Talking Influence in COVID
(Picture Credits: Talking Influence)
COVID. That one word that brings an array of emotions to every individual, the second it is uttered. Rolling of the eyes. ‘Oh God not again’. ‘How much has it increased now?’ ‘Lockdown extended again?’ An exasperated sigh. Many more emotions follow.
Probably one of those only times when the entire country is taking precautionary measures when it comes to personal hygiene, staying aware and following the rules. Business and industries have of course been impacted in more ways than one. But before I delve into how it has impacted my work in influencer marketing, here is something you need to know.
“The pandemic of CoronaVirus (COVID-19) hit India recently, and the associated uncertainty is increasingly testing the psychological resilience of the masses. When the global focus has mostly been on testing, finding a cure and preventing transmission; people are going through a myriad of psychological problems in adjusting to the current lifestyles and fear of the disease.” (Source: Plos One)
These have been extremely challenging times, but they also come with great opportunities. We, at The Mavericks, have taken this head on to emerge better versions of ourselves. Of course, we did have days when it felt otherwise. The first 21 days of lockdown was all about cooking, sketching, singing and trying out every new activity we aspired to. The routine was affected by the time we hit 75–80 days of lockdown. The chances of resuming work from the office still seem like a faraway dream, however, working this way through zoom calls and Whatsapp chats has been a different kind of a challenge. One we have grown to accept and love, despite the fact that our morning coffee chat sessions in the office are missed dearly.
Covid’s effect has gone beyond just our bodies. It has started impacting our minds, leading to mental health conditions like elevated stress, anxiety with
quarantine coming into effect, it has impacted our daily routines pushing some even towards depression.
Reports say influencer marketing is going to survive COVID. In fact with social distancing and quarantine taking place, brands are shifting towards influencer marketing, now more than ever. In situations like this, I’ve had one of the most challenging roles in executing influencer campaigns but an even bigger challenge in keeping my team and myself motivated. How do you initiate a conversation during COVID about curating motivating content to your influencers? How do you brief your team on executing campaigns revolving around celebrated days like father’s day? Between all of this, how do you make the most of your free time by not just sitting idle?
Let’s say ‘Hey, what’s up? Instead of Good Morning! Make it a catch-up call — When we had packed mornings rushing to office and finding those 10–15 minutes in between work to catch up with our colleagues, we easily took it for granted. That’s because we never thought a day would come when we’d be on the edge of our seats to get out of home! The office wasn’t just a workplace for us, it was a social networking circle. It’s time to figure out ways to bring back the network circle and keep the sanity alive. What seems to have worked for me is bringing my team together for informal and no agenda calls. You’ll be surprised at the kind of ideas your millennial team will come up with. A conversation that starts with ‘How was your weekend?’ moves onto ‘Oh did you have a look at that meme page?’ going all the way to ‘What if we end up recommending something along these lines for our client?’ There you have it. You start with a spontaneous remark, that moves towards an idea of a campaign, pushes you to research on influencers who’ve done something out of the box and bam! You have a unique campaign for your client. A campaign that withstands COVID, is independent in thought and incredibly exciting to execute.
Instagramming it all the way — When we are in the work mode, we tend to overlook the persona of our influencer. We are in an extremely transactional mode with ideas, campaigns and deliverables running in our minds. This is the time when we get a little deeper into the skins of our influencers, their DNA. Gathering that and adding it to our ideation has worked incredibly for us. One of the key aspects of Influencer Marketing is research. While we indulge in a lot of research during pitches and campaigns, why not make the most of your free time looking at some of the ways in which influencers are handling the challenge of curating content without brands? This is the time when you get a chance to understand your influencers the most. What do they enjoy writing about? Apart from their usual beat, those personal nuances they give you a peek into. Use this time to view those, think of ways in which your brands can fit into it, take the effort of making a small gesture to ensure influencers know you appreciate the content they are curating.
Talking Influence — How many times have influencers spoken about their expectations? Expectations that are not in terms of monetary benefits. In these pandemic times, relationships are needed and that should be the focus. Relationships are truly tested in the toughest times. Being aligned to being together in this. We need to aim to collectively manage these tough times and not focus on only getting work done. The view needs to shift from ‘me’ to ‘us’. Influencers are aware of the market being down, brands cannot afford to get on paid collaborations, this is when you can integrate with them truly based on content. At the Mavericks, we have conducted multiple surveys, posed questions on topics like parenting during COVID, what else can brands and agencies initiate during these times to offer a better experience to influencers? By indulging in these conversations, you’d be surprised at the kind of relationships you’ll build with your influencers.
All this being said, this pandemic hasn’t been easy on any of us. It has impacted our daily routines, our minds, our way of thinking and living. Make the most of this time by doing things differently. Use this period as the start of implementing your craziest ideas. That way, when this is all over, whether you did something unique or not, you’ll come out laughing thinking about the craziest things you tried. COVID could be Influencer Marketing 2.0, implemented and executed in the most influencer friendly kind of way. Until then, hang in there as This Too Shall Pass.
