Due to COVID-19, people started to change the way they shop and the kind of goods they buy. We used to buy essential and glamour products in our daily lives, but after the pandemic, our purchasing behavior have changed which has affected social media influencers business.
Social media influencers aren’t able to promote products and build brand awareness due to the COVID-19 pandemic but now it could be the time for some brands to get on the influencer band wagon.
"In these unprecedented times, it's actually more relevant than ever to tell real stories from real people," said Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential.
"'Influencers' have a wide-ranging definition– there is everything from hometown heroes with 5,000 followers that influence their small town, to mega influencers that have tens of millions of followers and the one unifying factor is that all of their audiences are currently at home and want to be either informed or entertained by the influencers that they connect with on social media," added Detert.
"The role of influencers has only grown during COVID-19," added Detert.
"Before the crisis ever occurred, influencers already worked from home and were able to quickly produce self-made content, so they are perfectly positioned to act on behalf of brands to get a message out at scale," he noted. "Micro and nano influencers have increased their profile during these times, by being able to relate to their audience and speak through the lens of what people are seeing and feeling right now."
The other thing to come about from the coronavirus pandemic is that it isn't just about fashion, shopping and brands. YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are where people are increasingly turning for advice. This has included everything from cutting hair to staying fit.
Likewise, social media – despite concerns that misinformation continues to spread – is where medical advice can be found, as well as general information on how to stay safe during this outbreak.
"A new crop of influencers, like medical professionals, grocers, delivery people, and others on the front lines, are groups that people want to follow and hear from during the crisis," explained Detert. "Influencers are also lending their influence to charitable efforts to help disseminate information and drive donations to WHO, CDC, and other COVID-19 funds. Our company is actually in the midst of a campaign where influencers are helping to raise money for WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund."