How Indian WhatsApp Influencers Find Brand Deals in Vietnam

In their quest to find lucrative brand deals in Vietnam, Indian influencers are increasingly utilizing WhatsApp. By tapping into the messaging platform’s extensive networking capabilities, they are able to successfully market Vietnamese brands to their clientele back home.

While influencers have existed for over a decade in India, the current WhatsApp-centric trends are unprecedented. WhatsApp has always played a crucial role in influencer marketing in India, with influencers using it to conduct outreach to brands and agencies and to communicate with clients. However, they are now using the medium to connect with foreign brands.

This is largely due to the rise of the Indian WhatsApp influencer agency, The Gujju Influencers. Founded by a group of friends from Gujarat, the agency has now grown to over 52,000 members on WhatsApp and Instagram and has representatives across India, the US, and Canada. The Gujju Influencers seeks to connect Indian influencers with brands, especially those looking to penetrate the Indian market.

According to the founder of The Gujju Influencers, Harsh Bhanushali, over 38% of the brands that reach out to their members are foreign, with Vietnamese brands being the most common.

“This is a trend we have seen over the last two years. Vietnamese brands, especially those in the fashion industry, have really taken an interest in the Indian market. Their brands are quite popular among young Indians, and they realize that influencer marketing is the most effective way to reach them,” said Harsh.

“Vietnamese brands often prefer working with Indian influencers because they are able to use WhatsApp to communicate with them directly. WhatsApp is a platform that is popular in both countries, so they prefer using it for communication.”

🗺️Why Vietnamese Brands are Using Indian Influencers

Vietnam is emerging as one of the most promising fashion markets in the world. The market is currently estimated at $29 billion, with projections indicating it will reach $39 billion by 2025. This is attracting international brands to the country, and Vietnamese brands are trying to take advantage of the situation by also going international.

The Indian market is one of the most lucrative for brands around the world. With a population of over 1.4 billion and a consumer segment that is increasingly more affluent, brands are realizing that they cannot afford to ignore the Indian market.

The fashion market in India is currently worth $213 billion and is projected to reach $360 billion by 2025. This presents a prime opportunity for Vietnamese brands to tap into this rapidly growing market.

“To the Vietnamese, Indian fashion has always been a little dated. They are therefore looking to Indian brands and influencers to provide them with the latest trends that they can use to modernize their fashion. At the same time, they realize that they can use this opportunity to penetrate the Indian market through influencer marketing,” Harsh explained.

📲 How Indian Influencers are Marketing Vietnamese Brands on WhatsApp

Many Indian influencers have already begun marketing Vietnamese fashion brands to their audiences. Influencers across various niches, including fashion, comedy, food, and travel are hopping on the Vietnamese brand marketing bandwagon.

The most popular way that Indian influencers utilize WhatsApp to market Vietnamese brands is through group campaigns. Influencers jointly participate in a campaign and post the requirements on their respective WhatsApp status.

Such campaigns typically have a large number of participants. For example, a recent campaign featuring the Vietnamese fashion brand, TOUS, had over 200 participants, including both influencers and micro-influencers.

In the TOUS campaign, participants were required to take a picture of themselves wearing the brand’s clothing, including a slogan t-shirt, and post it on their WhatsApp status with the caption “Hello World.” They were also required to provide a direct link to the brand’s website.

TOUS and other Vietnamese brands have discovered that WhatsApp is an effective way to reach out to Indian influencers and is also a great tool for the influencers to market their products. This is because WhatsApp allows influencers to reach an extensive audience through their status feature, which is similar to Instagram stories and Facebook stories.

For a fee, influencers can also post on their WhatsApp group and reach even more people. WhatsApp groups can consist of up to 1024 members, allowing influencers to reach a sizeable audience in a single post.

💰What are the Prices of Vietnamese Brand WhatsApp Influencer Marketing Campaigns?

The prices of Vietnamese brand WhatsApp influencer marketing campaigns vary depending on the number of influencers taking part in the campaign, the number of posts required, and the niche of the influencers.

However, on average, a Vietnamese brand can expect to pay anywhere between ₹3000 to ₹6000 for a campaign involving 50 influencers. For larger campaigns with over 200 influencers, brands can expect to pay between ₹15,000 to ₹30,000.

Brands can also opt for premium campaigns that require influencers to do more than just post a message or a picture on their WhatsApp status. For example, some campaigns may require influencers to create engaging video content or to post multiple times throughout a day.

These premium campaigns can cost upwards of ₹50,000 and can involve more than 300 influencers.

💸 Payment Methods for Indian Influencers

Payments for WhatsApp influencer marketing campaigns are typically made through United Payments Interface (UPI).

UPI is a real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India that allows users to link multiple bank accounts to a single mobile application. This allows users to schedule “Peer to Peer” collection requests and make payments directly from their bank accounts without the need for cash or cards.

Many Indian influencers prefer using UPI for payments because it is fast and reliable. Payments are usually instant, so influencers do not have to wait long to receive their money. Also, they do not need to share sensitive information like debit or credit card details, which makes UPI a safer option compared to other payment methods.

🌍The Future of WhatsApp Influencer Marketing for Vietnamese Brands in India

According to Harsh, the trend of Vietnamese brands reaching out to Indian influencers on WhatsApp will only grow stronger as the year progresses.

“Fashion is a dynamic business that requires constant updates to remain relevant. Because of this, brands have little time to waste. WhatsApp is a very fast and reliable platform that allows brands to quickly communicate with influencers and set up campaigns. I believe that WhatsApp influencer marketing will continue to thrive in 2024 and beyond,” he stated.

As Vietnamese brands seek to penetrate the Indian market, they are finding that Indian influencers are one of the best marketing commodities available. With WhatsApp being the preferred platform for both parties, it is only a matter of time before the Indian WhatsApp influencer marketing phenomenon reaches even greater heights.

BaoLiba will continue to update the trends of influencer marketing in India, stay tuned to us for more insights.