1. Brief us about the background of the founders?
Born into a middle-class family, I (Yulia Aslamova) grew up in a small Siberian village. But, despite my humble beginnings, I was always encouraged by my supportive parents to work hard and become self-reliant to pursue my dreams. Thus, while my peers were enjoying their teenage life, I devoted myself to eventually secure a 100% scholarship at the National Mining University in St. Petersburg – one of the most prestigious institutions in the country.
While the decision to pursue a course in mining seemed right at that time, I soon realised that it was not the right industry for me. That’s why, right after the first semester, I picked up part-time work as a promoter in a local mall. Though the idea was to support myself through my time at the university, I soon found my true calling with a burgeoning passion for Marketing, Sales and PR. From starting as a promoter in the mall, I managed to grow up the ladder to become a supervisor and eventually a marketing manager in an MNC at the age of just 20. Since then, there has been no turning back.
At 22, I sowed the seeds of my entrepreneurial journey with a social enterprise to support orphans and kids from underprivileged backgrounds from small cities. In a span of just 2.5 years, we managed to make the charity sustainable. During that time, my search for new business opportunities saw me visiting India more frequently. And, nine years later, I found my life partner in India. We got married in 2015 which saw me relocating, leaving everything behind, to this beautiful country for good. Having begun married life, I joined Bangalore-based BHIVE as brand marketing lead before being roped in by a US firm SEMrush as their country head. As I grew professionally, I also embraced motherhood after giving birth to an amazing baby girl.
Despite leaving my career and social circle behind in Russia, my life – both personal and professional – couldn’t be any better, yet something felt amiss. In 2019, my entrepreneurial aspirations became the cornerstone of my vision to create a dynamic firm that would eventually be called DRIM. Having organised one of the biggest Indian digital marketing conferences that year, I realised that recommendation is a key driving force for sales in the country, especially if it comes from a subject matter expert. That realization led to the advent of DRIM. A firm believer in the potential of the Creator Economy, I have always felt that right narrative and creative storytelling can have a significant impact on businesses and even individuals. With DRIM, we’re looking to make influencer marketing a robust performance marketing channel to help brands achieve real results in sales, new clients and other valuable actions.
2. Views on the emerging influencer marketing industry, trends and more?
We have seen the emergence of new social media platforms and formats, providing influencers with fresh avenues to engage with their audiences. Another significant trend is the growing emphasis on content quality and storytelling. Brands are recognizing the importance of creating compelling narratives that resonate with their target audience. Influencers who can effectively communicate brand values and tell captivating stories are highly sought after for collaborations, ensuring authenticity and stronger consumer connections.
Micro-influencers continue to play a vital role in the Indian influencer marketing landscape. Their ability to establish personal connections and drive higher engagement rates makes them valuable collaborators for brands. We anticipate continued partnerships with micro-influencers who possess authenticity, relatability, and expertise in specific niches.
Data-driven strategies and performance measurement are becoming increasingly important in the influencer marketing realm. Brands now demand more accountability and measurable results from their campaigns. Consequently, advanced analytics tools and technologies are being adopted to track campaign impact, optimize strategies, and demonstrate return on investment (ROI).
Looking to the future, we anticipate influencer marketing in India to witness further growth and innovation. The integration of emerging technologies such as AR, VR, and AI will enhance the consumer experience and create more immersive campaigns. Data analytics and ML-driven insights will also play a crucial role, enabling brands to identify the right influencers, optimize campaigns, and make data-backed decisions for better outcomes.
3. Role of DRIM in bridging the gap between brands and influencers?
At DRIM Global, we prioritize delivering a seamless experience for both influencers and brands throughout the entire campaign management process, content creation, and results measurement. Here’s how we ensure excellence in each aspect:
- Campaign Management: Our platform provides a centralized hub for influencers and brands to connect, collaborate, and manage their campaigns efficiently. We offer a user-friendly dashboard that simplifies campaign setup, communication, and tracking. Our dedicated account managers provide personalized support, ensuring smooth coordination and timely campaign execution. Furthermore, we streamline payment processes, ensuring influencers receive fair compensation for their efforts and that brands have transparent billing.
- Content creation: We help brands craft effective content strategies that align with their marketing objectives and resonate with their target audience. Our platform enables seamless collaboration between influencers and brands, facilitating creative ideas and content approvals. We provide guidance on best practices for content creation, ensuring influencers deliver high-quality and engaging content that drives results.
- Results Measurement: DRIM Global leverages advanced analytics and performance-tracking tools to measure influencer campaigns’ effectiveness. We provide detailed insights into key performance indicators, including engagement rates, reach, conversions, and ROI. Our platform allows real-time monitoring of campaign performance, enabling brands to make data-driven decisions and optimize their strategies. Additionally, we offer comprehensive campaign reports that provide a holistic view of the results achieved, enabling brands to evaluate the success of their influencer marketing efforts.
4. How DRIM is bringing a new experience to B2C brands by working with the micro-influencers using the Cost-Per-Action model?
