Over 300 of SA’s top content creators to attend first ‘Fluence Africa Influencer Festival’

Influencer marketing has now become a mainstream form of marketing for brands, businesses and marketers looking to distribute content on social media and reach a broader audience outside of their immediate environment.

It’s no wonder the Fluence Africa Influencer Festival has become the talk of town, attracting over 300 top social media influencers from around the country and the continent at large for its very first gathering.

Taking place on Saturday (January 28) at the Focus Rooms in Modderfontein, North of Johannesburg, the festival will provide an entirely new learning and collaboration experience for influencers as well as the opportunity to connect with leading consumer brands. And the on-site event will be live streamed to ensure it reaches those who’re unable to attend in person.  

Hosted by renowned SA comedian Donovan Goliath, a line-up of eight influencer marketing experts will share effective secrets shaping the influencer landscape in South Africa and answer questions that will help upcoming influencers to create, build and maintain a leading and financially viable influencer brand.

They will also offer an in-depth look at what 2023 has in store in terms of lifestyle trends, tech developments and content requirements within the influencer space and will advise on how best to speak to Gen Z, the fastest-growing base of social media users, in a real and accessible voice.  

The panel will also share advise on how they can create authentic connections with brands that are aligned to their channels and on how to connect their followers with brands that they’ll love. 

Key themes at the festival will include how to develop a digital brand strategy, content marketing, social media marketing, personalisation, SEO, community management, understanding consumer behaviour and much more.

Fluence Africa Influencer Festival; opportunities for marketers

A must-attend for marketers at the cutting edge of social media marketing, brands will get the opportunity to connect with creative and savvy content creators who can help them amplify their own brand stories.

A mix of SA’s leading lifestyle brands will have the opportunity to showcase their products at the festival and engage directly with influencers who connect with their target audiences. This will give marketers the opportunity to curate a brand experience that will encourage influencers to engage with the product and to shoot content for posting both during and after the event. Brands will also be able to select the top content pieces shot on the day and to use them to promote their brands in perpetuity.

The festival will be preceded by a strong influencer marketing drive led by over 300 influencers, who will mention the brands being featured prior to, during and after the event. All posts will be featured on both the participating influencers social media platforms and the festival’s official digital channel.

The Programme

The full-day programme will kick off with a plenary session entitled ‘Working with Brands: Expectation vs Reality‘. This will be hosted by the UAE influencer and brand PR specialist Zahirah Marty, with panelists from Brutal Fruit, Skoon Skincare, Bio-Oil and Philips Domestic Appliances.

Breakaway groups will then have an opportunity to shoot content in the Content Hub, or attend an Instagram or a Tik Tok masterclass.

This will be followed by a general panel discussion entitled ‘The Path to Growth: When Your Side Hustle Becomes Your Main Gig‘, which will feature four of South Africa’s top influencers, Shiv Sewlal, Khay Republik, Mpoomy Ledwaba and Ramz. Ramz and Shiv will then lead a breakaway group dealing with topics such as building your brand as an influencer, growing your number of followers, planning your engagements with followers and developing content for Tik Tok and Youtube.

Lunch will be followed by a further panel discussion featuring consumer brand representatives and renowned PR specialists, including Nicole Ogle from OnPoint PR, Audi SA marketing head Taryn Knight, Sorbet Group marketing executive Candice Thurston Planit Media head of strategy Greer Hogarth. The discussion will center around the role influencers play in the marketing mix.

With a line-up like this, The Fluence Africa Influencer Festival is sure set to impress.