Bridging Kingdoms: Brands in the Gaming Universe

Brands in the gaming universe have coexisted for quite some time, but their mature and serious relationship is relatively recent.

This article explores how gaming became a part of everyone’s life and how teenagers turned their passion into a profession as influencers. Furthermore, discover the habitat of gaming influencers and the statistics of their audience growth. The analysis also covers how businesses adapted during the 2019 pandemic and the surge in e-commerce figures during that period.

Uncovering methods of integrating brands into the gaming space, we asked some questions to successful representatives of the gaming universe in Switzerland. Exploring the ultimate formula for effectively promoting a brand in the gaming sphere and how brands can successfully collaborate with gaming influencers. The gaming industry is a remarkable giant that quietly crept into our lives, became our friend, and continues to astonish us with its concepts and sheer magnitude – and it’s here to stay. Even before COVID-19 hit in 2020, around 40% of Millennials and Gen Z said playing video games was among their top three favorite entertainment activities.

Inside the Gamer’s Haven: Where Worlds Converge and Communities Thrive

Just as like-minded individuals always gather around a good idea, millions of fan audiences have formed around computer games. But where do they congregate, and how do they spend their time? Gamers don’t confine themselves to playing in isolation from the outside world. They form massive and dynamic communities using various online platforms. Gaming culture has evolved from a pastime into an expansive virtual realm, where players don’t merely play but also interact, learn, create, and even earn.

Platform Discord

DISCORD

Enter Discord, a communication platform tailor-made for gamers that has also become popular among other online communities. Gamers use Discord to create their virtual hubs, where they chat in text and voice, team up, strategize, and coordinate cooperative gaming sessions. It’s a one-stop-shop, equipped with moderation tools, making it a perfect arena for forging close-knit communities.

Discord continues its rise, with projected monthly active users reaching 150 million in 2025. The momentum is set to continue – a dynamic and thriving community worth watching.

TWITCH

And what about Twitch? It’s the heavyweight champion of video game streaming platforms. Here, gamers set up their own channels and broadcast their gaming exploits to the world. Viewers tune in to catch the action, leaving comments, posing questions, and even showing financial support through various donation methods. It’s a place where gamers build their digital communities and engage with their audience in real-time.

Twitch currently gets more than 240 million unique visitors every month. That’s up from 55 million users in 2015.
What’s more, a whopping 140 million monthly active users are actively tuning in, following, and subscribing to their favorite Twitch streamers and channels. The Twitchiverse is thriving, and it’s only getting bigger.

Platform Twitch
Metaverse

METAVERSE

Now, behold the Metaverse – a new breed of virtual realms where gamers unite and engage in a world of possibilities. Here they partake in various activities, including social gatherings, concerts, exhibitions, and more. It’s a space that lets gamers craft unique virtual personas, interact with fellow explorers, and embark on thrilling adventures.

The Metaverse is absolutely teeming with life as we speak, with a whopping 700 million individuals actively engaged in its vibrant digital tapestry. Leading the charge is Roblox, reigning as the largest virtual Metaverse world, boasting an impressive 380 million active users. Hot on its heels are Minecraft with 204 million, Fortnite with 110 million, and Zepeto with 20 million, collectively painting a rich and diverse picture of this evolving digital realm.

Brands in Cyberspace: Adapting to the Digital Age

The total number of active users on such platforms is mind-boggling. This user count particularly surged in 2019 when, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world retreated into self-isolation at home.
Millions of people flocked to cyberspace in search of new experiences and relief from loneliness. Hundreds of thousands of businesses had no choice but to migrate online to survive. E-commerce sales soared to new heights, witnessing an extraordinary surge.

In 2020, U.S. retail sales experienced a significant increase, rising by $244.2 billion—a 43% growth from $571.2 billion in 2019 to $815.4 billion in 2020. This surge reflects the broader trend of the gaming industry’s expansion. Projections indicate that the global gaming market will reach $522.5 billion in revenue by 2025.

To remain competitive, brands should leverage these trends by engaging target audiences through gaming influencer marketing campaigns. Brands must acknowledge and capitalize on these figures and trends. To stay competitive in today’s market landscape, effective engagement with target audiences via gaming influencer marketing campaigns is essential.

Umsatzanstieg Gaming Industrie

Currently, brands are on a never-ending exploration of novel opportunities to promote their products effectively. The gaming industry has become a great realm for brands to access a whole new huge audience. Astonishingly, even today, the gaming market remains far from saturation. This is due to the novelty of the field and the distinctive ways in which brands assert themselves within the gaming universe.

From Pixels to Profits: Top 5 Brand Strategies in Gaming

Let’s explore five popular methods brands employ to establish their presence in the gaming industry:

In-Game Product Integration

Imagine a fast-food giant collaborating with an open-world video game, showcasing its restaurants and menu within the game’s virtual world. Players can patronize these in-game restaurants, place orders, and even receive special bonuses. It’s a symbiotic integration that adds realism to the gaming experience while giving the brand the spotlight.

Branded Gaming Events

A potential car manufacturer partners with a racing game, setting the stage for exclusive in-game events featuring their latest vehicle models. Players can take these cars for a spin, participate in races, and unlock unique in-game rewards associated with the brand. It’s not just a gaming experience; it’s a powerful promotional platform for the automaker.

Exclusive Collaborative Merchandise

Game developers and fashion brands unite, unleashing limited-edition clothing and accessories inspired by beloved video game franchises. Die-hard game fans can purchase these items, expressing their passion for the game in their everyday lives and introducing the brand to a fresh audience.

Fashion in the Metaverse

Esports Tournament Sponsorship

Picture an energy drink company backing an esports competition, providing financial support and branding opportunities. In return, the company’s logo takes center stage during live broadcasts, forging a strong connection with the esports audience and cementing its presence in the gaming community.

Cross-Promotion and Downloadable Content (DLC)

Cross-Promotion and Downloadable Content (DLC)

A beverage company collaborates with a game developer to create exclusive downloadable content (DLC) for a popular video game. Players who purchase the company’s product can unlock unique in-game items or abilities. This partnership encourages consumers to buy the product, increasing engagement and visibility for the game.

Successful collaborations between video games and brands leverage the passion of the gaming community and the immersive world of video games to create unique and captivating experiences for players. At the same time, such partnerships contribute to boosting the popularity of participating brands, creating a win-win scenario for brand promotion in the real world.


A successful way to promote a brand or a service can also be done through gamification. A very famous and highly effective example of an initiative was taken by Starbucks when they implemented their loyalty program with rewards. Every customer can accumulate points when buying their coffee, and these points can be used for discounts or other services. Collectible stars earned with each purchase can be saved up to exchange for discounts, free menu items, and other rewards.

Another great example of gamification is from KFC: KFC Japan launched a mobile “advergame,” Shrimp Attack, where users swiped virtual shrimp falling from the sky to promote their new battered shrimp line. 22% of players redeemed vouchers, leading to increased demand and adjustments to the campaign schedule due to increased demand.

The Throne of Gaming: Where Influencers Reign Supreme

Who are the Kings and Queens in the Kingdom of the gaming world?

The true kings and queens of the gaming universe are the individuals who have recently made games the central theme of their entire lives. These people spend the majority of their time in their preferred environment – the cyber realm. We’re talking about influencers in the world of gaming.

Becoming an authority in the gaming world is no easy feat because people always sense falsehood and gravitate towards something genuine and original. To achieve this, gaming influencers invest an unimaginable amount of time in games and log thousands of streaming hours. They are persistent, discerning in their choice of companions and friends, and often rather reserved individuals.

influencers in the gaming sphere

How can you connect with them and establish a partnership?

Our Kingfluencers’ creator network offers a unique opportunity to engage with several prominent figures in the realm of gaming influence from the DACH region. We’ll pose pertinent questions, delve into their experiences collaborating with brands, uncover challenges they encountered during partnerships, and explore their forecasts and trends that may already be on the horizon.

“In 2025, the gaming industry is booming for corporations, but it’s becoming a challenge for gamers as prices rise and content quality drops under the weight of AI-driven development. Streamers, however, are set for a great year – games will be released more frequently, and promotional budgets are on the rise. Advertising will surge both in digital storefronts and within the games themselves. Games have become a marketing hotspot, as both the gaming market and advertisers seek new revenue streams.”

Volodymyr Plotnikov, Social Media Trend and Performance Analyst at Kingfluencers

Building the Perfect Collaboration: Tips from Gaming Influencers

We used our in-house creator network, which currently includes more than 4,000 influencers, and conducted an anonymous survey among 30 opinion leaders who position themselves as gaming influencers.

