During this health and economic crisis, businesses across all industries are scrambling to adjust to the new normal. Marketing products and services during this time can be crucial for companies that need to reach customers to stay in business, but finding the right messaging and tactics is challenging given the circumstances. We’ve put together the most important considerations for navigating working with influencers amidst a global pandemic.
Ignoring the global pandemic during an influencer marketing campaign will likely be seen as insensitive by many people viewing the content. We recommend encouraging influencers to incorporate messaging around how the pandemic has impacted them on a personal level into their posts. For example, an influencer can discuss how he or she is using new kitchen products at home to become a better cook given that restaurants are temporarily closed, or show new beauty tutorials featuring products that can help people who would normally otherwise visit a salon.
As people continue to struggle during the pandemic, many businesses are looking to donate a portion of their proceeds to charitable organizations benefiting food banks, first responders, health care workers, and others who have been hit hard by COVID-19. If your brand is donating to a charity during this time, this should certainly be incorporated into any influencer campaign that is running simultaneously. “Consumers are shopping right now, but if the brand or influencer is doing something that is for the betterment of humanity, that’s something consumers are drawn to. If shoppers are looking at a swimsuit right now and one is donating 10% to charity versus another one that is not, most seem to be opting for the one donating,” said Bea Iturregui, VP of Brand Partnerships at Cycle, an influencer marketing agency. Any efforts your business can make to help others will not go unnoticed!
Given the sensitive nature of promoting products or services during a time when people are losing their jobs, or worse, losing loved ones, we recommend avoiding partnerships with influencers who have been controversial in the past. This will help lower the risk of offending viewers as well as receiving negative press. Instead, we suggest partnering with talent that are extremely professional and have already represented that they can discuss the COVID-19 crisis in a sympathetic and thoughtful manner. If you do not already have a trusted network of influencers to tap into, be sure to monitor content and posts from potential partners closely prior to entering into any formal agreements.
As the pandemic forces more and more people to stay at home, usage of different social media platforms has surged. On YouTube, daily views of videos with “#withme” in their title have seen a 600% increase in viewership since March 15, 2020. Meanwhile, influencer videos with titles such as “home office” or “work out at home” have seen average daily views grow by 100-200%. Pinterest is another platform experiencing unprecedented usage as people flock to the site for tips on things to do at home. So far during this pandemic, searches for freezer meals have increased by 133%, and searches for at home workouts have more than doubled. As social media consumption changes, look to activate users across multiple platforms to ensure that you are reaching potential customers.
If your business needs help running an influencer marketing campaign during this time, please contact us at: [email protected]
