The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the influencer marketing industry.
How, you ask?
With fewer trade shows and advertisement shoots, brands are turning to influencers for promotions and lead generation.
Marketing budgets have also shrunk, making micro- and nano-influencers the only viable option for many small businesses.
Plus, online shopping and content consumption have surged, which means more opportunities to leverage influencers.
That’s not all.
“Unfiltered” influencer content is like a ray of hope to desolate consumers. Restricted indoors and surrounded by morbid thoughts, people are turning to social media for solace, information, and company.
Image via eMarketer
On social platforms, consumers are interacting with influencers more actively than before. Their raw, unscripted content is finding many takers. That’s why influencer recommendations are driving more purchase decisions than ever before. Also, they are ensuring growth opportunities for your brand in this uncertain time.
All in all, the influencer space is looking bright.
But that doesn’t mean you should jump on the bandwagon without proper preparation, especially if you are a novice. With marketing funds in short supply, you need bankable influencer marketing tactics and tools which can reduce your marketing expenses. Learn about them in this post.
Influencers can increase your brand awareness, authority, engagement, and sales, even during this slow period. If these are your business goals, you need to leverage influencers effectively.
But how?
Just follow these three strategies.
1. Hire Smaller Influencers
While you may be tempted to partner with celebrity influencers, small-time influencers can be a better bet.
Why so?
Micro-influencers (with
Also, you can’t ignore the risks of hiring fake influencers—the ones who inflate their communities to land better deals. If you fall prey to them, your reputation can take a nosedive, and your investment can go down the drain.
However, finding the right micro-influencer is easier said than done. There are a hundred parameters to be inspected.
The solution?
Influencer marketing agencies like Americanoize can help simplify your influencer search. These agencies have verified influencer databases and can also help you with influencer management.
Let’s face it. People are not spending as much money as before, according to a Kantar survey.
They are looking for undiluted, reliable information from the brands they trust, one more fact which explains their increased social media time.
To meet people where they already are, industries like pharma and health have switched over to influencer marketing. With influencers spreading their messaging, these domains can now reach the otherwise impenetrable masses.
What does that mean for you?
Tap into the opportunity and have your influencers create stellar educational content for you. Influencers have the knowledge, charm, and affability that their followers dig. They also have a good grip on the pulse of their audiences and on social trends. It sounds like a winning combination to me!
Wondering what kind of influencer content people are looking for these days?
Posts and Stories are influencer staples. But you can explore other formats like podcasts for added variety. Your influencers can create a podcast series in which they interview industry experts or banter with the listeners. Just make sure you build buzz in advance and deliver value at showtime.
If you’re more conservative, go the video route. Videos are super successful on social media and offer scope to dive deep into topics.
But platform dynamics and user tastes are very volatile. So, risk proof the strategy by using video-editing software. These tools can optimize videos according to the host platform and audience. This way, your influencer content gets maximum exposure.
People love the authenticity of influencers, which can be stifled by overly stringent guidelines.
Moreover, influencers love brands that give them a free hand in content creation. In fact, it is the top reason why they work with certain brands repeatedly.
Image via SocialPubli
That's why a traditional company, the US Tour Operators Association, hired a stand-up comedian to drive their message about REAL ID.
Influencers are like a doorway to rebrand yourself. Instead of micro-managing them, allow them to unleash their creativity. If your influencer is just going to create content in your brand’s voice, there is no point in bringing them onboard. Additionally, you need to post regularly on your Instagram. You can post Lifestyle Photography, brand promotional, and other engaging content.
The rise of influencer marketing has been spectacular. The pandemic has snowballed trends that were underway in the influencer space from before — less-scripted, valuable content and more authentic voices. Now, it is up to the brands to take the cue and use it to their advantage.
Before promoting it's best to understand and enhance your brand. Do this and more with Qualtrics.
Do you have any questions about influencer marketing? Leave them in the comments below. I’m always happy to help my readers.
We won't just do social media strategies. Social Hire will work collaboratively with your team to ensure your business gets genuine value from us and that your team gets the most out of the service. Our experienced social media managers are motivated to make a enhancements to your social media marketing and reaching targets in a way that realistically makes a difference to your business goals.
What the Social Hire gang loves is making a difference for our clients, and we don't want to waste your, or our resources on campaigns that aren't right for your organisation, if it doesn't get your organisation the difference you need - we prefer a better approach. When your business utilises social media management, Social Hire get your brand the exposure it needs and offer your business the lift it needs to improve.
Isn't it time to stop making difficult personnel choices that don't work well for your online marketing?
We're a company that helps our customers further their social media presence by providing social media marketing on a monthly basis.
You might like these blog posts 8 Benefits of Cloud Based Software for Small Business, 7 HR Tools and Resources for Small Business Owners, Tips for Remote Workers?—?How to Avoid Loneliness and Burnout, and How are Businesses Using Social Media Generated Big Data for Market Expansion?.