How Indian WhatsApp Influencers Find Brand Deals in United Arab Emirates
More than 3 million Indians are currently residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and this large population segment has led to the rise of specific marketing strategies for connecting with Indians in the Gulf.
Unlike most influencer marketing that relies on social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, the UAE-based influencer marketing trend among Indians is primarily facilitated through WhatsApp.
WhatsApp influencers don’t post flashy reels or photos on their accounts. Instead, they are behind the scenes, building authentic connections with their audience through chat groups.
As a result, more and more brands are turning to Indian WhatsApp influencers to market their products and services to the Indian diaspora in the UAE as they realize the potential of WhatsApp marketing over the more traditional methods.
This article explores the growing trend of WhatsApp influencer marketing among Indian influencers in the UAE, the strategies they use to win over brands, and how they capitalize on brand deals.
📈 The growing WhatsApp influencer marketing trend in UAE
“WhatsApp influencers have their audience in the UAE. It is unique and differentiates them from WhatsApp influencers in India,” says Karan Bhagat, founder of the UAE influencer marketing agency, iConic Media.
“WhatsApp influencers in India are not as effective for UAE-based brands as the influencers who have a solid presence in the UAE,” he adds.
While WhatsApp influencer marketing is already a well-established phenomenon in India, it only started gaining traction among Indian influencers in the UAE in the past two years, driven primarily by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many Indians in the UAE turned to WhatsApp for daily interactions during the pandemic as they were stranded in their homes and unable to meet in person.
This surge in WhatsApp usage created a new funnel for brands to reach their target audience through the platform.
Indians make up the largest nationality group in the UAE and have a long-standing tradition in the Gulf state since the 70s.
According to the latest statistics from the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre of the UAE, Indians account for approximately 30% of the total UAE population.
This means that any business looking to succeed in the UAE market must have a firm understanding of the Indian audience.
“WhatsApp influencers in the UAE don’t just have friends and family. They have groups filled with their tribe, with connections that they have built over decades,” explains Bhagat.
“We understand that WhatsApp is a more personal platform, and that is why it offers a different level of efficiency, especially for the Indian market.”
Currently, there are no official statistics on the number of WhatsApp influencers in the UAE. However, Bhagat estimates that there are over 1 million WhatsApp influencers among Indians living in the UAE.
“WhatsApp is primarily a business platform in the UAE. We have been able to monetize WhatsApp influencers and charge brands more than they charge for Instagram influencers,” claims Bhagat.
💰 How Indian WhatsApp influencers monetize brand deals
WhatsApp is a free messaging and calling application owned by Meta Platforms, Inc. It was created in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum.
WhatsApp has become the most widely used mobile messaging application in the world with over 2 billion monthly global users.
Due to its user-friendly interface and distinctive features, it has become the go-to messaging app for individuals and businesses alike.
In India, WhatsApp is widely used for marketing and advertising purposes. A 2022 report by the State of Business Messaging found that 72% of Indian consumers prefer to engage with brands through messaging apps like WhatsApp rather than traditional channels like email and phone calls.
The report also found that 79% of Indian consumers are more likely to buy a product after receiving personalized communications through messaging apps.
Brands can also use the WhatsApp Business app for free to connect with consumers and engage them throughout the purchase journey.
WhatsApp Business accounts allow brands to create a profile that includes helpful information for customers such as a description of the business, its location, website, and contact information.
It also allows businesses to create a product catalog, automate, sort, and quickly respond to messages, and access rich data insights.
WhatsApp for Business has more than 3 million users globally, and 80% of businesses say it has helped them connect with their customers.
This is where WhatsApp influencers come in.
WhatsApp influencers in the UAE monetize their accounts through brand deals, charging anywhere from INR 10,000 to INR 100,000 per post, which is around $120 to $1,200, depending on their audience size.
Some brands even offer free products and services to WhatsApp influencers in exchange for a post.
WhatsApp influencer marketing agency, iConic Media, has a large pool of WhatsApp influencers that it works with to run brand campaigns across the UAE.
iConic Media offers different packages for brands to choose from. For example, brands can get 10,000 real-time posts sent to WhatsApp group numbers, which have an engaging audience for just $900.
Brands can also get 10,000 stories on WhatsApp business accounts for $1,500, or they can choose to get 25,000 images sent to WhatsApp for $1,500.
Aside from these packages, iConic Media charges brands a service fee on top of the total budget for the campaign.
Although WhatsApp influencers earn less than their counterparts on Instagram, they are able to secure more deals because Indian brands prefer WhatsApp influencer marketing due to its higher conversion rates compared to other social media platforms.
This means that WhatsApp influencers only need to make a few conversions per week to ultimately earn more than Instagram influencers.
iConic Media has worked with a variety of brands to run WhatsApp influencer campaigns. These brands include the video streaming platform, Netflix, the tourism board for the Indian state of Kerala, and more.
📊 Why WhatsApp influencers are far more effective than Instagram influencers
WhatsApp influencer marketing is more effective than Instagram influencer marketing, and there are several factors that contribute to this.
The underlying factor for the effectiveness of WhatsApp influencers is the nature of the platform itself.
“WhatsApp influencers create a more organic buzz for brands. If someone posts about a brand on WhatsApp, it is not a paid promotion, and people will trust it more,” says Bhagat.
WhatsApp influencers send brand promotions to their groups or broadcast lists, which can only include up to 256 people. This makes the promotions more personal and relatable compared to Instagram posts that can reach thousands of people.
Instagram is primarily a public platform. Even a private account can have up to 100,000 followers, and posts can be seen by everyone, making it less personal.
This means that WhatsApp influencers have a smaller, but more engaged audience.
WhatsApp has a higher open rate than traditional email or other messaging platforms, which means that more people are likely to see and engage with your message.
According to a report by Salesforce, 98% of all WhatsApp messages are opened, and 90% are responded to within three minutes.
In contrast, marketing emails have an average open rate of only around 20%, with even lower rates for specific industries.
WhatsApp is also more secure than other messaging platforms, which has made it the preferred choice for private communications.
WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, which means that only the sender and recipient can read the messages. This level of privacy is not available on other messaging platforms, making WhatsApp a more secure option for personal communications.
When sending promotions to individuals or groups, WhatsApp influencers can use the platform’s rich media features to create engaging messages.
WhatsApp allows users to send text, images, videos, audio, and documents, making it easy to create rich, multimedia messages that capture attention and drive engagement.
This is more difficult to achieve with traditional marketing methods, such as email or print advertising, which often rely on static text and images.
❗ Challenges faced by WhatsApp influencers in the UAE
Despite the perks of being a WhatsApp influencer, they also face challenges that could derail their careers.
One of the biggest challenges posed to WhatsApp influencers in the UAE is the strict anti-spam laws in the country.
WhatsApp influencers must ensure that they only send promotions to people who have agreed to receive them.
Under Article 38 of the UAE’s Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumors and Cyber Crimes, anyone found sending spam messages via WhatsApp could face fines of up to AED 500,000 or even imprisonment.
Violators can be sentenced to three years in prison for sending spam messages and fined AED 250,000.
A person who sends unsolicited advertising via SMS can also face a fine of AED 300,000, while anyone found using social media to send spam messages could be fined AED 200,000.
WhatsApp influencers should also be careful about what they post. They must comply with UAE regulations regarding the promotion of businesses.
The UAE’s False Advertising Law outlines strict penalties for promoting false or misleading information about products and services.
Furthermore, the UAE imposes strict laws against the consumption and promotion of alcohol and drugs.
As a result, any promotion that is deemed offensive could lead to severe penalties for both the influencer and the brand.
Penalties for violating these laws can range from fines to imprisonment, deportation, and being banned from re-entering the UAE.
Despite these challenges, WhatsApp influencers in the UAE have built a strong reputation for effectively marketing products and services to the Indian diaspora, and their popularity is only expected to grow in the coming years.
📝 Conclusion
WhatsApp influencer marketing is growing at an exponential rate among Indian influencers in the UAE as brands increasingly seek to reach their target audience through the more personal and engaging medium.
WhatsApp influencers in the UAE earn between INR 10,000 to INR 100,000 per post and can secure multiple brand deals each week for a sustainable income.
In addition, because WhatsApp influencers operate primarily in the Indian diaspora space, their audience tends to be more engaged and trusting than other platforms like Instagram.
As WhatsApp influencer marketing continues to grow, we expect to see more brands take advantage of this effective marketing strategy in the future.
BaoLiba will continue to update India influencer marketing trends, stay tuned for our next coverage.