Instagram Influencers Are “Essential” For Brands During Coronavirus Pandemic

Influencer marketing has become more than just a trend, it is now a powerful tool for brands, agencies, and marketers. An influencer marketing report via Tomoson found that 59 percent of marketers planned on increasing influencer marketing budgets.

Social media is the preferred choice for influencer marketing campaigns. And Instagram is the top social media channel for influencer marketing. Did you know that over 90 percent of influencer campaigns are on Instagram?

Why influencer marketing? Well, because it simply makes sense. 

According to Business Insider, “As social media becomes more entrenched in people’s lives and takes on more functional uses beyond communication, like shopping, the role of influencers is set to only grow.”

The customer acquisition data for influencer marketing is pretty convincing too . . . 

The current global coronavirus pandemic has made the role of influencers even more important for brands. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Obstacles brands face amid the coronavirus pandemic

If you turn on the television, you will find no shortage of coronavirus pandemic news, updates, commercials from brands conveying heartfelt messages, and more. These are certainly unprecedented times in the space of marketing.

For brands already using influencer marketing, does it make sense to continue with campaigns? Do you risk coming off as insensitive during the COVID-19 pandemic? What short-term changes, if any, should your brand make?

These are all important questions. However, most marketers are in agreement. Instagram influencers are “essential” for brands during the coronavirus pandemic.

Why?

Instagram is the social media channel that influencer campaigns are more prevalent on. And in this time, more than ever, brands need to use social media to serve up education, positivity, and entertainment.

Due to stay at home orders from federal and local governments, social media has become more social than ever before. In the United States, Instagram active users increased by nearly 4.5 million from February to March.

The largest spike during the COVID-19 pandemic was seen in Instagram users between the ages of 25 to 34. This is an especially appealing statistic if this is your target demographic’s age group.

Social media channels should be top priority for increasing brand awareness and extending online reach during the coronavirus pandemic. Instagram being the top social channel to focus on.

Let’s take a look at a few tips and considerations when it comes to Instagram influencer marketing campaigns during this unprecedented crisis. They may prove engagement worthy for your brand!

During the coronavirus pandemic, what do people need?

It is essential to consider the needs of people during these uncertain times. Brands, agencies, and marketers have a responsibility in a sense. You’ll have to take a deeper look to maintain a level of sensitivity across all marketing campaigns.

When it comes to influencer marketing, whether you are using a social media marketing platform, or in the process of finding social influencers, you need to make tweaks in strategy.

For example, brands may be tweaking their influencer marketing strategies on Instagram for a more “at home” feel. Let’s say you run a beauty brand and normally share on-the-go beauty tips via Instagram influencers. With #stayhome and #wfh, your audience may find an at home makeup regime for video work meeting more helpful.

Here’s a good example from micro-influencer @inspirationsbyanam_x and Makeup Revolution . . .

Tweaking your marketing message during COVID-19, whether it is for influencer campaigns, or a new product landing page, is critical. It can really help brands connect in a meaningful, timely way.

Mobile use and the consumption of content via social media is as unprecedented as coronavirus

Isolation and working from home has shaken up mobile and social media use. Social media giants like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn are seeing massive increases in use. And use by device, smartphone use has increased as well.

You can see that by the middle of March, most major U.S. cities had a massive uptick in usage via mobile devices . . .

If your brand has been strategizing new mobile and social media marketing campaigns, now may be the most opportune time in history to move those campaigns forward.

Why now?

Because online users and consumers are on mobile devices and using social media to connect with those they can’t connect with in-person. The shift in online behavior and spending patterns can be exactly what brands have been waiting for. You just need to adapt your current marketing strategies.

As consumer behavior shifts during the coronavirus pandemic, brand budget allocation also shifts.

By diverting out of home advertising spend, brands can double-down on Instagram influencer marketing, extending online reach with already loyal consumers receiving brand marketing messages.

Here’s what Instagram influencer marketing looks like for Adidas and @leemryan . . .

Adidas runner Lee Ryan sharing an at home workout, emphasizing #stayhome, #lockdown, and #fitnessmotivation during the pandemic.

Brands can capture more attention from Millennials and Gen Z consumers

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up new ways for brands to capture Millennial and Gen Z consumers. How? With an uptick in mobile and social media use, the younger generations are finding engaging with brands that they didn’t know existed before.

And Millennials and Gen Z consumers trust influencers more than anyone else online.

Younger audiences trust influencers, especially on Instagram. Did you know that 60 percent of people say they discovered new products on Instagram?

Who introduced those new products? Instagram influencers.

Millennials and Gen Z consumers simply trust influencers. They almost rely on social media influencers to recommend products and/or services. An eMarketer study found that 50 percent of Millennials and Gen Z consumers trust influencers when making a purchase decision.

If your demographic is in the 25 to 34 year old range, this is the time to invest in Instagram influencers. Your audience is at home, on social media, searching for something new.

Instagram influencers are “essential” because they entertain during crisis

Social media influencers have the rare ability to entertain and add a bit of humor to any situation. The coronavirus pandemic is certainly no different. You have probably seen the many memes and videos adding levity to the current crisis.

There is even #coronamemes hashtag with over a million posts from . . .

Even one of the most iconic social media influencers, DJ Khaled is getting in on the fun in order to add humor . . .

By teaming up with Instagram influencers, you can help add levity while introducing your brand to the masses. You do, however, need to ensure your humor is tasteful and not going to upset the masses on Instagram.

When done right, you can have a few viral successes. Done wrong, and you may hurt your brand for a very long time.

Get the right message out on Instagram by teaming up with our network of professional Instagram influencers

Developing an Instagram influencer campaign during the coronavirus pandemic is not as easy as it may seem. You need to find social media influencers that are right for this moment in time. You also need to ensure your campaign is putting out the right message in order to keep your brand safe from backlash.

Instead of doing this on your own, employ the experts. Scalefluence is an influencer marketing platform with a network of influencers across all industries.

When teaming up with our influencers, you get reputable brand influencers that know how to serve up authentic messages that resonate with your audience. We use algorithmic data-driven analysis to pair your brand with the perfect influencers.

The time to connect with your audience online is now. Get your brand started with Scale fluence today and create digital buzz around your brand amid the coronavirus pandemic.