How Indian Facebook Influencers Find Brand Deals in South Korea
It’s a win-win collaboration that many Indian influencers are now adopting as their go-to method for securing brand deals. Indian influencers are leveraging their passion and love for South Korea in a strategic marketing move, presenting themselves as a bridge between India and South Korea.
📸 Lead with Korean Content
Bollywood biopic-style dramatic reels, Korean pop music, catchy hashtags, and an adorable combination of both languages are ID reels’ signature calling cards. They are making it known that ID influencers have the ability to present products to South Korean fans in their own unique and highly relatable style.
“Fluent in Korean and Indian,” Soni noted in one of his reels, shortly before tossing a Goli soda into the air like he was in an Andhadhun scene.
“I’m not fluent, but I’m learning Korean,” he later confessed to the Press, while also admitting that the scientific numbers of his social media metrics are muddled.
But they are high and more than enough to attract brand deals.
💸 Establishing Brand Deals
Recent reports show that India is currently South Korea’s fastest-growing target market and the love story is mutual. Flavored soju is regularly sold out at liquor stores in Mumbai, k-dramas have practically become an Indian pastime, and k-pop groups like BTS are seen as messengers of peace and unity.
Indians are smitten by all things Korean, and this is proving lucrative for Indian influencers who are adept at mixing the two cultures. According to influential marketing platforms like BaoLiba, where ID influencers usually find their brand deals, nearly 50% of ID influencers are k-content creators, meaning that their content is heavily inspired by or based on Korean pop culture.
📈 South Korea Influencer Marketing Stats
Korean brands intending to become a household name in India have realized that Indian influencers already have a foot in the door with their Bollywood-inspired Korean content.
The influencer marketing sector in South Korea was valued at over $1 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow by 24% annually, which is greater than the 10% global average.
💻 Indian and Korean Audience Overlap
Facebook is the leading social media platform in South Korea, with over 78% of the population using it, and Indian influencers have quickly realized that Korean brands usually prioritize influencer marketing on the platform.
Almost 80% of the most popular influencers in South Korea have a dedicated Facebook page, with many of them using the platform for live-streaming their k-beauty product haul, instruction tutorial, or product demonstration.
“Facebook is the most popular social media platform for South Korean brands to reach their target customers, and Indian influencers are capitalizing on this trend by targeting South Korea for brand deals,” said a BaoLiba representative.
🔍 Korean Beauty Brands Targeting Indian Influencers
Korean beauty brands are already familiar with Indian influencers and have collaborated with many household names like Avneet Kaur, Jannat Zubair, and Tanishq B. These brands have also collaborated with influencers from other global markets, like Vietnam, but they are particularly impressed with the conversion rates of Indian influencers.
According to a recent report based on exclusive data from BaoLiba, Korean brands report the highest conversion rates when working with Indian influencers on Facebook.
📊 Korean Brands vs. Indian Influencers on Facebook
As mentioned, Facebook is the most popular social media platform in South Korea, and Korean brands are using Facebook over any other platform for all of their influencer campaigns. This has given Indian influencers a competitive advantage over their Korean counterparts who are, for the most part, focused on Instagram.
Korean brands are therefore willing to cover the costs of travel and accommodations for Indian influencers who can travel to South Korea to work with them. This is a lucrative offer for Indian influencers who are not only passionate about k-culture but also keen to have their feet on the ground in South Korea.
These influencers often work with several notable brands and can earn between INR 15,000 and INR 400,000 for each sponsored post. travel-related expenses are usually covered by the Korean brands.
🏆 India’s Favorite K-drama Influencer Takes Home the Crown
The best of the best happens to be an influencer from Mizoram. On August 30, 2022, Rebecca David took home the crown for the K-drama Queen contest organized by TVN and K-Vibes to celebrate the excitement and anticipation of the upcoming premiere of the show “Little Women” on Netflix.
Rebecca, better known as Rebe, is a popular K-drama and K-pop influencer who has over 743K followers on Instagram and regularly collaborates with various Korean brands.
Like most of her fellow influencers, she is also a K-content creator. A recent reel of hers shows how she styles her outfits in a Korean fashion. Her fashionable outfits and K-drama-inspired representation style have made her one of the top influencers in the industry.
📩 How to Achieve Korean Brand Deals as an Indian Influencer
Brand deals don’t simply come knocking at your door. While having the right metrics can open doors, you may need to go through a window. Your social media page likely has others who want the same deals. Therefore, you need to differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd.
Just like K-dramas, your social media persona needs a unique twist that will set you apart from others. Korean brands are naturally interested in influencers who can bring a new perspective to the table. Think of ways to incorporate Korean culture in your style.
Fashion and beauty are among the top product categories for influencer marketing in South Korea, but brands are willing to diversify. Influencers in various niches can carve their niche by intertwining their niche with Korean culture.
If you’re struggling to secure brand deals, consider registering on BaoLiba. You can bypass the competition by collaborating directly with brands and not with influencers. BaoLiba will help you reach Korean brands who may be interested in your style.
Korean Culture is Here to Stay
K-pop and K-drama’s popularity is not just a passing trend; this movement is rooted. The popularity of Korean culture in India has been attributed to both countries sharing similar sensibilities.
“With the Korean wave, both countries can explore a shared culture. Korea has a particular interest in India, especially regarding Buddhism, and it is still possible for both countries to share cultural characteristics and similarities,” according to Kim Sang-sik, a professor at the Institute for India Studies at Dongguk University in South Korea.
North East India, in particular, shares cultural ties with Korea. The people of Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Assam have always had links to Korea.
Even prior to the Hallyu phenomenon, cultural connections between Koreans and Indians from Northeast India, particularly in Manipur, regarded as the land of the seven sisters, have existed for centuries.
Recent reports show that the people of Korea and India were long lost relatives dating back to their roots in Mongolia, and it is believed that Indo-Mongoloids migrated and later settled in Northeast India and South Korea.
This shared ancestry is made evident in the physical features of many people living in Northeast India, who often look similar to Koreans. The Japan Times reported in a separate article that over 300 people from Northeastern India have traveled to South Korea this year to work and study, many having been drawn by the cultural similarities.
🤝 Conclusion
India and South Korea share strong ties based on that shared ancestry, along with the two countries being strong allies and partners in various sectors. This shared history has opened multiple avenues for the two countries to explore together.
The K-wave is one way both countries can explore that shared history, especially as Indian influencers are now taking a lead role in helping Korean brands penetrate the Indian market. There has never been a better time for Indian influencers to get into the South Korean brand deal game.
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