As quarantine and social distancing continue, mobile phone usage is skyrocketing 🚀, and social media content consumption is increasing exponentially 📈. This means there is more opportunity than ever to reach consumers through mobile 📱 and digital channels; shifting budgets 💷 to currently relevant channels.
Under the current circumstances, for many businesses that are struggling to balance the need to engage with consumers 🗣️, influencer campaigns are extremely adaptable, and brands can drive targeted messages 💬 and interact with consumers in an empathetic way 💛, no matter what the current mood of the public is.
How will influencers help your brand during COVID-19?
Influencers are proven to be incredibly persuasive and trustworthy (our recent whitepaper found that over a quarter of consumers in the US 🇺🇸 and UK 🇬🇧 and over a third in DE 🇩🇪 trust social media influencers more than high profile public figures/celebrities that promote brands). In fact, micro-influencers have a very intimate sense of who their followers are and know what will best resonate among their followers and fans.
Given the fear and uncertainty of these times, consumers are craving information ℹ️ on both essential goods and services that they can rely on, as well as factual content and best practices to help stave the spread of COVID-19.
Using the power of influencers, TAKUMI has launched global pro-bono campaigns with our trusted network of influencers across Instagram and TikTok. The two campaigns, which are running in the UK 🇬🇧, US 🇺🇸, Germany 🇩🇪, France 🇫🇷, Italy 🇮🇹, and Spain 🇪🇸, aim to drive awareness and spread positivity and support during this time.
With the likes of partnering with the World Health Organisation, the influencers are joining the global #SafeHands initiative to raise awareness of protection measures against COVID-19 and highlight what can be done for 20 seconds whilst washing their hands 🧼 e.g. playing keeping the ball ⚽ off the ground etc.
The TAKUMI campaign #TheMindfulMovement has been set up to protect mental health during these unprecedented times. This activation will ensure that anyone following social distancing measures is kept in the loop with the latest coronavirus updates and advised the best tips to protect their mental health during this period. This is a great example of how influencers can be used to generate credible, trustworthy and positive information that can play an important role in protecting public health.
Influencers and branded content are incredibly well-positioned to accomplish these responsibilities — even the US 🇺🇸 Surgeon General called on Kylie Jenner 👧🏻 and other influencers to help reach younger people around the world 🌎 who aren’t taking the threat seriously.
Why are companies turning to influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to add light ✨ and levity into a scary, tough situation, such as the one we are facing. More than ever, social media 📱 needs to be tapped as a source of entertainment 🤹 and positivity.
As most people are working from home 🏠, we’ll begin to see a strong increase in online shopping 🛍️ and digital media consumption as consumers look for different ways to buy food 🥘, keep entertained and educate their children 🧮.
Unsurprisingly, streaming and video 📹 platforms are on the rise 📈. YouTube and TikTok, are becoming even stronger entertainment sources. If you look at the likes of TikTok, a social-sharing platform that lets users create and share short videos, the platform has never seen such high forms of engagement and views, with the likes of COVID-19 campaigns and mental health videos going viral 🌎. This opens the door for marketers and companies to shift advertising campaigns onto the platform to target Generation Z consumers, as young people predominantly obtain news 📰 and information on social media.
Looking at the way people are going to be consuming social media 📱over the coming weeks and months, people are going to be looking for escapism, and something that helps them feel good about the world 🌎. Marketers looking to embrace social influencers will have to reconsider the way they might traditionally work with them, which can serve as an opportunity to try more creative🖊️, less product or sales-focused ideas.
If you would like to find out more about how to incorporate influencers into your strategy during this current climate, please get in touch as we have plenty of creative solutions to share!
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