We all have crossed paths with them at some point. Our social media feeds are full of #ads—posts from influencers who are paid to promote brands, products and services. It looks like a pretty fun way to be creative and earn some extra cash, right? But how do you set up as a social media influencer? And how many followers do you need to get started? And are the freebies of accommodation, food and beverage worth it? First we need to define what an influencer is An influencer is someone with a loyal and larger than average social media following. Some influencers have as few as 3,000 followers! Influencers are paid by brands to create and post promotional content. How many followers do you need to be called an influencer? There’s no simple answer to this question. Influencers fall into a number of different categories, depending on the number of followers they have, but we have the following: Nano influencer 1000 – 5000 followers Nano influencers create content as their side hustle; but their authenticity and relatability mean they have some of the most loyal followers around. They’re seen as the guy or gal next door — so people trust what they have to say. This means brands can count on unbeatable levels of engagement. Micro influencer 3000 – 100 000 followers Micro influencers occupy somewhat of an influencer marketing sweet spot. Their services are reasonably priced, they have decent reach and they offer great levels of engagement because they generally have a niche following. Macro influencer 100 000 + followers Macro influencers have reached internet celebrity status. They have loads of followers. This means they probably don’t engage with their followers as much as nano and micro influencers do, but brands can count on impressive reach for any promotional content posted. Mega influencer 1000 000 + followers When working with mega influencers, brands accept that engagement won’t be particularly high. Mega influencer followers tend to be a disparate group so only a small proportion will be at all interested by a particular brand. However, brands know that their promotional post will reach millions of potential customers, so some are prepared to pay big bucks for this privilege. Quality or quantity? When working with influencers, brands choose to prioritise quantity OR quality. Some brands want to reach the largest number of people possible. Others focus on creating fewer, high-quality leads that are more likely to convert into sales. This means that as long as you have at least 3,000 followers, it’s possible to find brands who will be super happy to collaborate with you. So the next time an influencer knocks on your door ask them: How many followers do they have On which platform What is their engagement with the followers What is the age and demographics of the followers And if the answers fit your property’s target market, you will be able to make some impact in partnering with the influencer. Remember to agree on targets and/our outcome of the ‘deal’ such as engagement, website hits directed from their platform, and work out estimate revenue numbers and make it a contracted agreement. If you don’t, you will be taken for a free ride, literally My best Jaco (content in collaboration with tribegroup.co)
Are we facing a longer than anticipated wait, for international travel to reopen? July 2021
The crash in international tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic could cause a loss of more than $4 trillion to the global GDP for the years 2020 and 2021, says the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad). In a report published this week, the agency said that the world is unlikely to reach pre-Covid-19 international tourist arrival levels until 2023 or later. Much of the tourism sector’s recovery will largely depend on the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines globally, with developing countries with slow rollouts such as South Africa expected to see prolonged tourism losses. “Covid-19 vaccination rates are uneven across countries, ranging from below 1% of the population in some countries to above 60% in others,” Unctad said. “The asymmetric roll-out of vaccines magnifies the economic blow tourism has suffered in developing countries, as they could account for up to 60% of the global GDP losses.” By comparison, the tourism sector is expected to recover faster in countries with high vaccination rates, such as France, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. South Africa forecast to be one of the hardest-hit countries As part of its report, Unctad developed three different scenarios on what international travel recovery could look like in the coming years The results are based on simulations that capture the effects of international tourism reduction only, not policies such as economic stimulus programmes that may soften the pandemic’s impact on the sector. The first and most pessimistic scenario reflects a reduction of 75% in international tourist arrivals based on the tourist reductions observed in 2020; The second and middle scenario reflects a 63% reduction in international tourist arrivals; The third scenario considers varying rates of domestic and regional tourism in 2021. It assumes a 75% reduction of tourism in countries with low vaccination rates, and a 37% reduction in countries with relatively high vaccination rates, mostly developed countries and some smaller economies. Based on all three scenarios, South Africa is forecast to be one of the countries hardest hit when looking at estimated losses in GDP from a reduction in tourism. The country was consistently ranked third – behind Turkey and Ecuador – in all three scenarios. The main barriers are seen to be: Ongoing travel restrictions; Slow containment of the virus; Low traveller confidence; A poor economic environment. Lockdown restrictions Under South Africa’s adjusted level 4 lockdown restrictions air travel is restricted to the following airports in South Africa: OR Tambo International Airport King Shaka International Airport Cape Town International Airport Lanseria International Airport Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport While the government does not have major regulations on tourists travelling into the country, outside of existing lockdown regulations, South Africans looking to leave the country continue to face major restrictions. In addition, a number of foreign governments continue to advise against or prohibit travel to South Africa. A number of source travel markets have also kept restrictions on South Africa in place over fears of possible variant transmission – including the UK and large parts of the European Union. While the US has lowered restrictions in recent weeks, the country’s health authorities still advise against unnecessary travel to South Africa. A mapping tool developed by travel website Skyscanner shows that as of 2 July, South Africa has 82 ‘major restrictions’ from other countries in place. This is up from around 60 major restrictions before the third Covid wave hit. These countries have suspended travel, may be closed to entry, or entry may only be possible if you are a citizen/meet strict entrance requirements. By comparison, there are currently 30 moderate restrictions in place for South Africa, where travel is possible, but only if travellers meet certain entry requirements which can include taking Covid-19 tests. – END – Adapted from www.Businesstech.co.za published 2 July 2020