As countries all over the world are easing the restrictions, brands are formulating their next move to capture consumers’ attention. Though lockdowns will most be probably lifted, the Covid-19 is expected to linger for uncertain period of time according to the World Health Organization, and therefore the social distancing measures will be in place for a very long time. Indicating that the world will not be same as before and consumer behavior is tend to evolve, therefore the role of influencers in the near future may be entirely different. Many influencer marketing experts have shared their views on adapting to the changing environment.
Strengthening your relationship
During the times of the lockdown it is very much likely that consumers might have lost their connection with the influencers and therefore their association with certain brands. Therefore influencers should focus on making a reconnection. The lockdowns in some way has brought new followers to the influencers, since some people needed tips and advices on topics such as cooking, health, and more such topics.
“Since the lockdowns and quarantines began, influencers have been an important resource for readers, many of whom were new to cooking and needed their advice, tips and recipes,” said Laurie Buckle, founder of CookIt Media, an influencer marketing agency that specializes in food and lifestyle content creation.
Creating more engaging contents
Brands have started to focus more on the storytelling and engagement aspect of the influencers’ content. In these times brands will more likely partner up with influencers who can create more engaging content and which goes in coherence with theirs brand identity. For instance, VKC groups footwear brand Walkaroo launched a social campaign #WalkForGood with a video named ‘Kadam’, which was shot by Griffin Pictures, a Mumbai based production house, amid the lockdown.The campaign #WalkForGood became immensely popular because of the support of influencer marketing and ORM. The influencers involved in the campaign were mostly fitness enthusiasts who were asked to upload their step=count via tracker apps by tagging the brand’s social handles.
Being Genuine
During the times like these, people may mostly be eager to hear the social media influencers and celebrities’ experiences during the pandemic so that they can relate with them and there is a chance that in order to attract more followers, influencers might create contents that are not authentic. Influencers should also take care in choosing their brands and products especially which are pandemic specific.
