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The field of influencer marketing is here to open up some great opportunities for brands that use this tool properly.

From Neha Puri

The pandemic has opened new avenues in digital marketing due to the sudden surge in digital media traffic. This resulted in an unexpected surge in the rapid adaptation of influencer marketing strategies by brands around the world, including India.

Influencers, who are generally “digital first creators”, have a strong position in their digital audience because of the personalized interactions that help develop trust and authenticity. People are constantly looking for personal suggestions, tips and content from the influencers and in some cases following them religiously which is the power of influencer marketing. People love to listen to influencers who offer solutions and include their thoughts during lockdown. Hence, brands continuously focus on harnessing this energy of authentic and dominant voices to promote their products / services.

Is influencer marketing questionable during the pandemic?

Influencer marketing is an ever growing avenue that promotes an integrated path across different areas. The return on investment (ROI) and reach of influencer marketing have made it a topic that can no longer be overlooked by brands looking to promote their ideas, concepts, products or services. The new regulation of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), which makes it mandatory for all influencer-related advertising content in India to wear a disclaimer indicating the status of advertisement / advertisement, has started discussions among brand marketing teams.

One important aspect to note here, however, is that influencers are like celebrities promoting products in TV ads. Therefore, the perspective only needs to change to perceive the influencers as brand ambassadors. This will also help connect the brand with the influencer, resulting in a greater impact on the audience.

The pandemic is only expanding the field of influencer marketing and helping brands merge the digital market pool with their influencer marketing strategy, slowly making it a primary advertising medium rather than a secondary one. That being said, here are a few other things brands need to be aware of:

• Adaptation of a more integrative approach to influencer marketing and its communication in the upcoming social media influencer campaigns. The need of the hour is to revitalize the influencer brand model and upgrade it beyond the limitations of a business model.
• Instead of simply asking the influencers to promote their products in stories / posts / storefronts / website etc, brands need to focus on highlighting the business aspects / ideas that are the foundation of the brand. This will help build a stronger brand image that will lead to sales in the long run.
• With F&B brands, the focus needs to be on the cook, atmosphere and disinfection. The brand ideology and purpose / vision must be reflected in the advertising campaigns that people associate with the brand. While digital media has a huge pool of users, due to the vulnerability of the platforms, genuineness and authenticity are keys to growth, making sure your content reflects the same.
• Brands need to focus on delivering value to customers. Share recipes, DIY, tips, and methods to help customers benefit from your brand without investing any money. On digital platforms, consider your audience’s time as money and with every brand interaction on the influencer’s platform, not only the influencer must establish a connection, but also your brand, which makes a mark through the message.

These are very important times and people struggle to cope with one or the other. Hence, the brands out there need to be thoughtful and offer help and kindness instead of just selling their products. For example, several brands are now using influencer marketing as a medium for storytelling and generating user-friendly content in order to pass on important social messages.
The pandemic has also caused certain brands to stop advertising products to free up the digital space for Covid-related information. However, this is not a permanent step and sooner or later brands will have to advertise their product again. The idea is to do this in a subtle way without affecting people’s sensitive feelings.

Overall, the field of influencer marketing is here to open up some great opportunities for brands that use this tool properly. Keep in mind that digital media is about time and messaging.

The author is CEO and founder of Vavo Digital. Views expressed are personal

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