It is no news that the world is changing amidst the backdrop of COVID-19. With that, marketers and communication experts are finding it even harder to find innovative ways to engage their audience. In times like these, resiliency can make a huge impact on businesses. Every brand and business alike should learn the importance of influencer marketing.
With countries going under lockdown, there has also been an increase in digital consumption. Digital content creators, such as social media influencers have been successful in finding effective ways to increase their engagement during this time. They are helping their audiences keep entertained, informed, and cope during the crisis while also effectively influencing critical purchasing decisions and behavioural changes.
It is important for brands to consider influencer marketing during these times and collaborate with digital content creators to get their message out there.
It is easy to underestimate the reach and impact that influencers (macro and micro) can have on spreading credible, factual information. However, it should be noted that social media influencers have audiences from around the globe. They have the power to influence behavioural change during this period, as more and more people spend time on their phones during lockdowns.
A whitepaper report recently found that 91% of people between 16 and 24 years in the U.S. and U.K. trusted social media influencers and adapted their purchase behaviour based on their posts/campaigns.
Influencers can help deliver the brand message through innovative and creative ways on social media. They can even help audiences to engage with the brand. For example, brands can collaborate with influencers to share and run social media competitions for a greater reach.
This would also further help in bringing audiences back to the brand’s social media platforms. Also, it helps businesses in maximising the brand’s message with its key audience.
Influencers are also collaborating together during the pandemic to create engaging content.
Choosing the right influencers for your campaigns during this time can further help in boosting your brand’s image. The crisis is global and everyone around the world is going through it together. Simple CSR campaigns with a ‘pass it forward’ angle, can help create viral campaigns for social good.
It is not necessary to create new CSR campaigns. Brands can also collaborate with influencers to simply be part of a bigger social movement, and continue the conversation to raise awareness.
Collaborating with Influencers for CSR campaigns would help audiences remember the brand even after the crisis is over.
Collaborating with influencers also helps create user-generated content (UGC) for the brand. Reposting or sharing images and videos of popular influencers on the brand’s social media platforms helps in increasing engagement during a campaign period. Also, consumers and influencers are likely to engage in those posts even after the campaign has ended.
