly growing internet base has given rise to an abundance of content creators and key opinion leaders whom brands can leverage to connect with their target audience.
In recent years, we've seen a surge in the number of Singaporean influencers establishing a strong online presence. And with 85% of Singapore citizens actively using social media and spending an average of 2 hours and 14 minutes online, it's clear that staying up-to-date with the latest happenings in the Lion City is essential for launching a successful influencer marketing campaign.
Influencer marketing in Singapore is about collaboration between brands and content creators or key opinion leaders who have a significant following. These influencers can be experts in a particular field such as beauty gurus, or they may simply have a large following in a specific niche. The country's digital market is highly attractive and presents a wealth of opportunities for brands looking to showcase their products and services.
So, let's dive into the key insights of Singapore's influencer marketing landscape in 2024. It's time to take advantage of this opportunity and make your mark on Singapore's digital landscape!
Must-Knows About Singapore Influencer Marketing ⬇️
Navigating the Social Jungle: Popular Platforms for Singaporean Influencers
The Content That Resonates: Understanding Singaporean Influencers
Branding the Lion City: Singapore's Influencer Marketing Spend
Mix and Match: Finding Your Brand the Right Influencer in Singapore
Compliance and Connection: Best Practices for Singaporean Influencer Marketing
1. Navigating the Social Jungle
Popular Platforms for Singaporean Influencers
When it comes to social media in Singapore, the landscape is constantly evolving. But in 2022, these 6 platforms emerged as the most popular among Singaporean citizens:
WhatsApp: With an impressive 83% of the country using the platform, WhatsApp is the clear leader when it comes to messaging apps in the Lion City.
Facebook: With 79% of Singaporeans on the platform, Facebook is still a powerful tool for reaching the country's online population.
Instagram: 66% of Singaporeans are using the platform, making Instagram a popular choice for sharing photos and videos, and for following influencers and brands.
Telegram: 49% of Singaporeans are using Telegram, making it a popular option for group chats and secure messaging.
Facebook Messenger: 46% of Singaporeans are using Messenger, making it a popular choice for one-on-one conversations and customer service interactions.
TikTok: With 44% of Singaporeans using the platform, TikTok is a growing trend among Singapore's younger population and a popular choice for short-form video content.
It’s also important to note that video streaming platform YouTube has one of the highest ad reach in Singapore. A single ad on YouTube can reach 5 million Singaporeans–a whopping 85.8% of the entire population.
As a brand, it's important to stay up-to-date with these popular platforms and understand how to effectively reach your target audience on each one. When it comes to influencer marketing in Singapore, these platforms can be leveraged to connect with key opinion leaders and content creators who have a significant following.
Each platform has its own unique features and audience demographics, so it's essential to select the right platform/s for your campaign to effectively reach your target audience. As a brand, it's important to stay on top of the latest social media trends in Singapore in order to make the most of your influencer marketing efforts.
2. The Content That Resonates
Understanding Singaporean Influencers
Singaporeans are all about reviews when it comes to influencer content. 40% of them love watching review content on social media, especially makeup product comparisons by beauty influencers. Tutorials also make up a big part of Singaporeans' social media consumption with a significant portion of them going to video and photo platforms for step-by-step guides. Social feed and unboxing content also make up a portion of Singaporeans' social media consumption.
Singaporeans love reviews, but they want the positive ones. In fact, 72% of Singaporean online consumers trust businesses with positive reviews more than those without. That's why they don't go to business brands' accounts to see how good their products are, instead, they watch influencers' reviews of the brands they're interested in.
When it comes to influencer marketing in Singapore, it's important to understand what type of content resonates with the audience and to work with influencers who can provide authentic, positive reviews of your brand. By focusing on the content that matters most to Singaporeans, you can ensure that your influencer marketing efforts are effective and impactful.
3. Branding the Lion City
Singapore's Influencer Marketing Spend
When it comes to marketing budgets in Singapore, more and more brands are expecting an increase in 2024. And a big part of that increase is likely to go towards influencer marketing.
That's because we're seeing a trend of more brands in Singapore including influencer marketing in their budgets. In 2021, we saw a decrease in the number of brands in Singapore that didn't invest in influencer marketing at all, while we saw an increase in the number of brands investing 1-30% and more than 30% of their marketing budget in influencer marketing.
This trend is expected to continue in 2024 with more brands realizing the power of influencer marketing. In fact, we're seeing Singapore catch up with the global trend where 68% of brands worldwide plan to invest more of their marketing budget in influencer marketing.
Overall, it's clear that influencer marketing is becoming an increasingly important part of brands' marketing strategies in Singapore and we can expect to see more brands allocating more of their budget towards it in the coming years.
4. Mix and Match
Finding Your Brand the Right Influencer in Singapore
Choosing the right influencer to represent your brand is crucial for a successful influencer marketing campaign in Singapore. And when it comes to finding the perfect influencer, there are a few key things to consider:
Audience demographics: It's important to choose an influencer whose followers match the demographics of your target audience.
Niche: Consider influencers who have a strong presence in a niche that is relevant to your brand.
Authenticity: Look for influencers who have a genuine interest in your brand and can authentically and enthusiastically represent it to their followers.
Engagement: Consider influencers who have high engagement rates and a strong connection with their followers.
Relevance: Consider influencers who are active in the same market and area of expertise as your brand.
By carefully considering these factors, you can ensure that you select an influencer who will effectively connect with your target audience and help to achieve your campaign's objectives.
NOTE: Watch out for influencers buying their followers!
It's important to note that when it comes to influencer marketing in Singapore, there is a growing problem of follower fraud. A study in 2019 found that 47% of Singaporean influencers artificially boost their followers, using a variety of tactics such as buying fake followers or using engagement pods to artificially inflate engagement.
It's important for brands to be aware of this problem and take steps to verify the authenticity of an influencer's following before working with them. For example, checking the following ratio or checking for suspicious comments such as irrelevant or simple sentences, or mentioning another account without any context.
Ultimately, it's crucial for brands to do their due diligence and carefully research the influencers they work with to ensure they are authentic and their following is real, in order to avoid investing in influencer marketing campaigns that may not produce any results.
5. Compliance and Connection
Best Practices for Singaporean Influencer Marketing
Last, but not least, it's important to understand the unique nuances of the market. It's important to not only choose the right influencer to represent your brand, but also to ensure compliance with the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) guidelines. ASAS requires influencers to clearly disclose any commercial relationship they have with the brand they are promoting and not to mislead or deceive consumers. Brands must ensure that they are working with compliant influencers and must be aware of the possible penalties for non-compliance.
Brands must build genuine relationships with influencers to create authentic, engaging content. This means developing a long-term and mutually beneficial partnership with influencers, rather than simply viewing them as a means to an end. By building genuine relationships, brands can ensure that influencers are genuinely passionate and enthusiastic about the products or services they are promoting.
A great example of a successful campaign is the partnership between beauty brand, Jill Stuart Beauty and popular Singaporean influencer, Xiaxue. Xiaxue, with a following of over 500,000 on Instagram, was chosen by the brand to promote their new blush compact collection. Xiaxue, known for her beauty and lifestyle content, was a perfect fit for the campaign because her followers trusted her recommendations and reviews of the products.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing in Singapore is a powerful tool for brands looking to connect with the country's online consumers. With an ambitious goal of becoming a Smart Nation by 2024, Singapore has a rapidly growing internet base, and an abundance of content creators and key opinion leaders that brands can leverage to reach their target audience.
By understanding the key insights of Singapore's influencer marketing landscape and implementing these best practices, brands can effectively reach their target audience and drive business growth in the Lion City.
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