5 Tips on How to do Marketing and Advertising in Indonesia

With so many different types of people, you have endless opportunities to connect with your target audience. It's all about knowing your audience's demographics, and Indonesia's diversity can actually work in your favor. Whether you're targeting young adults, families, or seniors, there will always be a group of people who would fit your niche and brand image.

Did you know that Indonesians are really tech-savvy these days? Yep, over 77% of the population is actively using the internet. That's a huge number! So, if you're a business owner looking to reach this audience, you should definitely consider using digital platforms for your marketing and advertising campaigns.

Now, we won't sugarcoat it, the Indonesian market can be challenging, but it's also full of amazing opportunities. To succeed, you need to know the right approach and have the right connections. But if you do it right, you can tap into a massive and engaged audience that's hungry for new products and services.

In this article, we at AJ Marketing have compiled the best tips for marketing and advertising in Indonesia. Let’s take a look!

Five Best Tips for Marketing in Indonesia:

1. Know Where to Start: choose the right platform for your campaign from the very beginning
2. Humanize Your Brand: create a brand character or persona and make it extremely relatable
3. Go Digital: research about e-commerce trends and start shifting your business towards it
4. The Audience is Everything: make your product all about your specific audience! Target, Localize, Implement
5. Use the Power of Influence: know who have the power to influence your market and coordinate with them to build brand trust

TIP #1: KNOW WHERE TO START: CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLATFORM FOR YOUR CAMPAIGN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

Let's talk about choosing the right platform for your marketing campaign! It's super important to get it right from the get-go, otherwise, all your hard work will go down the drain. So, before you jump into the Indonesian market, you need to ask yourself: which platform should I use?

DataReportal suggests that as of 2023, Indonesians mainly discover brands using search engines, social media recommendations, social media ads, and TV ads. Social media is one of the top platforms for brand discovery in Indonesia. But, it's important to note that not all social media platforms are created equal. You need to understand your target audience and which platforms they frequent the most.

Take Pond's, for example. When they wanted to market their Acne Solution product to teenage girls, they knew that they needed to reach them through beauty influencers on YouTube and Instagram. By partnering with 40 influencers, they were able to showcase their product to the right audience, resulting in over 1 million views!

So, before you launch your campaign, make sure to do your research and identify your target audience. This way, you can choose the right platform and reach the people who are most likely to be interested in your brand.

To know more about successful marketing campaigns in Indonesia, read Indonesia's Top 10 Marketing Trends in 2021.

TIP #2: HUMANIZE YOUR BRAND: CREATE A BRAND CHARACTER OR PERSONA AND MAKE IT EXTREMELY RELATABLE

Now let's talk about how to stand out in the Indonesian market! If you want to attract more customers and beat the competition, you need to think outside the box and get creative with your marketing and advertising.

Indonesian customers are loyal to brands that they can relate to on a personal level. That's why creating a brand persona is so important. By giving your brand a personality, you can connect with customers on a deeper level and relate to their day-to-day activities.

But, it's not enough to just create a persona and slap it on social media. You need to add depth to your brand's face and make it more than just a pretty image. Take Wendy's snarky replies on Twitter, for example. They've created a brand persona that's not only visually recognizable but also engaging and witty. And, customers love it!

For something that pretends to be a sport, your "athletes" sure suck at rounding bases.#NationalRoastDay https://t.co/Tm8Y9U3u2w

— Wendy’s (@Wendys) January 12, 2022

Unfortunately, not many brands in Indonesia have the guts to be interactive with their followers on social media. They often rely on automated responses, which just doesn't cut it. To make a real impact, you need to interact with your audience in a natural and authentic way.

We can take a few lessons from Netflix Indonesia's Instagram account. For example, in this post, Netflix Indonesia made a meme out of a popular scene from the KDrama Our Beloved Summer. Netflix Indonesia posted this on Valentine’s day, and the caption roughly translates to “all single copywriters who have to post today”. The video showed Park Jin Joo slamming through her keyboard.

Ultimately, this gained attention among Indonesians, most of them commenting how relatable the account administrator was. Some even asked how to apply as Netflix’s Instagram administrator.

So, if you want to promote your brand in Indonesia, think about who your brand would be if it were a person. What would they look like? How would they talk to others? And, don't be afraid to get creative and think outside the box.

Humanizing your brand is not limited to interacting through comments or post captions using your business account. We at AJ Marketing believe that fostering a brand identity can also be done through the use of actual people whom Indonesians already know and trust. Influencer marketing, for example, is a great way to show the market that your brand is authentic, personal, and trustworthy.

TIP #3: GO DIGITAL: RESEARCH ABOUT E-COMMERCE TRENDS AND START SHIFTING YOUR BUSINESS TOWARDS IT

Now, let's move our attention to the booming e-commerce industry in Indonesia! Did you know that over 62% of internet users in Indonesia buy products or services online? That's a huge market, and it's only getting bigger.

