How Influencer Marketing Is Changing During The COVID-19 Crisis

Learn how using social media, influencers, and content creators can increase engagement, and improve your marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sunday September 27th, 2020


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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world and re-shaped the advertising industry, perhaps forever. The economy of many countries has been battered to unprecedented levels since World War 2, and the impact of isolation has rendered many marketing channels inefficient.

While many communication and streaming focused companies are thriving during the time of crisis, the majority of companies in the world have to adapt their marketing strategies to stay alive. The influencer marketing channel has been gaining momentum and popularity for years, but during this age of digital transformation, it has become increasingly more effective in reaching consumers worldwide.

Engagement On The Rise 

While lockdowns have been disruptive to many marketing channels such as transit and OOH advertising, this is not the case with influencer marketing. Not only has social media use increased dramatically during the crisis, but the engagement rates for influencer marketing as well. Influencers were born to be creative and highly nimble to environmental circumstances, and many have shifted their focus to healthy eating, fitness, hobbies, and life advice.

In fact, Instagram influencers have seen an increase of 67.7% in likes and over 50% increase in comments. Jaysen Gillespie of Criteo says that many of these influencers have been “homefluencers” during the pandemic in the sense that they connect with viewers who themselves are spending more time at home, creating a stronger association with brands which they represent.

Increase In Return On Ad Spend

While the engagement rates for influencer marketing have risen to unprecedented levels, the price of influencer marketing has not been increasing in parallel. An A&E survey shows that influencer pricing has increased by just 3.1% during this tremendous growth of the pandemic, showing favorable opportunities for this marketing channel.

Additionally, this targeted association of influencers with their consumers shows an increase not only in various social media signals and demographics but also an increase in overall spend after consumers see these influencer-created recommendations. As social media use surges throughout the world, this signals a very bright future for the influencer marketing channel.

Growth Of Social Media 

The pandemic has shown a substantial increase in all social media and streaming platforms. A Kantar study shows that Facebook and Instagram traffic is up 40% for consumers under 35. This increase in social media use is creating more influencers daily, creating a larger supply for brands eager to harness this amazing opportunity.

Additionally, this trend proves that through the use of influencers brands can build a stronger connection and better brand awareness with their target consumers. Influencers tend to enjoy some of the biggest audience loyalties in the world, which is incomparable with any other marketing channel that exists in the world today.

Empty street during pandemic

What Graphic Designers & Creative Agencies?

The pandemic has put many creative agencies and graphic designers in a state of paralysis. Many of the old methods of creating advertisements have been hindered by the regulations inflicted by governments to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. With the second wave already appearing to be on the rise in several countries, it is uncertain whether or not this obstacle will disappear any time soon.

One of the tremendous benefits of using influencer marketing is the creative power behind influencers. Even influencers with the smallest of followings don’t become that way overnight. Becoming an influencer is a difficult task of finding their target demographic and selectively discovering content that engages best with that audience over a long trial and error process.

By leveraging this experience and knowledge through a simple influencer recommendation, brands can save a lot of time and money on the creation of their advertisement and the trial and error process involved in finessing their techniques. Although there are no shortcuts in life, the biggest shortcut you can take in the world of advertising is relying on the expertise of the influencers who have already discovered what works best with your target demographic. A good influencer marketing platform will help you connect with the right influencers and save you time and money on your ad generation while simultaneously making them more engaging and effective.

Shift In Industries

Not all industries have been affected the same, even within the influencer marketing world. Influencers specializing in travel have not seen the same benefit as those who are focused on fitness and consumer-related products. As the travel industry came to practically a stand-still, e-commerce companies have been flourishing and adapting to the digital landscape required to survive.

Another trend that has been seen during the pandemic is the shift from live events to digital events. Many companies and business owners have already utilized creative collaborations for digital events with the help of influences which has helped them survive during this time of crisis. Social media provides a great opportunity for digital events, especially platforms like  Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Instagram mobile app

Conclusion

One of the most powerful human traits is our ability to adapt to the harshest environments. Throughout the centuries the world has been battered by disasters, many of which fueled new technologies and methodologies which have now become second nature to us. The devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic has again shown us how incredibly adaptive our species are, and influencer marketing is just one of the many outcomes of this strength.

Influencer marketing is becoming by far the most effective way to advertise in this world of digital transformation. As the use of digital products only increases, so will the growth of influencer marketing. AdMass provides you an all-in-one influencer marketing solution that you can use to find targeted influencers who will engage with your consumers.

We hope this article will help you adapt during this time of crisis and overcome any obstacles your business may face.

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