How to Execute a Successful Influencer Marketing Campaign During the COVID-19 Era

As marketers navigate the complex new paradigms of the COVID-19 era and social interactions shift to digital, influencer marketing is adjusting to lean into platforms like Instagram as an inevitable destination for audiences. We’re always sensitive to the messaging of our client campaigns, but in the past few weeks, we’ve had to seek creative pivots that account for the new normal, without sacrificing impact. These pivots include:

• Avoid being seen as opportunistic
• Content should provide comfort and humor
• Acts of kindness go a long way
• Get through the crisis in style
• Go virtual when you can’t be IRL
• Help people pass time and cope

What influencers and brands are getting it right?

• Casey Goode of Officially Quigley has supported small businesses, encouraging audiences to buy small (and donating to small businesses herself), all while entertaining audiences with her reliably authentic content (including a pregnancy reveal).
• Justina Blakeney, who has always been an advocate for wellness, is working with the paper industry to share best practices for digital mindfulness in a time when we’re all on our screens. Rather than shilling a product, she’s walking through her daily practices for screen time reduction, creativity and productivity. She’s also helped to support her community by participating in Design Unites, which benefits Habitat for Humanity’s COVID-19 Emergency Housing Response Fund.

• Brands such as Perfect Practice are also stepping up to provide entertainment while doing good, hosting a virtual celebrity golf tournament to benefit No Kid Hungry.
• Fender has recognized a demand for access to resources that help to pass the time and engage people in new ways. The brand is answering that call by offering a free three-month trial to their Fender Play learning app, hoping to inspire the next generation of players. Enlisting the help of 10 creators to get the word out has allowed the brand to reach the masses with over 650K downloads to date.

What does this mean for the future of influencer marketing?

This unusual time presents an incredible opportunity with audiences; engagement is up by as much as 45% (according to our platform Tagger) and impressions are being more widely served, as more audience members tune in for a means of entertainment. Platforms like TikTok present new opportunities to connect with fans, with more casual, less-polished content that is accessible and relatable.

Just as with brands out there doing good, influencers who lean into ways they can add value to audiences will come out on top. This leads me to believe that influencers will be further solidified as a destination for people to go for tailored messaging that inspires them, and influencer marketing will allow brands to continue harnessing the power of these loyalty-driven relationships.

Want to learn more about how Praytell can elevate your influencer marketing strategy? Drop us a line.

Written by Rhea Woods, VP Influencer Marketing

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