Due to the restrictions of COVID-19, the ability to publicly create content in the ‘wild’ may be a thing of the past – for now at least. 

The nationwide shift to social distancing has forced brands and influencers alike to get creative at home, while supporting their business needs of producing content. Moreover, as consumers settle into their new norms, the desire for consumption is not slowing down but in fact the opposite is occurring, with a reported 70 percent of consumers globally spending more time on their smartphones. Therefore, brands are tasked with thinking outside of the box in regards to what content is being created and how it can be repurposed. 

Traditionally speaking, influencers have created content to be posted across major social platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook. However, there are a variety of ways in which influencer generated content (IGC) can support the areas of your business that are being impacted by the global climate now and in the coming months. 

Below are a few ways brands have found success by utilizing influencers outside of the typical campaign activations:

Supplementing Traditional Content Creation: As brands and marketers are unable to create content in-house, influencers become a great option for generating assets on a brand’s behalf. Tapping into influencers instead of having to rely on photoshoots or stock photography is a great strategy to keep up with your business needs, all while providing an authentic experience to browsing consumers. Below are a few tips and tricks on how to ensure a steady flow of high-quality pieces of content:

  • Focusing On Community Engagement: Engaging with consumers across social to instill an authentic connection will create lasting short-term and long-term impacts on your business. Using IGC to populate email marketing campaigns or including various images across your brand.com or third-party product pages (i.e. Amazon) can create a lasting impression for returning or net-new customers.
  • Streamlined Communication Between Brand and Influencer: It’s important for marketers to make sure that they provide influencers with clear instructions. Successful briefs include Do’s and Don’ts, direct deadlines, as well as provide suggestive copy and example imagery. 
  • Consider an Ambassador Program: For brands who are looking to take their influencer programs to the next level, ambassador programs are a great way to forge a long-term relationship with those who have demonstrated loyalty and alignment with the brand. Check out these seven steps marketers can take to create a successful ambassador program.

 

Outside of photoshoots and ambassador programs, there are a variety of other ways influencers can be leveraged to bolster your brand’s social proof. 

  • Ratings and Reviews: To boost your brand’s existing social proof, ask influencers and creators for a simple rating or product review in support of your brand. For 68 percent of shoppers, trustworthy reviews are more influential than recommendations from family and friends when deciding to purchase products. When activating influencers for ratings or reviews, it’s helpful to provide smaller incentives for influencers who are willing to submit a review in addition to the content creation requirements. For further examples of how ratings and reviews can boost social proof, check out this case study to learn more about how Bounty leveraged ratings and reviews to drive a 50 percent increase in projected sales.
  • Content Syndication: Through third party partnerships, like Olapic or Curalate, brands are able to utilize influencer and user generated content (UGC) on their owned website pages. Once syndicated to your visual commerce platform, you can then display IGC directly on your site. Repurpose IGC on your website, social media pages, social media ads, print ads, customer emails, and banners, for full usage of this high-quality content.

 

For more on how your brand can lean into the variety of ways in which influencers can be leveraged in supplementing business needs, schedule a free consultation with one of our expert strategists here.