At the beginning of this pandemic, a lot of people thought that this is also the “demise of influencer marketing.”
With the limitations and restrictions set for face to face events, with all the lockdowns and health protocols implemented by the government; people thought that creators will find it really hard to make relevant content that the audience will support and enjoy while staying at home.
Also, a lot of businesses either halted their operation or closed down due to the pandemic and economic recession, thereby cutting marketing budgets and giving less opportunity to influencers and creators of all niches. But the truth is, the pandemic even boosted influencer marketing, as it became the key channel for many brands for the first time.
Amidst lockdowns and travel restrictions, influencers were able to safely produce content from home and social media content was consumed at record levels.
As lockdown measures ease and a few restrictions lift, a clearer reflection on the past three months can be seen and the reality about today’s influencer marketing scene has proved somewhat different from its predicted downfall.
Here’s why influencer marketing or social media marketing will be stronger amidst the COVID19 and why is it here to stay forever.
The high demand for useful content through social media, vlogs and blogs
During the first months of the pandemic, views were increasing for useful content about home, fitness, baking, urban gardening and small businesses that can be started from home; provided by content creators in their respective platform. The influencer’s unprecedented access to consumers and their vital social connection with the netizens under lockdown, had somehow caused an astonishing growth for such influencers and creators and many brands have seen the huge potential in having products seamlessly integrated within a content in an organic and non-disruptive way.
The rise of e-commerce
E-commerce saw exponential growth when the government ordered to close physical stores. With the power of influencer marketing, e-commerce brands were able to create custom landing pages and issue influencers with trackable discount codes. These enable businesses to directly track response and conversions. The sheer volume of e-commerce going through influencer marketing gave a better venue for creators and a more promising opportunities and campaigns to influencers.
Influencer marketing replaced traditional broadcast ads
As people stay inside and the traditional forms of advertising become unavailable in almost all parts of the globe, brands seek out advertising that can reach potential customer faster and more efficient. They find influencer marketing an alternative option that is cheaper than radio, TV and OOH, but has wider and bigger impact under the new normal.
Unlike traditional ads; content creators can quickly create, produce, and shoot broadcast content, to deliver it to an engaged audience even real time, all from the safety and comfort of home. These make social media influencers an obvious replacement for the traditional marketing and advertising initiatives.
Shorter lead times for campaigns
Content creators are now preferred by agencies because their process condenses in just a matter of weeks, compared to six months or more that traditional broadcast media takes. With a much more rapid ability to convert, scale fast and further grow the industry, businesses and brands find influencer marketing a wise investment.
The pandemic has hit reset in many ways but in the field of influencer marketing, it created an unstoppable momentum for the content creators. Proof that the industry is far from its “death” instead, it is on its way to the marketing mainstream.