First, we looked at which social networks are the most popular in their circles and which brands gaming influencers would most like to cooperate with.

As you can see from the analysis, the top social media platform is still TikTok, closely followed by Instagram and YouTube, but Twitch and Discord are catching up. Lifestyle and product brands such as Nespresso and Apple enjoy the greatest popularity for collaboration.

Furthermore, it was crucial to understand what the common mistakes are that marketers make when working with gamers/gaming influencers and how they can be avoided. We asked several of our influencers for their opinions and they stated the following: “A great mistake is giving the influencer only a small space for their own creativity.” Many creators share the same opinion: “Videos where you only focus on the game lack a personal touch.”

“In my opinion, the most common mistakes marketers make are not checking influencer’s accounts and engaging with influencers with fake followers. Sadly many „influencers“ even from my network buy followers to drive the number up. Usually, it takes me 10-15min to find out if the influencer has a „clean“ account or not. It surprises me that many brands and marketers don’t do their homework.”

Understanding the influencer’s niche is crucial, along with providing enough space for their personality and creativity rather than enforcing only strict guidelines. Checking an influencer’s account first to verify follower counts and engagement validity is equally important.

To avoid these mistakes moving forward, marketers shouldn’t brief a marketing idea that is too concrete: “The gaming experts can convey the product or service in many different exciting ways. I often think it’s a shame when brands come with ready-made concepts and don’t give the content creators any leeway. Sometimes the campaign doesn’t fit in with the rest of the content and comes across as inauthentic.”

influencers in the gaming sphere

Numbers aren’t always the most important factor to take in when looking for suitable creators. “Also take the people from the gaming community who may not have huge numbers at first glance but are well connected in the community.”

Keeping those things in mind, we were interested in knowing what aspects of brand contracts and agreements creators and influencers consider the most important in collaborations.

In the below evaluation, it is visible that compensation and payment terms are considered the most important, followed by timeline and deadline as well as creative control. Whereas in comparison, only about 10% consider additional support and resources as an important factor.

Kingfluencers: Bridging Brands and Gamers for Immersive Marketing

Kingfluencer’s platform is the best solution where brands seamlessly connect with creators and gaming influencers to create an immersive marketing experience. As we’ve explored, the gamification of a brand, along with the integration of gaming influencers into marketing and branding strategies, forms the perfect recipe for generating buzz around products and services.

Our journey through this digital kingdom has revealed that authenticity, creativity, and mutual understanding are the cornerstones of success. By collaborating with gaming influencers, brands enter a world where marketing transcends mere promotion. It becomes an engaging and exciting journey, where the boundary between advertising and entertainment is blurred, and products and services are showcased as cool, desirable elements of an authentic gaming universe.

Our in-house creator network connects brands with the gaming community through its platform where both sides feel comfortable. It’s not about traditional marketing or promotion; it’s about creating an atmosphere of enjoyment and authenticity, where people genuinely connect with the products and services they encounter.

So, if you’re looking to make your brand truly shine and be embraced as part of a gaming culture that is fun, edgy, and real – Kingfluencers is your gateway to success.

Reach out to us, and let your brand be more than just a marketing message; let it be a sensation in the world of gaming.

What a TikTok Ban Would Mean for Brands, Creators, and the Swiss Social Media Landscape

TikTok is once again at the center of heated political debates. A potential ban on the platform in the U.S. could have far-reaching implications—not just for creators and brands but also for the entire social media ecosystem, including in Switzerland.

Zurich, January 20, 2025 – The idea of banning TikTok first emerged in 2020, but this time it seems serious. Recent developments in the U.S. suggest that a ban could block not only new app downloads but also make TikTok inaccessible to existing users. Such a move would ripple across brands, creators, communities, and agencies. On January 19th, 2025, TikTok was shut down in the US for 14 hours, after which it came back online. President Trump promised to halt the ban when taking office, extending a deadline for China-based ByteDance to sell the app.

Impact on Brands

A TikTok ban would pose significant challenges for brands heavily reliant on the platform. TikTok’s unique value lies in its short, creative, and viral content that directly connects brands with their target audiences. If a ban occurs, brands will need to reallocate their advertising budgets.

According to Madison and Wall, an estimated 30-40% of ad spending could shift to Google (primarily YouTube) and Meta, with Snapchat and other platforms gaining 10-20%. However, replicating TikTok’s distinctive algorithm and community-driven interaction remains a significant hurdle for these platforms.

“For us as an agency whose core business involves influencer marketing campaigns, it is already part of our strategy to respond flexibly and proactively to changes in the social media landscape,” says Sarah Schmid, Head of Marketing at Kingfluencers.

Florence Kälin, Head of Creative, Creator & Brand Strategy, adds: “We strategically diversify campaigns across various platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Discord, or Twitch and develop innovative approaches to ensure that brand messages can effectively reach their target audiences even without TikTok. Our experience shows that a broad platform strategy not only minimizes risks but also opens up new opportunities to optimally support brands and creators.”

Despite the looming uncertainty, Kingfluencers advises brands to maintain their TikTok strategies while exploring alternative platforms strategically. This dual approach ensures flexibility and readiness for future developments, especially as TikTok’s cultural influence in Europe is expected to remain strong.

Impact on the Creator Economy

The prospect of a TikTok ban, which for now has only existed for 14 hours, has caused anxiety among TikTok creators. Many are now seeking alternative platforms to preserve their communities and revenue streams.

Emerging contenders include Xiaohongshu (branded as RedNote in the U.S.), a Chinese app combining features of Instagram and Pinterest. Following a viral campaign led by Gen Z TikTokers, RedNote recently topped the U.S. App Store and ranked third in Switzerland as of January 14, 2025.

Other creators are turning to Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Snap Spotlight. However, questions remain about whether these alternatives can replicate TikTok’s dynamic ecosystem.

Impact on Society

TikTok’s uncertain future in the U.S. could have global consequences. If banned, European users may also experience a decline in content quality and diversity, given the substantial amount of TikTok content originating from U.S.-based creators.

The TikTok community has significantly shaped modern social media culture through innovative trends, educational content, and meaningful discussions on societal issues. While these activities might migrate to other platforms, the distinct dynamism and interactivity of TikTok may be challenging to reproduce.

Potential Solutions

As the ban approaches, discussions about selling TikTok’s U.S. operations are gaining momentum. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is reportedly considering selling TikTok USA to Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). This move could alleviate geopolitical tensions and preserve the platform in the U.S., though concerns about data control and content regulation remain.

Notably, YouTuber and entrepreneur MrBeast has also expressed interest in purchasing TikTok to preserve its creative community. While it’s unclear whether such an offer is viable, it reflects the platform’s significance in the digital landscape.

YouTuber MrBeast expressed interest in buying TikTok.

Competitors like YouTube and Instagram are capitalizing on TikTok’s uncertainty, actively courting its users and advertisers. A TikTok sale could set a precedent for resolving similar regulatory conflicts in other markets, offering a blueprint for navigating platform-specific challenges.

Conclusion

While a potential TikTok ban could disrupt the social media marketing landscape, it also presents opportunities for innovation and diversification. Agencies like Kingfluencers are committed to preparing clients and creators for this potential shift by developing flexible strategies that ensure success on new platforms.

The hope remains that TikTok will continue to be a vital part of the digital ecosystem.

Do you want to learn more or discuss alternative platforms? Do not hesitate to contact us!

Athlete Influencers + Sporting Events = Big Win for Brands

How Brands Can Win Big Partnering with Athlete Influencers During Sporting Events


The summer of 2024 is an exciting time in the world of sports. The success formula is as follows: Athlete Influencers + Sporting Events = Big Win for Brands, and we show you how.

Germany recently hosted EURO 2024, the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship, which wrapped up on 14 July. The 2024 Summer Olympics, 33rd Olympiad, will take place in Paris from 26 July to 11 August. The UCI Road and Para-cycling World Championships will be held in Zurich from 21 September to 29 September. Looking ahead to next summer, Switzerland will host the UEFA European Women’s Championship, from 2 July through 27 July 2025.

Sports are always popular, but people seek additional sports-related content before and during these exciting global events.  We’ll provide tips for how your brand can score a “GOOOOOAAAAALLLL” with sports marketing. (Ha, couldn’t resist!) Throughout the article, we’ll also share Kingfluencers’ 10 best Swiss athlete influencers.

