On June 26, our Thailand team, in collaboration with the Marketing Association of Thailand (MAT), organized an open house event to provide knowledge to e-commerce entrepreneurs on the topic “Influencer Marketing and Owned Media from Upper Funnel to Lower Funnel in the E-Commerce World.”
Siwat Vilassakdanont, Managing Director of Thailand and the Philippines, AnyMind Group, opened the event and shared insights on integrating modern technology with marketing strategies. He also introduced an overview of AnyMind Group’s offerings.
The event was filled with knowledge and fun, including a live workshop by the AnyMind team that simulated a fully equipped live studio with cameras, lights, a green screen, and animations used in live sessions.
To share deeper insights into the utilization of influencer marketing, live commerce and mobile marketing in e-commerce, we had three more representatives from AnyMind Group: Umamon Sirilaksanaporn, Vice President of Influencer Marketing, Thailand, Korakan Yamsattham, Deputy Head of D2C-EC Enablement and Affiliate Business, Thailand, and Supakarn Ketchu, Deputy Head of POKKT, Thailand.
Influencer Trends in 2024: Creating Authentic Marketing Campaigns
Umamon shared that in the past, brands used to hire well-known celebrities or those with a large following to communicate the brand widely. However, marketing strategies and trends have changed according to consumer behaviors and needs. We are in an era where customers or consumers value authenticity. Therefore, businesses should create marketing campaigns using everyday users, which we call ‘User-Generated Content’ or ‘UGC,’ to bridge the gap and make it easier for brands to reach their customers.
Umamon presented three main factors for brands and products when choosing influencers:
Reach: This refers to the ability to reach the target audience. It involves selecting influencers with a large number of followers to make the brand or product widely known.
Resonance:This involves choosing influencers who interact with their followers and can draw attention or persuade them to purchase the products or services.
Relevance:This refers to the alignment between the influencer and the brand or product. It involves selecting influencers whose lifestyle or content aligns with the brand’s direction.
Choosing the Right Influencer
Choosing an influencer who can communicate the brand authentically, with an emphasis on organic and real results from actual product users, is key to building credibility for the brand and product. Select influencers who are actual users, align with the target audience, and communicate the brand naturally. ‘Authenticity,’ ‘realness,’ or ‘naturalness’ helps build credibility for the brand and product, making it easier for the target audience to connect with the brand.
Selecting Influencers Based on Region, Province, or Locality:
Many have seen advertisements using local dialects, such as Northern, Southern, and Northeastern languages, to make the brand more accessible and specific to target audiences in different regions.
Choosing Influencers with Modern Technology:
AnyMind Group’s influencer marketing platform, AnyTag, provides marketers with a tool to discover influencers that match the marketing campaign and target audience, along with the activation, management, reporting and attribution of influencer marketing campaigns. It features a dashboard displaying influencer profiles and real-time reports, helping brands find influencers quickly, reducing work time, and allowing more focus on planning marketing strategies.
E-Selling Opinion Leaders Strategy for E-Commerce Businesses:
In an era where new innovations emerge rapidly, e-commerce businesses must constantly update their marketing strategies through influencers to efficiently meet consumer demand. Korakan, Deputy Head of D2C-EC Enablement and Affiliate Business, compared marketing strategies through influencers in the e-commerce realm from the past to the present.
In the past, businesses and marketers created brand and product awareness by using celebrities to review products, whether they were actual users or not. Over time, marketing strategies gradually shifted to second evolution of Micro-Nano / KOCs – KOLs, focusing on sharing opinions about brands and products to build credibility and stimulate sales.
In 2023, e-Selling Opinion Leaders (eSOLs) played a crucial role, especially on platforms like TikTok Shop, where customers could provide feedback on products and even participate in affiliate marketing by adding these products to their shopping carts. In 2024, the trend continued with the adoption of cutting-edge technology in e-commerce to more rapidly respond to customer needs.
The use of deepfake technology and AI-powered influencers
Korakan also gave an example of using Deepfake technology and AI-powered influencers in selling products through Live Commerce, using AI and Machine Learning to create or alter digital media in various forms such as videos, photographs, or sounds to appear real.
Brands can use the aforementioned technology to create compelling advertising campaigns and effectively attract customers, particularly in the Live Commerce sector. Brands can sell products through live streaming 24 hours a day, allowing merchants to avoid hosting all the time or taking turns to continue live streaming.
