Learn about the world of social media influencers in Goa through interviews with industry experts and successful influencers. Discover how influencers navigate the market, make money, and engage with followers.
Understand the evolving nature of this business and the challenges and opportunities that come with it. Gain valuable insights and perspectives on this growing trend in the world of marketing and social media.
The ability to influence others and change their behavior is a highly valued skill today. This is especially important in the competitive marketing field, where using such individuals’ services can make or break a campaign.
This trend is not limited to just one region or country, as brands all over recognize social influencers’ value. In Goa, local and national companies are turning to social influencers to help boost their brand’s visibility in a small but competitive market.
Flexcia D’Souza is a well-known social influencer with a following of over 123,000 people worldwide. She primarily focuses on the travel industry with some lifestyle content mixed in.
She started her blogging journey in 2011 to document her travel experiences. Her content resonated with her readers, and when Facebook and later Instagram became famous, she decided to expand her reach to these platforms.
In 2017, her Instagram account took off, thanks to her unique off-the-beaten-path content that provided valuable information not found on regular travel websites. Over time, she has built a strong connection with her followers, who appreciate her genuine approach to sharing her experiences.
In the beginning, Flexcia paid for her travel expenses to create new content for her blog. But over the past year, most of her trips have been sponsored, and she has earned a good amount of money working with brands. She recently attended a Royal Enfield event in Rajasthan, where she made two films that she posted on her social media platforms.
However, Flexcia admits that relying solely on social media as a source of income in Goa takes a lot of work. She also works as a marketing professional for brands, but the income from both sources is unstable. Since Goa is a small economy, few brandsfewking for influencers there, and those looking have small budgets.
There is a lot of competition among social media influencers in Goa, which makes negotiating with clients and meeting their specific needs more challenging.
Flexcia explains that becoming a full-time influencer in bigger cities like Mumbai, Delhi, or Bengaluru is possible. In these cities, influencers can build teams to ensure the quality of their content and work with brands more frequently. However, in a smaller market like Goa, influencers can be paid anywhere from Rs 5000 to Rs 50,000 per job.
She notes that many influencers in Goa focus on generic content like food and travel, but no influencers are working on super niche categories like bikes, cars, or specific types of travel. Flexcia highlights the fluid nature of social media influencing and how platforms and presentation styles can change rapidly, requiring influencers to adapt constantly and stay relevant.
In today’s world, people seek advice in many areas. Maintaining a good image is becoming increasingly important, and fitness advice can ensure success for those who follow it. Prathamesh Maulingkar, a former professional footballer who played center-back, is now a fitness influencer with over 3.5 lakh followers worldwide. He has been advising people for over fifteen years, having been the first Asian footballer to be featured on the cover of Men’s Health magazine.
As a footballer, Prathamesh had to stay physically fit to play professionally. He presents his advice to his followers and leaves it up to them to decide whether it’s good for them.
He gets many offers from companies in the health and fitness industry, and he can earn a decent amount of money from his collaborations, with offers ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 per picture or reel. He also gets sponsored by supplement brands.
Prathamesh owns a gym in Tivim and has signed up with an agency to handle his clients. He finds that his clients are very demanding and want a professional-level shoot.
Prathamesh believes this role did not exist a couple of years ago and will continue to evolve, driven by new technology and consumer needs. He is open to new ideas and believes that the social media market is growing by the day, with endless opportunities for growth.
According to an anonymous marketing manager, social media influencers are an exciting addition to the marketing mix. Still, businesses in Goa need to be cautious as the market is small, and everyone is fighting for the same rupee.
Many influencers are more concerned about their appearance than the quality of the content they produce, and the number of followers they show may only sometimes be genuine due to the presence of bots.
However, Scarlett Rose, an influencer with over 1.5 million followers, disagrees. As an actor, she gained much attention, prompting brands to partner with her.
Flexcia operates in the travel, luxury, lifestyle, and fitness space and claims that her followers listen to her recommendations and often purchase the products she endorses. She believes that the trend of being authentic and genuine is coming back and that influencers who promote real content will be successful.
Trevon Dias, who operates in the fitness, beauty, and fashion space, has observed that the government now requires influencers, particularly those in the health space, to provide documentation to prove their qualifications to promote certain products.
Conclusion – Potential Social Media Influencers
The business is increasing, and while it will continue to be good, the attitude of the “Wild West” where anything goes will no longer be sustainable. Overall, the role of social media influencers will continue to evolve in the market as the years go by.