Benefits of Marketing with Sports Influencers & Creators

1. Increase your brand’s visibility

Many athletes create content on their own social media, so followers can enjoy watching their athletic prowess beyond official matches and races. Such athlete influencers are a natural fit with athletic brands, including shoes, apparel, and food and supplements. Followers of sports celebrities often engage in the same sport and therefore purchase the various gear required. Who better to recommend the best ski clothing than Swiss snowboarder Nicolas Huber? In addition to ski apparel brand Oneskee, Nicolas promotes health drinks and the Hürlimannbad & Spa in Zürich. He shares his global adventures, occasionally wearing make up like The Joker, complete with the purple suit. Pat Burgener is also a snowboarder and a two-time Olympian as well as musician and actor. He has worked with brands such as Swatch, FOCUSWATER, and Visa.

Athlete influencers provide brands with a way to stand out from the noise. Influencers give brands a real face that people relate to and help connect to consumers. Kickboxing champion Janosch Nietlispach shares adventures with his family and fitness routines in addition to promoting Gatorade, Migros, and BMW, or as Samsung ambassador, also for the Youth Olympic Games. Professional football player Ana Markovic is also an entrepreneur who is launching her own brand of innovative vegan protein water, RELOADZ.  With Kingfluencers, Ana is part of the Ochsner Shoes annual campaign

As followers enjoy both playing their sport and engaging with the influencers’ content, your brand can benefit from this connection. Athlete influencers can help you engage with their audience, sharing relatable brand messaging and building brand loyalty.

Tamara Glück Gonzalez, Teamlead Influencer Strategy & Relations at Kingfluencers, also states:

“It is highly advisable to integrate athletes into the influencer mix for certain campaigns. They hold significant PR relevance, and their followers, who admire them for their athletic achievements and image, view them as role models. These athletes often have a large reach and a strong connection to their community within their country, making them especially suited for long-term image campaigns. Additionally, their accounts become particularly attractive during sports events, as the momentum can be leveraged with creative storytelling.”

2. Connect with communities you may not reach otherwise

There’s no reason for sports influencers to limit their brand partnerships to the realm of sports. Athletes can be particularly helpful in connecting your brand with communities you may not reach otherwise.

From handbags and skincare to cars and travel, athletes consume many products and services, and their followers are interested in their endorsements and insights. But also values can be transported. For example, swimmer Noam Yaron uses world records in swimming to draw attention to the environmental pollution of the oceans. He has been collaborating with Kingfluencers for many years, including in the yallo campaign or Emmi Caffè Latte. Artistic gymnast and three-time Olympian Giulia Steingruber partners with Zak, the first real Swiss bank on your smartphone, or with Kingfluencers for Granini Hohes C. Swiss sprinter Sarah Atcho-Jaquier and two times Olympian partnered with Kingfluencers for the Gatorade campaign or Soda Stream. Snowboarder and three-time Swiss Olympian David Hablützel shares his athletic adventures as well as humorous content and promotes the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 phone or Dry Migros products. Some athlete influencers also partner with luxury brands. Tennis player and Olympic gold and silver medalist Belinda Bencic has worked with Mercedes and Bongenie Grieder. With Kingfluencers, she has been acting as a brand ambassador for L’Oréal Paris.

Sarah Schmid, Head of Marketing at Kingfluencers, makes aware of the role social media has played in making highlights, storylines, and community more accessible, breaking down barriers and allowing fans to watch any sport through infinite streams and channels:

“Niche communities are the heartbeat of sports marketing. By tapping into these passionate and engaged groups, brands can build authentic connections and drive loyalty that extends far beyond the game. It’s not just about the numbers; it’s about creating meaningful, lasting relationships.”

3. Partner with athlete influencers during major sporting events for a boost

Of course, brands can work with athlete influencers at any time, but partnering with athletes during major sporting events can result in a synergistic boost to your campaign. 

Even though these are competitions, the rivalries are generally friendly, and global audiences watch with good will. The huge visibility of these championship events delivers great opportunities for brands to generate buzz around your product or service in a fun atmosphere, surrounded by people enjoying themselves. #Euro2024 was tagged in more than 1.7 million Instagram posts and two million TikToks.

People also typically enjoy food and drinks while watching a sporting event. Conveniently, a football match lasts as long as Zweifel Chips’ new limited edition 90-minute pack. In a recent campaign, Kingfluencers’ creators demonstrated their creative ways to unbox this perfect snack for friends and family to enjoy together.

Member of the Swiss national women’s football team Alayah Pilgrim has promoted Coca-Cola. With Kingfluencers, she has implemented almost 60 influencer campaigns, including many for L’Oréal as brand ambassador for CeraVe and Garnier Skincare

Brands can also use influencers for pre-event promotions and live event coverage. In addition to excellent audience engagement, this can generate real-time interaction and feedback from fans.

Many major sporting events also stretch across several weeks and reach large worldwide audiences. Content creators can share authentic good vibes and promote your product in a way that doesn’t feel like a promotion. During Euro 2024, former football manager Harry Redknapp worked with LADbible and Walkers Crisps to promote its crisp pint for the summer of football, achieving a 2.51% engagement rate. According to CORQ., Redknapp also teamed up with Sorare to talk about its fantasy football league (0.04% engagement rate).

Digiday recently described Euro 2024 as “a big step change” for the areas advertisers will rely on. In addition to increases in television ad spending, “many brands are increasing their spend on influencer partnerships, and increasing paid social budgets to amplify influencer content and reach viewers on their second screens. That reflects shifts in sports viewing habits since the last Euros, which took place when TikTok was barely a feature in most marketing plans.”

Best Practices Marketing with Sports Influencers: Cross-Platform Activation

Maximize your reach by utilizing various platforms. In addition to social media channels like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter), consider incorporating OOH advertising options and TV. Partnering with Kingfluencers makes it easy to expand your campaigns. Kingfluencers’ TV Spots combine the power of video, TV, and influencer marketing. With our newest partnership and creation of a joint influence media network with Goldbach, we can extend any social media campaign to the content network – including online advertising in networks like 20 Minuten, TV, and even out-of-home, which covers a wide array of advertising options in Switzerland, such as billboards, digital displays, and megaposters.

The Link Between Your Brands & Creators

By working with athlete influencers, you can fuse the excitement of sporting events with authentic brand advocacy. With the proper strategy, the result is a synergy, with the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Kingfluencers serves as a link between brands and creators. Reach out to us to explore how we can help you team up with influencers and creators  – ATHLETES or not –  to build campaigns that amplify your brand messages before, during, or after sports events, ensuring a seamless connection.

Kingfluencers’ 10 Best Swiss Athlete Influencers (no particular order)

  1. Member of the Swiss national women’s football team Alayah Pilgrim has also promoted Garnier skincare and Coca-Cola. With Kingfluencers, she has implemented almost 60 influencer campaigns, including L’Oréal as brand ambassador for CeraVe.
  2. Swiss snowboarder Nicolas Huber shares his global adventures, occasionally made up like The Joker – purple suit included. He works with brands including Oneskee ski apparel, health drinks, and the Hürlimannbad & Spa in Zürich. For Kingfluencers, he will be part of the new MSD campaign that goes live in summer, promoting the importance about HPV knowledge.
  3. Swiss sprinter Sarah Atcho-Jaquierr took part in the 4 × 100 meter relay at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, the 2016 Olympic Games, and the 2017 World Championships in London and partnered with Kingfluencers for the Gatorade campaign or Soda Stream. She also partners with adidas, Maurice Lacroix or Raiffeisen.
  4. David Hablützel is also a snowboarder and three-time Swiss Olympian and shares his athletic adventures along with humorous content. Dave promotes the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 phone and Chiefs’ vitamin milk. For Kingfluencers, he did a cool brand activation for the Dry Migros Campaign
  5. Professional footballer Ana Markovic is also an entrepreneur who is launching her own brand of innovative vegan protein water, RELOADZ. For Kingfluencers, Ana is part of the Ochsner Shoes annual campaign

6. Kickboxing champion Janosch Nietlispach shares fitness routines, adventures with his family, and promotes different brands from BMW to Nivea personal care products. With Kingfluencers he has implemented over 70 campaigns, including as Samsung ambassador, also for the Youth Olympic Games, for comparis, Gatorade, and Migros.

7. Swimmer Noam Yaron uses world records in swimming to draw attention to the environmental pollution of the oceans. He has been collaborating with Kingfluencers for many years, including in the yallo campaign or Emmi Caffè Latte.

8. Tennis player and Olympic gold and silver medalist Belinda Bencic has worked with Mercedes and Bongenie Grieder. For Kingfluencers, she was part of multiple L’Oréal Paris campaigns.

9. Pat Burgener is a snowboarder and two-time Olympian as well as musician and actor. He has worked with brands such as Swatch, FOCUSWATER, and Visa.