Diversification of Sales Channels
Today, many brands drive their businesses by having diversified sales channels, including Social Commerce, Marketplaces, and Websites. Yamsattham cited data from Priceza, Meta & Bain and Company at SYNC Southeast Asia 2022, stating that selling products through Social Commerce continues to grow steadily this year, with more than 73% of the population using various platforms such as Line, TikTok Shop, Facebook, and Instagram. Additionally, it is projected that the number of e-commerce users in Thailand will increase to 43.5 million by the year 2025.
Payment data from various channels in 2023 indicated that brands of all sizes—large, medium, and small—used the following sales channels: 51% through Marketplaces, 22% through Social Commerce, 17% through Websites, and 11% through Food Delivery services.
These statistics illustrate the growth and transformation of e-commerce businesses in the current era, driven by the presence of diversified sales channels.
Marketing through TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop features four main formats for selling products
Live shopping:This format allows brands to directly sell products through live streaming. It provides viewers with a close-up experience of the products and their usage, enhancing brand awareness, fostering community engagement, and increasing the sales value.
Product showcase:This format functions like a product showcase library, enabling users or target customers to instantly purchase products.
Video shopping:This format allows brands, influencers, and users to attach product links to videos, enabling customers to directly purchase products through the shared videos.
Shopping center: Participating in Flash Sales or campaigns on the platform helps increase visibility for brands and products.
Affiliate content on TikTok Shop is segmented into the following three objectives:
Awareness:To increase brand awareness through affiliates such as Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and User Generated Content (UGC), creating virality and word-of-mouth.
Consideration:To present brands and products and delve into customer Pain Points.
Conversion:To increase engagement and sales by communicating through short videos and Live Commerce.
How to create compelling content on TikTok Shop:
Deeply understand your target audience:Study their behaviors and preferences to create content that resonates deeply with your target audience.
Be authentic and distinctive:Ensure your content is authentic and has a unique identity. Focus on your value proposition and what sets you apart from others.
Use visual and sound effects:Interesting visual and sound effects can enhance the appeal and memorability of your content.
Have clear and compelling Calls to Action (CTAs): Include clear calls to action to prompt viewers to take action, such as clicking links, sharing content, or making purchases.
Collaborate with influencers and eSOLs: Partnering with well-known influencers or impactful individuals in the industry can enhance brand trust and acceptance.
Analyze and continuously optimize content: Analyze performance data and refine content to improve its effectiveness in connecting with your target audience.
Efficiently track performance:
– Identify eSOLs who can generate the highest sales.
– Analyze the fan base or viewer base and content that contributes to sales.
– Pair promotions or products that align well with influencers and eSOLs.
Live Selling in the Modern Era
Traffic:Promote before the live session, both within and outside the app, to increase customer engagement.
Host:Choose a host that aligns with the brand and products, and possesses strong sales and engagement skills.
SKU:Manage the products to be sold, such as through Flash Sales, bestsellers, new items, and high-margin products.
Effective Use of Live Commerce Using Live Commerce effectively can increase followers and sales. It’s recommended to go live at least 3-5 times a week and set up promotions and Flash Sales to boost visibility and attract followers.
Preparation before going live, such as managing human resources, preparing products and promotions, setting up the studio, and promoting through off-app platforms, will ensure the live session runs smoothly and efficiently.
In summary, integrating technology into influencer marketing strategies helps e-commerce businesses respond to customer needs quickly and effectively, enabling them to compete successfully in this rapidly changing market.
POKKT: AnyMind Group’s Mobile App Advertising Platform
Have you ever been playing a game and had an ad pop up offering in-game currency in exchange for watching it? This is one of the communication strategies that help brands or products become known, create brand recall, or capture your attention while you’re playing.
Supakan Ketchoo – Deputy Head of POKKT, Thailand, provided insights on mobile app advertising by introducing POKKT, AnyMind Group’s mobile app advertising platform.
POKKT Mobile Ads is a mobile app advertising platform acquired by AnyMind Group that features a diverse network of games and other non-gaming applications. It offers comprehensive offerings for branding and marketing, emphasizing highly effective digital results. The platform specializes in creating and planning video ad placements through games and other apps, raising awareness and bringing brands and products to the attention of target customers in their daily lives.
At our open house event in Thailand, in collaboration with the Marketing Association of Thailand (MAT) on June 26, 2024, the importance of strategic full-funnel marketing for e-commerce businesses in a cookieless world was highlighted. The event emphasized straightforward approaches, using technologies for live selling, creating effective content on e-commerce platforms, and advertising through mobile applications with POKKT. This event not only provided valuable knowledge but also inspired entrepreneurs to adopt and extend new technologies and marketing strategies to develop their businesses in the rapidly changing e-commerce landscape.
