DON’T MENTION THE C WORD: HOW THE PANDEMIC WILL AFFECT INFLUENCER MARKETING
As news broke of Coronavirus’ impact the industry seemed to split into two parts; those who instantly took notice and amended their strategies and those who thought nothing of it and carried on as usual. Unsurprisingly it took a travel ban and substantiated rumours of mass-gatherings being limited for everyone to collectively realise that times are changing. By the end of last week it was clear that brands would be heavily impacted by the virus, and those able to realign their strategies (and budgets) would be able to weather the storm.
There are of course sectors of the industry that are undeniably stunted by this, with little that can be done right now to improve the situation. Travel being the main area; press trips, travel recommendations and holiday content are unsuitable and arguably distasteful around this time. But for the majority of other sectors, we see there being ways to navigate the climate. Of course, this has to be done sensitively and we’re cautious to use the word “opportunity” as any brand looking to commercialise from a deadly virus needs their soul checking – but there is argument for providing content that audiences want to see, and we see the demand changing drastically and imminently. Equally there’s the argument that businesses need to survive – but there is a fine line between savvy and insensitive.
Before we look at what we see as “possibilities”, let’s be truthful with ourselves and lay out the definite changes. Events are neither sensible nor recommended, and with that any campaign that suggests any kind of public exploration – be that to visit a landmark, destination or the high street – need to be postponed indefinitely. We actually feel that this time will allow brands to see the true impact of press events and trips with influencers – if they manage through this period without them, the question is do you really need them at all?
With tensions running high, influencers should expect audiences to be hyper critical of their partnership choices – for example we were shocked to see two leading supermarkets allow campaigns to run this weekend where influencers were talking about the pleasant experience and availability of stock in their stores. Let’s be honest, nobody who went shopping this weekend enjoyed themselves and felt anything other than anxious or stressed. Posting content like this looks unthoughtful by the brands and by the influencers. As an influencer ask yourself, am I prepared to compromise my integrity over one project? The answer should be no.
However, in terms of possible positives let’s look at some facts; social media activity is likely to sharply rise. Some experts are saying by up to 50% per household. Whereas using digital platforms to engage with others was becoming frowned upon – it’s going to become essential to those in self isolation. Audiences are not only going to be looking for advice during these times but also reassurance and social interaction. Influencers who can provide some light “entertainment” or feel like genuine friends to their followers are the ones who will be trusted the most. Involve audiences in content; ask them questions, run interactive Lives, be seen to react to their input…
Before we leap into separate guidance for influencers and brands let us offer some universal advice; this is not the climate for favour asking. Nobody, be that a brand or an influencer owes anyone content. This is hard for everyone. However, both sides need to be cognisant and wise to the fact that Coronavirus has forced us into uncertain, unsteady territory. It is highly unlikely that brands will be paying what were previously considered full-rates for influencers, and that needs to be as considered by influencers and their agents as much as it needs to not be manipulated by the brands themselves.
GUIDANCE FOR BRANDS DURING CORONAVIRUS
For brands, the time to be visual online is now. Take what spend you had saved for outdoor advertising, TV advertising (that would have bookended sporting events that are not cancelled), campaign shoots abroad and events and funnel it into where your customers are – online. As much as we understand the initial reaction may well be to stop everything and halt activity, for want of a better expression “let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Influencers and their engaged, trusting audiences are the equivalent of the advertising world’s front line at the moment – now more than ever.
Consider two things if you do choose to pause activity until this period is over; firstly, nobody knows when it’s over, and secondly if everyone does this there will be a huge cluster of activity making it very hard to be seen or heard. Continue with your launches, continue with your spending – and as we mentioned before, be sensitive to the fact that this period is tough for the self-employed so influencers won’t be able to drop to bottom-level rates – however if your budgets truly have been cropped by a %, voice that as reasoning if you’re approaching them with a lower figure that they may expect.