10. Artistic gymnast and three-time Olympian Giulia Steingruber partners with Zak, the first real Swiss bank on your smartphone. With Kingfluencers, she was part of the Granini Hohes C campaign.

Finance Influencers Provide Education Consumers Are Clamoring For

Brands in industries like fashion, beauty, and travel have worked with influencers for years now to give their brands a real face that people relate to, stand out from the noise, and connect to consumers. People are increasingly turning to social media for guidance on a wide variety of topics, including finance. A “finfluencer” is an influencer who creates finance-related content that advises consumers on topics such as personal finance, stock market trading, and mutual funds.

Rise in Self-Directed Investing

“DIY” is an increasingly popular approach to investing. Inyova conducted one of the largest Swiss research projects on investment habits to date. When asked, “Who manages your investments?” 55% selected, “I manage it myself.”

Unfortunately, self-directed investing isn’t always conducted with a solid data-based strategy. According to a survey commissioned by the German financial regulator BaFin, 30% of people under 40 had invested money using “copy trading” in the past two years (copying the trading strategies of supposedly successful investors.)

There has been very little financial education geared toward helping the average consumer get up to speed, leaving people struggling with a lack of financial literacy. Finfluencers have been stepping in to fill this need. The Financial Times writes, “A jump in self-directed investing has been partly propelled by a surge in the sway of financial influencers.

Cynthia Hofmann, Senior Marketing Manager at PostFinance: We have noticed a growing interest in financial topics at PostFinance. This has been particularly evident in recent years with the increased focus on “women and finance”. At the same time, the crypto boom has also awakened young people’s interest in financial matters. The availability of numerous neobanks, which are primarily accessible via apps, has made banking simpler and cheaper. For example, pension accounts or funds can be opened with just a few clicks, often on more favorable terms than with traditional banks. The rising cost of living is also forcing many people to take a closer look at financial matters.

Significant Need for Financial Guidance

Income, assets, and savings rates have increased in Switzerland in recent years. According to a ZHAW study, three-quarters of Swiss people also feel comfortable with their financial situation. However, a staggering 44% of Swiss people have never made financial investment, despite 86% of Swiss people being willing to save and plan. 70% state their reason for not investing is a lack of financial literacy. 

Brands can fill this gap by serving as that trusted source of knowledge, which can empower consumers to feel comfortable making investments. By partnering with an established finfluencer, brands can benefit from their accessibility, trust, and reach to educate their target audience and turn them into customers.

Significant Need for Financial Guidance

Income, assets, and savings rates have increased in Switzerland in recent years. According to a ZHAW study, three-quarters of Swiss people also feel comfortable with their financial situation. However, a staggering 44% of Swiss people have never made financial investment, despite 86% of Swiss people being willing to save and plan. 70% state their reason for not investing is a lack of financial literacy. 

Brands can fill this gap by serving as that trusted source of knowledge, which can empower consumers to feel comfortable making investments. By partnering with an established finfluencer, brands can benefit from their accessibility, trust, and reach to educate their target audience and turn them into customers.

Finance Chat is Taboo

How to manage and grow your personal wealth can be a complex topic, one which many people are uncomfortable discussing. Only 26% of respondents to the ZHAW study would like to talk about finance, even with good acquaintances.These substantial gaps in both investments, finance knowledge, and trusted sources of advice represent huge opportunities for brands that can help educate consumers. Influencers who provide easily digestible pieces of content can help audiences gradually climb the learning curve.

Finfluencers Provide Needed Advice

Many influencers are already supporting their followers’ journeys to financial wellness for free. According to an October 2021 Bloomberg article, “Wall Street ‘finfluencers’ are earning more than bankers.” For example, UK-based “Self-made millionaire” Mark Tilbury provides “money and success tips” to 7.1M followers on TikTok and 2.25M subscribers on YouTube.

With people hungry for insights and guidance, finfluencers such as Faares Quadri can grow large followings. Quadri has over 2.7M followers on TikTok where he breaks common financial concepts and instruments down and walks his audience through the specifics. 

ellexx founder Patrizia Laeri shared her views on the advantage of finfluencers compared to traditional financial education: “At ellexx, we comprehensively empower women financially and guide them without any financial jargon, always at eye level with lovingly designed, appealing, and stirring articles, research, checklists, and tools.”

The SIX Group, which operates the infrastructure for Swiss financial centers including the Swiss exchange, has recognized the value of finfluencers. SIX asked Swiss financial bloggers, Stefan Huser, Melina Scheuber, Reto Stalder and Fabio Marchesin to participate in a panel discussion at the 2022 BörsenTalk Flagship Event with the mission of introducing the audience to their “infotainment” work. The group shared origin stories and discussed various, sometimes controversial, topics such as the tension between independence and commerce, and why the most important blog articles are not the most successful.

Cynthia Hofmann, Senior Marketing Manager at PostFinance: Finfluencers have become a central figure in the field of financial education. With information flooding the internet, they differentiate themselves through their independence and reputation for neutral opinion. This makes them a valued resource for many individuals. In contrast to traditional banks, which are often perceived as distant, finfluencers communicate in a way that is familiar to their followers.

Financial Feminism

The Inyova survey found that 65% of Swiss women have never invested, compared to just 20% of men – a fact that numerous finfluencers are working to rectify. This social shift inspired the establishment of companies like ellexx universe AG, who are focusing on closing the gender investment gap by encouraging women to learn to invest. The fintech company offers coaching, money hacks courses, checklists, financial products, and daily articles. 

Kingfluencers asked Patrizia Laeri about the increasing public interest in finance. “When we launched our platform two and a half years ago, ‘women and finance’ were hardly a topic in Switzerland. Now, more and more traditional banks are jumping on the bandwagon, trying to appeal to women. However, their executive boards and boards of directors remain predominantly male. This is ‘pinkwashing’ and not credible. In Western Europe and North America, women control 75 percent of purchasing decisions. Consumption means influence. And investing means even greater influence. Nonetheless, a lot has changed. The topic is present and the offerings for women are increasing. ”

Finfluencers Must be Credible

All influencers must disclose when posts are paid brand promotions, but financial content brings added complexity. Stylish influencers can recommend products such as eyeglasses, food, and makeup, sharing their photos and recipes. Exaltations that a product is comfortable, delicious, or beautiful are all personal opinions, but finfluencers are making statements which could be factually incorrect, particularly if they run afoul of investing laws.

Sortlist surveyed 1,000 users who follow health and financial influencers to understand their impact on purchasing decisions compared to the recommendations of experts from those sectors. 

1 in 5 users trust influencers more than their doctors and financial advisors. 46.51% of German respondents said that the help of financial influencers had a positive impact on their investment decisions.

The Sortlist study described the role specialists and influencers can both play in helping communities. “Overall, the easy access to influencers makes them the ideal source of inspiration, sparking the first desire to change lifestyle or develop a routine.” People turn to professionals for more details as well as the personalized service they can provide.

Money expert Tori Dunlap is a successful, inspiring finfluencer who doesn’t have a traditional financial background. Tori founded Her First $100K with a mission of leading the financial feminist movement. With a best-selling book, popular podcast, social media campaigns, and live speaking engagements, Tori and her team guide audiences through making more, spending less, and feeling financially confident.

Tips for Working with Finfluencers

Kingfluencers recently wrote about how to select and work with an expert influencer. When considering partnering with any influencer, it’s important to view their track record. With experts, including finfluencers, you should additionally evaluate their formal credentials. Do they have the requisite education?

Formal certifications give a finfluencer more credibility. However, a variety of laws cover what financial advice finance professionals are permitted to give publicly. Many finfluencers are simply individuals proficient in personal finance. In this landscape, it’s difficult for brands to determine who would be a good potential partner. Working with an experienced influencer marketing agency like Kingfluencers substantially lowers your risk of collaborating with someone short on credibility and ending up in a PR disaster.Brands may also want to consider providing some compliance training for finfluencers prior to campaign kick-off. CFA advises, “Investment companies that use finfluencers should provide them with compliance training if not already doing so and ensure that finfluencers clearly disclose when they are promoting content or are sponsored.”

Brands Succeed Partnering with Finfluencers

CFA took a deep dive into the world of finfluencers and wrote that some financial firms are hiring finfluencers to engage with young investors (those aged 18–25). The NAGA platform, a German fintech company, says it cooperates with up to a hundred finfluencers.

In India, the top finfluencers have more YouTube subscribers than new-age broking firms. Considering India’s low financial literacy rate of 27%, these content creators play a vital role in educating citizens. Leading broking firms are engaging popular finfluencers to reach out to potential investors.

