Infographic: how influencer marketing is responding to COVID-19

COVID-19 is the most talked about topic of the past couple of months, and it has undoubtedly impacted everything and everyone, in some way or another. Because people are stuck at home, the crisis had a direct effect on the digital space, which gained a whole new dimension - after all, it enabled life to keep on going during this crisis. Thanks to digitalization, most of us were still able to keep working, keep contact and connection to our loved ones, keep getting the much-needed entertainment, not to mention all the other things available online that helped us to keep ourselves busy and healthy.

As a consequence of this digital boom, social media and influencer marketing are also being reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, we have asked our influencer network to answer a couple of questions and share their thoughts on how this situation affected their professional lives, and how they think brands can support communities.

This infographic breaks down everything you need to know about how influencer marketing and social media are responding to COVID-19.

Feel free to share this infographic on your website and credit us with the following link: IMA Influencer Marketing Agency.

How COVID-19 has affected Influencers’ professional lives

As expected, Influencers also had to adapt their communication strategies according to the situation we are living in.

When asked if their audience expected adjustments in their content, 60% of the influencers in our research answered that followers expected some adjustment while also maintaining regular content. It’s important to adapt to the situation, but audiences are still looking for entertainment and escapism, and keep posting what they have always posted on social media is a great way to provide that - this is the content that attracted the interest of all those followers in the first place. 

On the other hand, 30% say followers expected total adjustment to the current situation, whereas 10% say followers didn’t expect any adjustment at all.

But how exactly their content strategies changed? You might be wondering. Influencers have modified their content by, for example, focusing more on at-home content, sharing news and trusted information, changing their tone of voice to be more sensitive to the situation, and providing more support to their followers who are stressed and anxious.

And, when asked how their followers reacted to the new content, all of them answered audiences responded very or extremely well (we had no doubts)!

How Influencers feel brands should support the situation

Just like many of us, influencers also have certain expectations from brands in times of crisis. When asked how they feel brands should support the situation, all of them answered companies should be there for consumers to some degree or another. 

More than half (60%) answered that brands should spare no efforts to help their consumers, while 20% feel that companies should do their very best, and 20% say brands should help but only within their capabilities.

In fact, 91% of our network feels they can support brands during these times, by, for example, providing some sort of escapism to the brand’s audiences, supporting any give-back initiatives brands might have, spreading relief efforts brands are participating in, spreading awareness for small and medium businesses, and working for a reduced remuneration.

And what’s more, attaching your brand to influencers who are making an effort shows that you are also trying your best to help the situation. And absolutely 100% of our influencer network believe they have helped their community in some way or another, by, for example, starting fundraisings, spreading awareness, being honest about how they are affected, sharing words of comfort, and providing distractions and entertainment to help people cope with the situation.

What has changed in Social Media?

As you might have already heard (or simply guessed), quarantines and confinement periods are making people spend more and more time online. On apps only, everyone is spending 20% more of their time during the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

And of course, social media saw a huge increase in usage. TikTok, for example, is the lockdown star since it was the most downloaded app in Q1 2020, with a 27% jump in engagement on average. 

Instagram had a 76% increase in engagement on #AD posts, as well as a 22% increase in Instagram campaign impressions from Q4 2019 to Q1 2020. Instagram Stories are also more popular, with a 15% increase week-over-week, while Instagram Live views accelerated by 70% during the first week of April.

Facebook usage was also increased by 40% in the 18 to 34-year-old age group, and voice and video calls on WhatsApp and Messenger have more than doubled. The Chinese local social media apps Weibo and WeChat do not lag behind, with a 58% usage climb.

All in all, people might be physically apart, but socially-wise we are closer than ever. Luckily, IMA can help you leverage this digitalization boom brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic. Just reach out to us and let’s see what we can do together!