Almost 200 thousand people have died from COVID-19 in the United States.
Since COVID-19 hit America, there have been lockdowns, people are quarantined in their homes, and some businesses have closed permanently. In fact, more people are figuring out ways to do things safer, especially when it comes to shopping online.
Many businesses are having to change their approach when it comes to making it safer for the customer to shop at their business, particularly when it comes to marketing.
Other businesses are learning how COVID-19 is shaping the future of influencer marketing, changing how people buy things from businesses.
If you want to see how COVID-19 is changing influencer marketing, then this article will have everything for you.
How COVID-19 Hurt Businesses
A lot of businesses have shut down permanently due to COVID-19.
More people are staying inside due to the mandatory quarantine, and businesses were forced to close their doors because they couldn’t afford to stay open. Brick and mortar businesses were especially hurt by not having an online presence.
When businesses did reopen, they were still hurting because people stayed indoors. People were afraid of catching COVID-19.
As businesses still try to recover from COVID-19, it’s important that they remember how to build trust when customers. Influencer marketing can help build this trust with customers. Influencer marketing can help people see the authenticity of a business.
Here’s how influencer marketing will be different after COVID-19.
More Micro-Influencers
While influencers have a larger following on social media, micro-influencers tend to have a stronger relationship with their followers.
If you hire a micro-influencer, your business can benefit from followers who have a strong relationship with these influencers. Your business can benefit from followers who are real and will listen to influencers.
Some influencers, not micro-influencers, will buy fake followers to make it appear that they are more influential than they actually are.
More Transparency
Before COVID-19, social media influencers didn’t need to disclose a brand. They didn’t need to talk about what they were advertising. But now there’s more of a need to be transparent.
Influencers need to be upfront with what they are advertising in order to avoid false advertising. When an influencer is transparent with the consumer, more trust is being built.
Consumers want to know what’s being advertised to them. They want to know what the influencer recommends or what they recommending based on their relationship with certain brands.
More Video
One of the ways influencer marketing will change after COVID-19 is with videos. In fact, more videos will be shown since they have a higher engagement rate.
Videos are a great way to show the safety of a business and what is happening with a business after COVID-19.
More influencers will take advantage of video to talk about safety protocols, entertainment, or something else that will help engage consumers.
Relationships Matter More Than Ever
One of the most important ways influencer marketing will change after COVID-19 is the way relationships are built with consumers.
For example, when COVID-19 is over, people will need to return to businesses or they will go with a business that offers them the most trust. Influencers will have a major impact on what customers will do after COVID-19. They will influence people to buy at certain brands that offer safety and credibility.
That’s why influencers will need to improve their relationship with their followers. Consumers may be hesitant to shop at certain businesses given COVID-19.
One of the ways that influencers can improve their relationship with their followers is being consistent in their engagement as well as being transparent. Consumers want to know who to follow and who’s going to provide the most helpful tips and advice after COVID-19.
How Businesses Can Benefit
Businesses can benefit from influencers after COVID-19 because a lot of influencers will be looking to build a connection with certain brands.
Influencers want to help business brands recover after COVID-19, which is why they are looking to partner with them. However, if a business does hire an influencer, they should make sure that they are original and don’t buy followers.
In addition, when a business does hire an influencer, they can quickly rehabilitate its brand image if it took a hit during COVID-19.
Another benefit for businesses if they hire influencers after COVID-19 is that they can reach their target market. You can have an influencer talk about your business and how you are recovering during COVID-19.
When you have an influencer talk about your business because of the relationship you’ve built with them, it can help create a deeper connection with your target audience. Your ideal customer will understand what happened to your business during COVID-19 because of what the influencer conveyed to them.
Overall, when you have an influencer you partner with and who cares about your business, it can help boost your business because you’ll attract more followers. More people will find your business and understand what you are going through.
Now You Know How COVID-19 Is Shaping the Future of Influencer Marketing
Learning how COVID-19 is shaping the future of influencer marketing is critical to know if you’re an influencer or a business. You need to know what strategies to incorporate and what to do after COVID-19 is over that can give you the best chance at success.
However, the most important thing to remember about how influencer marketing is changing is that there’s more of a focus on relationships. More people want a worthy influencer to trust when it comes to safety and where to buy.
If you want help with your marketing strategy, you can contact us here.