A Swiss Success Story

Credit Suisse is a recent Kingfluencers success story with CSX App, a secure remote banking solution

  • Impressions: More than 2.2 M
  • Reach: More than 1.3 M
  • Engagement-Rate: 3.2%
  • The campaign reached 3.7k link clicks

Mobiliar with combining a creative contest with Influencer Marketing.

  • Impressions: More than 500 K
  • Reach: +26% vs forecasted
  • The inclusion of the creative contest generated more than 80k website visits.

Generali insurance’s podcast episode about women and pension.

  • Impressions: More than 240 K
  • Reach: More than 130 K
  • The campaign reached +70% vs forecasted on link clicks.

 View the case study to see successful campaigns from numerous Kingfluencers’ clients in the banking and insurance sectors.

Trends Guide 2024 Q2

Top 5 digital marketing trends for Q2 2024 and how to quickly join in

Influencer marketing and beyond

Welcome back to the second installment of our quarterly Digital Marketing Trends Guide. We’ve investigated the latest trends and shared how you can leverage them to engage with our audiences and build digital brand equity.

Here are our top 5 digital marketing trends for Q2 2024 you need to know about:

  1. SOCIAL MEDIA AS SEARCH ENGINE
  2. TRADITIONAL SECTORS EVOLVE THEIR MARKETING
  3. VIRTUAL EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES
  4. BACK TO BASICS WITH RAW CONTENT
  5. SHORT FORM SERIES

Eager to learn more? Check out the full digital marketing trends for 2024 Q2 and download our Trends Guide below!

Trends Guide 2024 Q2

Questions? Reach out to us anytime. Click here to find out more about our Digital Influence Programs and our expertise within the field and beyond.

Expert Influencers Raise Your Brand’s Credibility: Why & How to Work with Them

We’ve written often about the importance of authenticity and credibility. Expert influencers are uniquely suited to help elevate your brand’s credibility. We’ll explain what expert influencers are, how they differ from their traditional counterparts, and how to select and work with them.

What are Expert Influencers?

Experts are people with extensive knowledge and/or skills in one particular area. They’re viewed as authorities, but may not always have the largest social media following. With extensive professional acumen, experts are typically informative more than aspirational.

Focused on their primary area of study or practice, they may not often engage in activities that build an audience on purpose, such as posting new content frequently and following trends. Even experts with a smaller following can be valuable partners, as they lend their credibility to your brand, helping you gain trust from your audience.

Fabio A. Marchesin, better known as Finanzfabio, said, “As an expert financial planner, I feel a certain pressure to create more added value and, above all, to provide correct information. My aim is to create a clean basis and then go into more depth to provide thought processes that no one else can offer. While my work is intended to serve non-professionals, my colleagues in the financial sector also find it useful for further training or exam preparation.”

Quality Over Quantity – Expertise is More Important Than Follower Count

Many brands partner with celebrity influencers in order to reach millions while gaining the personal endorsement of a popular individual. However, some consumers have become disillusioned with outmoded influencers who can be artificial and unrelatable while excessively pushing products. According to Trustpilot, celebrity influencers have the lowest level of trust among consumers – two-thirds (67% in the US and 65% in the UK) describe their level of trust in this source of information as ‘low’.

Expert influencers can serve as an antidote. 41% of consumers trust expert reviews, whereas only 13% trust advertising.

Veronica Kiriak, Doctor and Content Creator, shared her views on how brands and followers have different expectations of experts as compared to classic creators. “As a doctor and influencer at the same time, you have to act a little differently than classic creators. I choose my collaboration partners very carefully and always pay attention to legal and medical principles. Brands often place particular value on the authenticity of my medical expertise, while my followers are primarily looking for reliable information. It requires a balance to meet the expectations of both sides.”

How Do Expert Influencers Help Brands?

Collaborating with people who bring the credibility of formal education and expert credentials can help brands stand out, and can be particularly advantageous in the beauty industry. As marketer Polly Petrova writes “the beauty sector has become more cautious when it comes to collaborating with influencers. It seems the industry is trying to lessen the ‘influence’ of influencers.”

Many beauty influencers post their personal daily skincare routines and preferred brands. However, a dermatologist brings exceptional credibility, with a trustworthiness that’s hard to beat. Dr. Liv Kraemer shares best and easy #skincare routine tips with her more than 243K TikTok followers. Dr. Liv also sells products made in Switzerland that she developed inspired by decades of dermatology insight.

When partnering with an expert, your brand benefits from their credibility in addition to gaining access to their audience. Experts can be especially skilled at explaining complex concepts and bringing clarity to technical jargon. “Finanz Fabio” provides financial education on his podcast and shares podcast snippets on TikTok, along with street interviews he conducts.

Expert influencers also fulfill the need for industry-specific knowledge that B2B buyers have throughout lengthy, complex sales processes.

Experts Influencers Continue Working in Their Profession

For many traditional influencers, social media content creation and brand partnerships are their primary sources of income. OTOH, experts make a living with careers distinct from social media. For example, dermatologist Dr. Liv still sees patients in her clinic and Fabio provides personal financial consulting services.

Continuing to work in their profession means expert influencers:

  • Keep their knowledge current
  • Have new real-world experiences
  • Must maintain a positive reputation

The need to maintain their reputation prevents experts from promoting brands they don’t believe in, further strengthening their trustworthiness with audiences. Regardless of what percentage of their income is generated by content creation, their influencer career relies on their professional credibility. It’s not worth risking any threat to that credibility for a questionable brand partnership.

Veronica Kiriak said, “My content creation process requires more research to ensure my medical statements are accurate. At the same time, I try to present the information in an entertaining and accessible way to keep my community’s attention. I have high expectations of myself, especially in terms of the quality and accuracy of my medical advice. It’s important to be transparent when it comes to the boundaries of my expertise and to always create a safe space for questions from my followers.”

How to Select and Work with an Expert Influencer

1. Start with your Marketing Goals

We’ve discussed how expert influencers differ from their traditional counterparts, but when partnering with any influencer, your goal is still to build digital brand equity. While some aspects may differ, it’s important not to abandon your existing processes for building successful campaigns.

Alter your Influencer Evaluation Criteria & Examine Their Credentials

When considering partnering with any influencer, it’s important to view their track record. With experts, you should additionally evaluate their formal credentials. Do they have the requisite education? Are they certified with the relevant board, such as with surgeons and architects? Can you confirm that after obtaining both the education and credentials, they also have real-world experience working in the field? 

2. Pitch Your Brand to the Expert

Considering their need to carefully guard their reputation, experts can be particularly discerning about the brands they work with. You may have to invest time in selling your brand to the expert. This could involve a more detailed, technical analysis of your product, such as examining ingredients or production processes.

3. Be Flexible with Payment Structure & Recognize Added Value

Again, brand promotions aren’t their primary focus, so you may need to compensate experts with a different type of payment structure. Scrunch advises, “…they might be more expensive as you are really purchasing their time, experience, and credibility. Almost think of it as paying a consultant, rather than an influencer.” The value you receive from working with an expert extends beyond access to their community. Your brand earns a seal of approval from a knowledgeable expert. These engagements might also be longer term.

4. Maximize Use of Their Expertise

Instead of asking them to merely promote your product, think of additional ways their expertise can benefit your brand. Ask them to sit for an interview, speak at a conference or webinar, write a blog with their top tips, or provide feedback on your new product innovations.

5. Make the Content Keep Working for you

Increase the value of these collaborations with performance marketing (boosting content to reach even higher KPIs). Consider multi-touch attribution models and use every channel strategically.

Get Started with the Best Expert Influencer Matches for Your Brand

As the leading full-service influencer marketing agency in Switzerland and beyond, Kingfluencers can help you select and collaborate with influencers of all types, whether B2C, B2B, expert, or traditional. We help give brands a real face that people relate to, stand out from the noise, and connect to consumers. 

Trends Guide 2024 Q1

Top 5 digital marketing trends for Q1 2024 and how to adopt to build brand equity.

Influencer marketing and beyond

At Kingfluencers, we’re fortunate to work in a dynamic industry that’s constantly evolving. We often leverage new approaches to help our clients engage with their audiences and build digital brand equity. In this new, quarterly trends guide, we’ll investigate the latest trends and – most importantly – how you can adopt them.