With so many Indonesians relying on e-commerce platforms like Shopee, Tokopedia, Lazada, and Blibli to shop for products, it's no wonder that having an online shop is a necessity for most businesses. And, it's not just convenient for customers - it's also great for driving sales. I mean, if you had the choice between getting out of bed and going to the store or just browsing and adding items to your cart with one click, which one would you choose?

But, of course, having a digital store isn't easy, especially in parts of Indonesia that are still struggling with digital transformation. Some customers prefer to purchase products physically so they can pay in cash. This is where smart marketing and advertising strategies come into play.

Take Shopee, for example. They're one of the largest e-commerce companies in Indonesia, and they've positioned themselves as the go-to platform for cash on delivery (COD) online stores. By pushing ads and collaborative content with this theme, they've been able to reach a huge audience and let them know that they can still use Shopee even if they can't pay digitally.

So, if you're looking to tap into the e-commerce market in Indonesia, it's important to do your research so you can create a successful digital store that appeals to Indonesian customers.

TIP #4: THE AUDIENCE IS EVERYTHING: MAKE YOUR PRODUCT ALL ABOUT YOUR SPECIFIC AUDIENCE! TARGET, LOCALIZE, IMPLEMENT

With over 3% of the world's population and ranking 4th in terms of total population, Indonesia presents a unique challenge for marketers and advertisers. 

According to a study by McKinsey & Co., geographical location has a significant impact on customer behavior in Indonesia. For instance, people in Surabaya are more likely to ask friends and relatives for product recommendations, while people in Jakarta are more independent and rely on online reviews and trusted websites. This means that marketers need to develop localized plans for each locale to effectively reach their target audience.

Take Tokopedia's Waktu Indonesia Belanja (WIB) campaign, for example. This localized marketing campaign was a huge success in Indonesia, gaining over 39 million views! The campaign featured local cultures and traditions, and the name WIB was a clever play on words since it's also the abbreviation for Western Indonesian Time. By tapping into local knowledge and customs, Tokopedia was able to create a campaign that resonated with their target audience and generated a lot of engagement.

So, if you're looking to penetrate the Indonesian market, it's crucial to develop localized plans for each locale and get input from locals to truly understand their behaviors and preferences. By doing this, you can create successful campaigns that resonate with your target audience and drive sales.

TIP #5: USE THE POWER OF INFLUENCE: KNOW WHO HAVE THE POWER TO INFLUENCE YOUR MARKET AND COORDINATE WITH THEM TO BUILD BRAND TRUST

With successful content creators like Atta Halilintar, Reza Oktovian, and Ria Ricis, it's no wonder that influencer marketing has become increasingly popular in Indonesia. Indonesia has all types of influencers from different niches; from tech, beauty, fashion to health and fitness. Influencer marketing has been used by hundreds of brands such as Shopee, Tokopedia, and many more.

And, there's a good reason why influencer marketing is so effective in Indonesia. According to reports, 51% of Indonesians find online reviews by influencers to be more honest than paid ads. Indonesians rely on product reviews from real, relatable people to make their purchasing decisions.

Some brands took bigger leaps and collaborated with idols and celebrities, instead of influencers. K-pop culture is impactful in Indonesia. Working with Korean idols in their campaigns proves to be highly effective for brands such as Tokopedia. Their video collaboration with Weeekly, which was uploaded at the start of February 2022, and has already been viewed more than 400,000 times on YouTube in a span of 2 weeks.

But, like any marketing strategy, influencer marketing comes with its own challenges. You need to make sure that the influencers you work with fit your brand identity and values. Just because an influencer has millions of followers doesn't mean they're the best fit for your business. Quality over quantity should always be taken into account.

So, how do you know which Indonesian influencer is the best fit for your business? This is where a local marketing and advertising agency can really come in handy. At AJ Marketing, we believe that by being physically present in the country, businesses have access to first-hand data from real customers and can provide deep insights into the Indonesian market. They can help you identify which influencers match your brand identity and create effective campaigns that resonate with your target audience.

By partnering with a local agency like AJ Marketing, you can take advantage of their expertise and create successful influencer marketing campaigns that drive engagement and sales.

CONCLUSION

Indonesia's diversity presents both challenges and opportunities for marketers and advertisers. While it may seem overwhelming to create multiple marketing campaigns tailored to each region and culture, the diversity also means that there's always an audience for your brand in Indonesia. However, localization and humanization efforts are crucial to successfully penetrate the market. And, going digital is a must for any business looking to expand in Indonesia.

We hope that the 5 pro marketing and advertising tips from AJ Marketing have provided you with valuable insights on how to grow your business in Indonesia. While these tips are a great starting point, they're not the only arsenal for a successful business expansion. For more information on the Indonesian market, be sure to check out the AJ Marketing Blog.

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