Feras Arafe: How does influencer marketing work in the UAE (E18)

Influencer marketing is a hot topic these days in the UAE. While some years ago when it all started, it was restricted to big-name celebrities, dedicated bloggers/vloggers, or simply put- the ones with the verified tick mark beside their names, the scene has changed now, anyone with a good number of following (10k+, even less) can be an influencer now.

Although this is a good thing for people trying to be influencers, it becomes seemingly difficult for brands to pick the right influencers without getting caught up in a scam.

If you are still not sure what influencer marketing is, it is basically a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers–individuals who have a solid social following. We all have seen “includes paid promotion” or similar tags while scrolling through our social media right? that is an identification for influencer marketing.

There are various social channels for influencer marketing like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and influencers get paid to post about the brand they are endorsing, it is fun to note, the rates vary based on the type of post, for example, story posts have a different rate compared to normal ones, photos have different rate compared to videos. But at the end of the day, reach and conversions are what matters.

If you own a business and you are trying to find the right influencer for your brand, you can do it yourself, but the hardest part will be to determine if they are actually valuable and bring in desired results. That’s where platforms like Expin will help you connect with the right influencer for your brand.