Here are our top 5 digital marketing trends for Q1 2024 you need to know about:

  1. AR MARKETING IS MERGING DIGITAL EXPERIENCES WITH REAL-LIFE
  2. ART INSTALLATION ADVERTISING: LEVERAGE THE CREATIVE EDGE OF ART INSTALLATIONS FOR ORGANIC PR
  3. THE POTENTIAL OF VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS
  4. BRANDS ENGAGING AND BUILDING CONNECTIONS: COMPANY MASCOT TURNED INFLUENCER
  5. LEARNING NEW WAYS TO WORK THROUGH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Eager to learn more? Check out the full digital marketing trends for 2024 Q1 and download our Trends Guide below!

Questions? Reach out to us anytime. Click here to find out more about our Digital Influence Programs and our expertise within the field and beyond.

Beyond Influence: The Powerful Opportunities within Digital Influence

At Kingfluencers, we understand that influencer marketing is part of a much bigger field. We encourage brands to think beyond influence to digital brand equity. In this blog series, we’ll cover how brands can establish, strengthen, and grow long-term brand equity through digital influence programs. First, we’ll explain what we mean by that and what lies beyond traditional influence.

What is Digital Brand Equity?

Digital brand equity is the value of brand recognition and brand perception in the digital space. Digital brand equity is a core pillar to competitive advantage. It has a positive influence on people’s purchasing decisions and is a key determinant of the brand’s overall success. 

→ Defining factors for a brand’s digital equity include:

digital brand equity

What is Digital Influence?

Digital influence is the online equivalent of brand equity. It refers to a brand’s ability to affect and strengthen people’s perceptions, opinions, preferences, and decisions related to your brand versus competing ones. Digital influence is the ability of a brand to take ownership of the influence they have to impact perceptions and – most importantly– decisions.

Like digital brand equity, digital influence is a key determinant of the brand’s overall success. Digital influence strategies enhance your brand’s ability to take that control and ownership to shape perceptions. It is a means to an end. You can build digital brand equity through a variety of digital branding and influencer strategies.

By impacting decisions, you can drive revenue by encouraging people to:

  • Purchase your brand over competitors by building competitive advantage and elevating brand preference
  • Increase expenditures through upgrades and additional purchases
  • Remain loyal customers over time to increase customer loyalty, generate more revenue, and improve profitability
  • Recommend your brand to their friends by sparking intrinsic advocacy and strengthening your brand community
  • Work for your brand, enabling you to recruit and retain the best employees and strengthen your employer branding
digital presence

Digital Influence = Huge Component of Overall Brand Equity

For many brands, the majority of customer interactions take place online. That means your digital influence is nearly synonymous with brand equity. Simply put, what people think of you online is what people think of you. Those brands who master their digital brand equity as first movers will gain an immense advantage and outperform their competitors moving forward.

Beyond Social Media

An influencer posts a positive review of your brand on Instagram. A content creator features your product in an entertaining TikTok.

Great! 

Influencer campaigns are excellent tactics for increasing awareness and connecting with your audience.

But that’s just it… they’re tactics – individual components of what must be a larger strategy in order to really make a long-lasting impact. So, what separates effective brands from those throwing campaigns at the wall and hoping something sticks?

How Can Brands Build a Foundation of Digital Influence?

A brand’s equity depends on your visibility, how you’re perceived, and your ability to connect in consistent ways to your audiences in today’s complex digital ecosystem.

Consumers rank trust as a top buying consideration. 81% need to trust a brand to consider buying from it. Nielsen reported that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family, and 70% trust online reviews from strangers. A strong digital presence and positive online reputation can help strengthen brand equity, in turn influencing purchasing decisions.

Consumer checking out a brand on social media

Proper digital influence strategies and tactics draw their inherent power from word of mouth (WoM) marketing principles. Building digital influence involves magnifying and elevating the impact of WoM through digital amplification. Digital influence enables brands to turn a 1:1 process into 1:many while maintaining credibility. Shifting from one to many amplifies a brand’s influence, which drives exponential gains, making digital influence extremely powerful.

Digital influence programs must focus on strengthening the brand’s digital presence and thereby positively influencing brand awareness and perception. 

consumer browsing on social media

The Amplification Effect

Individual marketing initiatives, such as SEO, can give your brand a boost. But the most powerful strategies work collaboratively to amplify one another.

With numerous people-centric tactics focused on advocacy, WoM, and authentic storytelling, you can achieve an amplification effect. More people will discuss your brand, activate audiences and communities, building more intrinsic advocacy and WoM from consumers and partners. Like the famous “Flywheel” model, customers become advocates and promoters who feed growth as they move through the phases of attract, engage, and delight.

Key Components of Building Digital Brand Equity

A strong foundation must run deep and wide. 

Doing these following things well and for enough time will improve your brand reputation and drive increased online visibility. You’ll be able to increase knowledge of your brand, and impact perceptions of your brand versus others.

  • Use your existing brand equity

Make use of the equity you already have. Build upon your brand’s reputation and standing in the market. Get ahead of the narrative and consistently convey your brand’s unique selling propositions.

  • Be consistent

Have consistent, coherent messages across all digital channels. Those messages should also be in line with consumers’ offline experiences. Consistency is key. 41% of consumers say branding (messaging) consistency defines brand loyalty.

  • Run people-centric campaigns

The participation of numerous voices, along with a consistent story, helps create positive digital brand equity and therefore digital influence. Work with multiple advocates and storytellers who can promote your brand authentically, including employees and senior leadership. Capture and make use of user-generated content.

  • Harness the power of advocacy & word of mouth

Advocacy is a key ingredient. Consider personal branding and working with corporate ambassadors. With an integrated approach, you can take control of the narrative surrounding your brand and boost competitive advantage and growth. 

An effective digital influence program will include multiple tracks such as social media, influencer marketing, brand and corporate ambassadors, personal branding, content creation, including UGC, and performance marketing. While these tracks can each deliver results independently, a program is stronger when they’re all in alignment. More to come in part 2!

The Top 50 Social Media Marketing Agencies in Switzerland

Switzerland’s Social Media Marketing Landscape

Switzerland has a number of agencies that can help you grow your brand by managing and optimizing your social media marketing efforts. Choosing the right agency, however, can be challenging. While many agencies offer similar services, factors such as experience, communication quality, and strategic approach can make a significant difference in your results.

At Kingfluencers, we understand that selecting the right agency is an important decision. That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive guide to the top social media marketing agencies in Switzerland, categorized by city. We also highlight agencies specializing in influencer marketing, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook marketing.

If we’ve missed an agency that should be on this list, please reach out to us!

3 important criteria for choosing a good social media marketing agency

Here’s a checklist you can use to pick the best agency to work with:

  1. Experience. When choosing a social media marketing agency, make sure they have enough experience working with clients. Ask for their client portfolio to see past projects they’ve completed. It’s easy to simply call yourself an agency and go into business – actually getting results in the real world is something different.
  2. Services offered. Check if the agency is providing the exact services you’ll need. Often you’ll have a specific kind of social media campaign in mind to grow your brand. You want them to be able to achieve your goal.
  3. Price. While it’s generally not a good idea to just look at the price and go for the cheapest option, you still might want to shop around before deciding on a social media marketing agency to work with. It’s important to only pay for services that’ll actually benefit you. If you can have the agency tailor the campaign to work only on what’s essential, you might be able to stay within budget more easily while reaping all the rewards.

How Do Social Media Marketing Agencies Work?

A good agency will tailor a social media marketing strategy to your brand’s needs. This involves:

  • Developing organic and paid campaigns tailored to your industry.
  • Creating, scheduling, and publishing engaging content.
  • Managing community interactions and customer service through social media channels.
  • Analyzing performance metrics such as engagement, reach, and return on investment (ROI) to optimize campaigns.

By working with a social media agency, you gain access to their expertise, tools, and industry insights, ultimately saving time and improving results.

The best social media marketing agencies in Zurich

Zurich has by far the most social media marketing agencies of any city in Switzerland – which makes sense with it being a hub for business in the region. You’ll find everything from small start-ups to big agencies that have been around for decades.

Following are the best social media marketing agencies in Zurich, Switzerland:

Basel’s top social media marketing agencies

If you’re looking for an agency in Basel to help you with your social media marketing efforts, there’s multiple to choose from. 

Some of these have been in business for over 10 or even 20 years. While certain agencies focus on social media marketing, many are full-service agencies providing help with all sorts of digital marketing tasks. 

Here are the best social media marketing agencies in Basel:

The top social media marketing agencies in Bern

Bern boasts a number of high-quality social media marketing agencies as well. 

Some of these, like ads&figures, are known for services such as Google Ads – but they’re equally talented in social media marketing. As another Swiss city with great marketing expertise, you’ll surely find an agency who can create a campaign to your exact needs. 