If your brand is unable to produce content in the way it has been accustomed to (due to travel restrictions or spend cuts) look to influencers for help. A great deal of them produce and edit photography and would love to be involved.
Use this time to see who really loves you, rather than takes the money. We’re urging influencers to use this time to prove their authenticity (reinforced by affiliates, which allows them some earnings) so keep an eye on who is tagging, talking and recommending you as those are your true ambassadors – not the people who just say “yes” to a trip or a paid campaign. It’s also really important to understand who drives what for you as a brand. In this current climate, you need your product to go off the shelves and in the same way that experiential budgets disappear during a recession – we’d suggest only working with influencers who make a proven impact on sales.
This period also allows time for evaluation – if events are cancelled that you’d usual take influencers to (Wimbledon, Wilderness, etc.) measure the impact this on the business for not doing these. You might well find that it does very little to change the brands’ sales figures. So the question is, are they your best use of spend? The same goes for if you have to cull partnerships with an overly expensive influencer – be sure to look out for the impact that has on your brand.
GUIDANCE FOR INFLUENCERS DURING CORONAVIRUS
Firstly, let’s be realistic. This isn’t the time to start long term partnerships, ask for massive fees or talk about your holidays. The most important thing you can do is realise that the market has changed and you will need to change with it. Both towards your audience, and towards your brand relationships.
Whilst you aren’t expected to be able to provide advice against Coronavirus, we feel it’s important to address the elephant in the room. As we mentioned before, when tensions are publicly high, be ready to get a higher degree of scrutiny. Think before you post. It can be as simple as not posting an image of you on a deserted street – consider every angle of interpretation before you post anything. If you haven’t already, now is the time to make sure you put your audiences’ feelings ahead of your own. Be the positivity people need but be realistic.
In terms of revenues, early data shows that you should expect brand partnership revenue to drop 15-25% on last year so it’s time to consider other ways of maintaining your income that doesn’t mean you have to take on ill-fitting partnerships. As long as you use it ethically, affiliate marketing is a strong way for you benefit financially from honest recommendations. It also allows you to show brands that you like their products – and they will be looking for people with a natural affinity to their products or services. We see the below sectors as being possible strong content topics:
- Well being, Home Fitness and Health
Keeping healthy is of peak importance at the moment, and if there is way for you to authentically share how you take care of yourself then do. If people are self-isolating things like gym-visits are difficult, so perhaps recommend workouts you do (or if you are in the fitness sector, publish workouts yourself). In terms of health and wellbeing, you are unlikely to be a trained professional, but showing audiences what precautions and recommendations you are following could be helpful to them.
- Home Delivery and Online Services
With lots of people unable to leave the house, delivery services will be an invaluable asset to many. There are countless services across all sectors that offer postal based products and services – now is the time to bring them to the attention of your followers.
- Home Cooking and Nutrition
If people are home more, they’ll be looking for inspiration for healthy meals and ways to make sure they’re eating well. Offering audiences an insight into what you’re eating or a supplement you’ve been recommended can be really helpful.
- Working From Home
As much as this comes naturally to most influencers, working from home can be a challenge to those who haven’t done it before and takes some effort to master. If you can offer practical guidelines and recommendations on how to be most productive, you should consider offering this to your audiences.
- Home Improvements and Furnishings
It’s been forecast that as people will be at home more they’ll also be choosing to use their time to do those renovations or revamps. Showing them choices you’ve made could make for really interesting content.
- Feel Good Purchases
This of course need to be done sensibly, but within reason a little “pick me up” purchases can be exactly what the doctor ordered (referred to in jest, of course). Showing audiences something you’ve bought that has cheered you up a little can be really inspiring – but of course be mindful of sustainability, and the impact a sale will have on a small retailer versus a large one.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In summary, we of course can’t be sure of the scale or impact Coronavirus will cause. However, we can be certain that people will crave conversation, entertainment and a degree of normality in order to pull through. As long as both brands and influencers are mindful of the current climate, we’re confident the good old British “keep calm and carry on” method will serve us just fine.