Working with micro-influencers using the Cost-Per-Action (CPA) model brings a new experience to B2C brands and offers several advantages compared to other influencer marketing models.
- Cost-effectiveness: The CPA model offers cost-effectiveness to B2C brands. Instead of paying a fixed fee upfront, brands only pay when a desired action, such as a purchase, subscription, or lead generation, is achieved. This performance-based approach minimizes the risk for brands, as they only pay for actual results. Additionally, working with micro-influencers tends to be more budget-friendly compared to partnering with macro-influencers, making influencer marketing accessible to a wider range of B2C brands.
- Measurable results and ROI: The CPA model allows B2C brands to track and measure the performance of their influencer marketing campaigns more effectively. By tying compensation directly to desired actions, brands can assess the return on investment (ROI) and the overall effectiveness of their campaigns. DRIM’s practical algorithms and data-driven strategies further enhance the measurement capabilities, providing brands with valuable insights to optimize their influencer marketing efforts and drive better results.
- Higher engagement and authenticity: Micro-influencers tend to have smaller but highly engaged and loyal audiences. By leveraging the CPA model, DRIM enables B2C brands to collaborate with micro-influencers who can authentically promote their products or services to their niche communities. This approach fosters genuine connections and trust between the influencers and their followers, resulting in higher levels of engagement and a more impactful brand message.
- Targeted reach and niche audiences: Micro-influencers often have a specific niche or interest area, allowing B2C brands to target their campaigns more precisely. This targeted reach helps in reaching the right audience, increasing the likelihood of conversion and generating higher quality leads. DRIM’s platform helps identify micro-influencers whose audience aligns with the brand’s target market, ensuring that the brand message reaches the most relevant audience segments.
- Long-term partnerships and brand advocacy: The CPA model, when combined with DRIM’s focus on community building and long-term collaborations, enables B2C brands to establish enduring relationships with micro-influencers. Instead of one-off campaigns, brands can cultivate brand advocates who genuinely support and promote their products or services over an extended period. This helps in building brand loyalty, increasing brand awareness, and fostering a sense of authenticity among the influencer’s audience.
5. How are influencer lead campaigns helping customers across the country?
For a good reason, brands now use this new opportunity in the digital world to exhibit themselves on social media platforms.
People now rely on the recommendations of their favourite influencers, as they admire them. Influencer marketing is an excellent opportunity for companies looking to spread their reputation and sell items to their target audience. Many individuals have purchased things because of what their favourite social media influencers say about them.
Moreover, DRIM helps firms connect more authentically with their target audience by using influencer marketing to increase their brand’s awareness.
For instance, by leveraging performance influencer marketing, we enabled Domino’s Pizza to clock over 400,000 orders in a calendar year. Another successful campaign was with McDonalds where over 27000 orders were delivered in McDonald’s South and West in the first 8 months of the campaign.
There are several benefits to integrating influencer marketing into the company when marketing through social media platforms of any kind.
6. How DRIM is building/ uplifting women communities in India?
At DRIM we’ve built a thriving community of 400+ women who are working from home as Influencer Talent Managers. These women come from different walks of life- student, housewife, and single parent! The idea is to provide them with easy & free training with absolutely no hidden charges, so that they are ready to work in just 3 weeks! Infact, 99% of all employees at DRIM are female and most of them are working from home with flexible work hours.
One such story is of Dilshaz Bilakhiya, who is a Junior Head of Scouts and Mentor at DRIM. Dilshaz started her journey at DRIM in January 2022 and got promoted to Mentor by May 2022. She left her corporate job after having a baby and was looking for a work from home opportunity that gave her flexible working hours and time to take care of her baby. That’s when she found our platform and it was a perfect match. Dilshaz is now perfectly managing work, home and a very responsible position at DRIM.
This proves that sky’s the limit for many more like her at DRIM. If you are looking to kickstart or even re-start your career, join our programme at https://drim.one/job
7. Can you brief us about the Influencer marketing landscape for the coming year, 2024?
The influencer marketing industry in India has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years. With the widespread adoption of social media platforms and the increasing influence of digital media, brands have recognized the power of influencer marketing in reaching their target audiences effectively.
One of the key trends we foresee- brands will create a community of micro-influencers to empower brand advocacy. While macro-influencers with large followings have traditionally been sought after by brands, there is a shift towards micro-influencers who have smaller but more engaged and niche audiences. Building a connect and long term collaboration with these micro-influencers have the ability to establish a personal connection with their followers, resulting in higher levels of trust and engagement.
DRIM’s emphasis on ROI rather than just follower count aligns with this trend, as we believe that compelling and authentic content is crucial for successful influencer marketing campaigns.
Furthermore, as the influencer marketing industry matures, we expect to see a stronger focus on data-driven strategies and performance measurement. Brands are becoming more sophisticated in their approach to influencer marketing and are demanding measurable results and return on investment. DRIM’s practical algorithms play a significant role in delivering monthly results and assisting growth marketing efforts for big brands, helping them optimize their influencer marketing initiatives based on data insights.