The most well-known ones are:

St. Gallen’s premier social media marketing agencies

Getting into some of the smaller cities in Switzerland, the marketplace for marketing services will become a bit smaller as well. Yet, there’s still a number of agencies in St. Gallen that are worth your business. 

The best social media marketing agencies we’ve found in the city of St. Gallen are the following:

Best social media marketing agencies in Winterthur

In Winterthur you’ll find a small number of Swiss agencies specializing in social media marketing. Some of these are well-established and have been around for a long time. 

As always, it pays to shop around and compare different agencies with regards to expertise, services and pricing. 

Here are the top social media marketing agencies in Winterthur:

The top social media marketing agencies in Romandie – Genf, Lausanne, Fribourg

If you’re looking for social media marketing services in the Romandie region, you’ll be able to find several agencies who can provide those for you. 

If you don’t like what you see in one city, you might have to check out the next. But overall there’s still a wealth of options, so in the end you should be able to find the one who can carry out your social media campaign to your satisfaction.

The best social media agencies in the Romandie region of Switzerland (Genf, Lausanne and Fribourg) are:

Are you looking for specialized agencies? See our list below!

Influencer Marketing Agencies in Switzerland

Instagram Marketing Agencies in Switzerland

TikTok Marketing Agencies in Switzerland

Facebook Marketing Agencies in Switzerland

Wrapping up

There’s at least 50 social media marketing agencies in Switzerland worth mentioning, and among them you’re sure to find the perfect one for your own campaigns. 

As was to be expected, Zurich has the most choice when it comes to social media agencies. It’s also where Kingfluencers is based. 

So if you’re in Zurich and looking for a reputable agency to help you with your social media marketing, don’t hesitate to contact us at Kingfluencers. With our large portfolio of successful client work, we have the experience and skills to multiply your results on social media. 

Make sure to check out our social media services.


How to Become An Influencer in 2025 [Success Roadmap]


Influencer marketing is an important marketing strategy that continues to grow. It is no longer limited to a select few businesses or agencies, but has become a marketing channel accessible to all brands.

As of 2021, the global influencer marketing market value had more than doubled since 2019, standing at around 13.8 billion U.S. dollars.

More brands recognize the power of influencer marketing and seek out influencers who can help them generate meaningful connections with their target audience. 

That means more opportunities for influencers – for you – to make money!

If you’re looking to become an influencer, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll go over the steps of becoming an influencer one by one. Keep reading to begin your journey to becoming an influencer.

Table of Contents

  • Is becoming a social media influencer the right choice for you?
  • Ask these questions before you decide to become an influencer
  • How to get started as an influencer
  • How to brand yourself as an influencer
  • How to establish authority as an influencer
  • How to work as an influencer
  • How to grow and remain popular after you’ve become an influencer
  • How to get paid as an influencer
  • Conclusion

Is becoming a social media influencer the right choice for you?

Becoming a social media influencer sounds like a great career choice – let’s find out if it’s really the right one for you.

Are you excited about making a difference?

If you become an influencer, you have an opportunity to leave your imprint on the world. You decide which causes to support, be it sustainable brands or charitable businesses. You can use your influence to spread your positive values to the world.

Would you love to have a community of people who rally around you?

If you have no problem standing in the spotlight and taking responsibility for your loyal followers, becoming a professional influencer could be perfect for you. 

Would you like the financial freedom of working for yourself? 

To not be tied down by rigid work hours or office dress codes, or having to stay in one place all the time?

Becoming an influencer can allow you to turn something you are passionate about into a career, basically getting paid to make content about something you enjoy.

Sounds like a good plan! That’s the promise that becoming an influencer holds. 

But…

Ask these questions before you decide to become an influencer

Of course, all these benefits do not simply appear because you’ve decided that you’re going to do this. 

Understand that if you become an influencer, you are turning yourself into a business. If you are serious about earning the benefits, you have to be serious about the work, too!

So, before you start, please ask yourself the following questions:

Are you willing to do what it takes?

As an influencer, you’re going to have to do a lot of tasks: 

  • Creating your strategy
  • Dressing up 
  • Filming your content 
  • Editing 
  • Writing captions 
  • Scheduling your content
  • Publishing 
  • Engaging with your audience
  • Promoting and managing your brand
  • Networking and reaching out

and much more. All this will take you a lot of time! 

Food Influencer

Are you willing to make that investment?

Will you have the patience that’s required to grow your brand?

Again, it will take time to grow your followers and build up an empire – your piece of the web – as an influencer. That’s where you’ll need the patience to keep executing your strategy and keep publishing, even when your audience is not yet as big as you want it to be.

Do you have the passion and motivation to keep serving your audience?

If you want to be an influencer who is successful long-term, you need to find a way to stay motivated – you owe it to your followers. 

You can do this if you have passion for the topic you’re making content about and you genuinely want to help and entertain the audience. 

Ask yourself: Is that you?

What will it take for you to make enough money to be able to make this a full time gig, or at least a solid side hustle?

Be realistic and set a sensible goal – and you won’t be caught off-guard later when the numbers don’t match what you were hoping for right away.

The influencers we’re working with are making on average at least CHF 200 per sponsored post. 

(This is if you have several thousand engaged followers who love you, and you manage to connect with brands who feel that your content is a good fit.)

Now you can do the math and see how much work it would take to make the income that you’re aiming for. Of course, as you grow your reach and your authority, you will be able to command higher rates.

What type of influencer do you want to be? Nano, Micro, Macro, or Mega?

In influencer marketing, bigger isn’t always better. 

Brands are starting to see the value of smaller influencers – they have higher engagement and the trust of their followers. 

This means that even as a smaller influencer, you will be able to get brand deals that make you good money.

“The findings of four experimental studies show that micro-influencers (those who have 10,000 to 100,000 followers) are more persuasive than mega-influencers (those who have more than 1 million followers) because endorsements by micro-influencers (versus mega-influencers) bestow higher perceptions of authenticity on the endorsed brand, which ‘rubs off’ from the perceptions regarding influencer authenticity.” https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913367.2021.1980470

The different sizes of influencer you could become are:

Nano-influencer:
Under 5k followers. 
This is where you will probably start out. 
Examples: Debora Sarai in the DIY and home niche. Alenis Lima in the beauty/fashion and lifestyle niche.

Micro-influencer:
5k-100k followers. 
Examples: Adela Smajic in the Beauty/fashion, lifestyle and travel niche. Alayah Pilgrim in the sports, health and fitness niche. Carlo Janka in the sports, outdoors and family niche. 

Macro-influencer:
100k-1m followers. 
As your following grows, more opportunities will come in, but it will also take more time and effort to manage your brand. 
Examples: Kevin Lütolf in the fashion and technology niche. Zoë Pastelle in the fashion and entertainment niche. Zeki aka Zekisworld in the comedy and automotive niche.

Mega-influencer:
Over 1 million followers. 

These are typically actors, musicians, and other A-list celebrities. 

Your content might never get you into this category (and maybe you don’t even want that), but if you do, hey, good luck! Also, you might make up to $1 million per sponsored post

Examples: Daniela Pintto in the lifestyle and mumlife niche. Marco aka swiss.beautiful_ in the landscape, outdoors, travel niche. Alisha Lehmann in the sports and travel niche.

Have you answered these questions to clarify what lies ahead on your path to becoming an influencer on social media? 

Then you’re ready to get started!

We’ve created this roadmap to help you on your way, and to get you to the point where you can call this your job! Maybe you’ll even end up working with us in the future. Let’s dive into your journey.

How to get started as an influencer

Travel Influencer

Find your niche

We recommend that when you start your career on social media, you pick a niche. It makes sense to narrow down quite a bit. 

What does that mean? 

Especially in the beginning, you want to be known for your work in a specific space. That way, your audience will associate you with this space as you post more about it.

People are more likely to follow you if they know what to expect from your content. 

Focus and fine-tune your niche, and it will be much easier to grow your followers and be seen as an expert in that niche.

Now, what niche should you pick?

Passion & Knowledge

If you have an existing passion – maybe even a good level of experience and skill – you could pick that to give yourself a head start and be more motivated to create content around that niche.

Popularity and Monetizability

From a business standpoint, it makes sense to find a niche that is trending or at least growing steadily and in which brands are willing to spend money to advertise. 

We have compiled ten of the most popular and profitable social media niches for you below:

  • 1. Technology
  • 2. Fashion
  • 3. Health & Fitness
  • 4. Food & Cooking
  • 5. Business & Making Money
  • 6. Lifestyle
  • 7. Beauty
  • 8. Parenting
  • 9. Pets
  • 10. Travel

Find the one that aligns with your interests and knowledge, is popular and monetizable, and has an audience that you could engage with long term.

