4 Ways the Power of Influencers Can Be Leveraged by Brands During COVID-19
In a world that has become even more reliant on social media, influencers have taken on an even larger supporting role in being the bridge between brands and consumers. In fact, they are considered as reliable media professionals which is why brands are putting a lot more creative autonomy into their hands.
In this era of uncertainty, consumers won't stop consuming. However, they need a trusted voice of reason they can rely on to help them with their purchasing decisions and influencers provide it. Studies have shown that the trust consumers have in the influencers they follow is higher than the trust they have in their friends.
Below are four ways your brand can leverage influencers during the COVID-19 era:
PIVOT YOUR CONTENT TO ALIGN WITH NEW ONLINE CONSUMER BEHAVIORS
Look to shift more of your media strategy digitally to accommodate new online consumer behaviors. Along with increases in video streaming numbers, website traffic, and even gaming, marketers can leverage this rise in content consumption by increasing their meaningful social media output.
Track the trends your audience cares most about to keep the conversations relevant and engaging.
COLLABORATE WITH INFLUENCERS AS CREATIVE STUDIOS
As media and advertising budgets get slashed, influencers are still able to create high-quality content that can be repurposed in ads, newsletters, organic social and more.
Be sure to work out the contract terms in advance to ensure influencers are aware of where their content will be used.
Don’t hesitate to lean on them creatively during the pitch phase as they may have a few fresh ideas for repurposing you would not have thought of!
USE INFLUENCER GENERATED CONTENT TO BUILD COMMUNITY
Influencers have already created a community between themselves and their loyal followers. In the past, some brands and influencers have pushed products using more intrusive sales tactics.
In an era like this, that tactic will not work and may even backfire. Influencers showcase the intimate parts of their lives; the ones that consumers can effectively relate to. Brands can leverage that to tap into that connection to help others understand and build trust in their brand.
Zara adopted this strategy by using images shot at home by influencers to launch their Spring collection, giving a behind-the-scenes look at influencers in their own spaces rather than just models on set.
GAIN ATTENTION THROUGH IGC WHERE ADS FALL SHORT
Though consumer digital consumption is at an all time high, attention span is quite low. Instead of consuming most of the content that comes their way, people prefer only content that is interesting, engaging, and of interest to them at that very moment. Most traditional ads just don’t cut it.
Influencers can add a new dimension of intrigue to your product, showing the unique ways they use it, and providing additional context and instructions that piques the interest of viewers.
Influencer marketing can be used to create brand awareness that proves useful when you need to pivot quickly, or help you disseminate messaging that can typically be difficult to communicate using conventional methods.
Curious on how influencers can help your business specifically? Send me an email to book a consultation and discuss.