Choose the right platform to start

Which platform should you become an influencer on? 

We recommend you start on just one platform – preferably the one where your audience spends the most time – so that you can focus and grow your following most effectively. 

Of course, you can expand your business later and join multiple other platforms!

Try to understand who your audience is first:

  • Which age group are you targeting with your influencing campaign?
  • What’s their average income level?
  • What’s their gender, percentage-wise?
  • What’s their family situation?
  • What are their hobbies and interests?
  • Which circles and communities are they in?

The answers to these will guide you towards the platform you could start out on. As an example, if you’re in the knitting niche, you could start posting on Pinterest. If you’re a gamer, start a Twitch account. Model trains, Facebook. Etc. This information changes over time, and there are many factors to consider in selecting the right platform. 

Following is a quick snapshot of which platforms make the most sense for you to be on as an influencer, depending on your niche:

Facebook:
Widest adoption among all demographics, but is trending older, and a wealthier audience. Good for niches that have a middle-aged audience.

Twitter:
Good for more intellectual niches such as writing, business, and self-improvement.

LinkedIn:
The #1 platform if you want to become an influencer in the world of business and money making.

Pinterest:
Mostly female audience. Perfect for arts & crafts, among others.

Instagram:
A very visual platform that is perfect for many niches, including fashion, travel, food, and pets. The audience is slightly younger.

TikTok:
Has the youngest audience. But the platform is now also becoming more interesting for older generations. Best if you are focused on your specific audience, and you are able to capitalize on trends. 

Social Media Platforms

Prepare your profile

After you’ve picked your niche and the platform you’re going to start out on, you’ll need to create and optimize your social media profile.

Switch to a business account

If you want to be an influencer, you should upgrade to a business account because it gives you a lot more possibilities – namely for analytics and monetization. You can create a business account in the profile settings of most networks, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

Create a fantastic bio

When someone visits your profile, the first thing they see is your bio. You want to make sure you’re making a great first impression! 

Your biography should explain your narrative in a compelling way. It should also include all relevant information about you, such as your full name, address, phone number, and areas of expertise.  

Add a profile pic and banner/cover photo

You should also include a profile photo and a cover photo, as these are crucial components of your own brand identification. 

People frequently recognize a social network profile by its profile photo, so choose one carefully. Also, make sure your face is visible, and the photo is high quality.

How to brand yourself as an influencer

What is your influencer personality? You should be able to pin-point the qualities and characteristics that set you apart from others in your niche on social media. People like to follow someone who has a strong and interesting personality.

It doesn’t mean you have to invent a new personality for yourself. 

Ideally, you authentically express what’s interesting and special about you. Of course, with social media, you will want to emphasize the most compelling aspects of your personality, but you should never be fake. 

Simply go more into what already makes you special naturally.

Your personal brand

You also want to be thinking about creating your personal brand. This means you take your influencer personality and your angle on content and turn it into a recognizable brand.

How do you create your personal brand and make it stand out?

  • Convey a similar vibe with images and videos: They are created in a similar way, use the same filters etc.
  • Purposely use your own, consistent color scheme in your profile and your marketing materials.
  • Have your own way of talking and addressing your followers in your content and captions – brand tone is consistent
  • Have a special name for your followers
  • Create a logo and slogan that people recognize instantly
  • And most importantly, your personal brand is telling a story – one that is compelling and resonates with the audience.

Here’s what Antonella Patitucci, Actress, Presenter, Coach and Content Creator, had to say about how important it is that you tell stories as an influencer:

“The value is in telling your own story and putting emotion behind it. Give the product a face so people can relate. Share your unique story and opinion. A product alone is a picture, but with you and your story, it’s like a movie.”
We couldn’t agree more. So start telling a unique story, and you will start creating a strong personal brand for yourself that people will want to follow.

How to establish authority as an influencer

You’ve picked your niche, you’ve thought about your branding… now it’s time to build your expertise! 
Your goal should be to become an authority on the topic you’re making content on. 
You want your audience to look up to you, trust what you’re saying about the topic, and follow your recommendations.

How are you going to build your authority?

Study your niche

Start by researching everything that’s out there on your niche on the internet to get a good overview of what you’re going to make content about. 
Subscribe to relevant podcasts. Read any available books and print publications around the topic. 

Establish your web presence

In addition to your social media profile, consider setting up your own website as well.
This will give you another chance to advertise your personal brand and show off your portfolio. 
It’s a signal that you are a professional and will give you even more authority as an influencer.

Start networking in your industry

Go to conferences. Reach out to other influencers in your niche. Communicate, find peers and mentors, and collaborate with others. 
Not only will this make you an insider with even more knowledge about your niche, it will also increase your status

How to work when you’re an influencer

Now, how do you go about your daily work as an influencer? How do you know what to post, when to post it, and how often to post?

To keep up with creating content and to make sure that you have an awesome social media profile that keeps growing, we recommend that you first create a content strategy.

Your content strategy

First, establish a posting schedule. Decide how often you’re going to post in order to keep your followers engaged – while not burning yourself out. Keep in mind how much time creating just one social media post can take!

Then, decide on the types of content you’re going to be posting regularly. This can, and maybe should, be different types of posts on different days. Depending on the platform, you have the choice between:

  • Videos (short-form, long-form, stories)
  • Pictures
  • Audio
  • Infographics
  • Text

Finally, the content topic
What topics are you going to cover? What angle are you going to take with your content?
Note all these things down in your strategy document. Now you know exactly what to post each week.

Study your analytics

Executing on the publishing strategy you just created is a great start – but it’s not everything. 
You should also learn from each post you make. Do this by studying your analytics. With a business account, you will have access to those statistics. 

  • Each week, look at how your posts have performed. 
  • How many people saw your post? 
  • How much did they engage with it? 
  • How many likes did it get? 
  • If it was a sponsored post, did it resonate with people?
  • What could you do to make even better content next time?

How to grow and remain popular after you’ve become an influencer

Apart from your short-term strategy, be prepared to stay on top of the game in the long term.

How do you do that?

  • Nurture your community. Do this by running special campaigns, like challenges, surveys, and giveaways; fun initiatives that keep your audience on their toes and excited about hearing from you.
  • Know your audience intimately. Keep studying your followers. What are their goals? Their deepest desires? What makes them tick? Know all this… then try to satisfy those desires with your content!
  • Stay ahead of trends. If you always keep your personal brand relevant to the times, you won’t have to worry about people becoming bored with your content and unfollowing. On the contrary, you will keep them engaged with fresh stuff and your following will only keep growing!
  • Always engage & be present. You should treat your followers like your tribe, maybe even like a second family. This means you’ll always be there to reply to their comments, answer their questions and offer support.

“It’s easy to get blinded by vanity metrics such as big numbers of views and followers. It’s not about the number of followers you have. What matters is the quality of the connection you make with your audience.” – Marvin Sangines, Personal Branding Advisor at Kingfluencers

How to get paid as an influencer

We saved the most exciting part for last: 

How you’re going to get paid and hopefully at some point make a full-time income as a social media influencer! 

In most cases, this will mean that you’re going to be working with brands and promoting their products in your content.

How are you going to find those brands? 

The first option is to make a list of brands you would like to work with. Then research their marketing department and email them about working together.

The other option is to apply to an influencer marketing agency, who usually has a large network of brands they work with. They’ll take on the work of contacting the brands that are the right fit for you. This should be at no cost to you, because the agency will get paid by them and not you. It’s a good option if you want to spare yourself the extra stress of having to find and pitch brands, on top of all the other tasks you have to do as an influencer.

How much will you make? 

Anywhere between CHF 200 and CHF 10’000 per post. Obviously, expect to start on the low end of that scale if you just started your influencer career.

How many followers do you need to start getting paid? 

This differs, depending on your niche and other factors. We usually advise you to build your brand to at least 2500 followers and then apply for your first brand deals.

Let’s do it!

Is being an influencer worth it? 
We say absolutely yes – now that you know what goes into becoming one and how to do it, you can decide if it’s for you.
Keep in mind that getting results is a process that takes time and effort. As a result, you shouldn’t expect to become a social media influencer overnight.
However, if you continue to follow these guidelines, you will be able to become an influencer and earn money doing it. 

We wish you good luck on that journey!

To keep up to date on the newest influencer marketing information and trends, sign up for the Kingfluencers newsletter or reach out to us anytime.If you’re already over 2500 followers and think you have what it takes, you can apply with us as an influencer here!

Author: Megan Bozman, Owner @Boz Content Marketing