The game this year for both brands and influencers has drastically changed. Getting out the key messages for content this year has been a total rollercoaster. All of a sudden, there are no written playbooks that have been published and everyone is treading on unfamiliar waters. In an unfamiliar situation, the ability of brands and celebrities to pivot their strategies to keep brand familiarity are the lifeline that will keep them afloat to survive and thrive in the new normal.
So what should brands and influencers do to stay relevant? Here are 3 main points from our team.
Always be informed.
The need to be informed and entertained are two of the needs that the public are looking for in an age of uncertainty. Information and entertainment this year are two key drivers of consumer psyche that both brands and influencers should keep in mind. This serves as an opportunity for companies as well. Staying up to date with what's happening around us helps drive our content to be useful for our audiences. This is something that has been proven in several literature. Our target market responds better to content that they feel satisfies such needs, whether it is informative or entertaining. If the content we produce would make them feel better and useful, this leads to brand loyalty.
Empathy.
Audiences are loyal to people or brands that they can easily relate with. With a lot of people experiencing various forms of challenges for the past months, this has become more evident. Audiences are always on the look-out for glimmers of hope online for inspiration. Brands and influencers should always see to it that sensitivities are taken into account when creating content. Being sensitive to what we say or discuss about in our content resonates greatly and empathy should always be at the core of our actions. After all, empathy to our target market leads to brand affinity and brand loyalty.
Pursuing Passions and Advocacies.
Creating content that is aligned to the interests and passions of our audience are always good for brands. The recent pandemic also gave a platform for several celebrities to showcase their advocacies that they have been supporting. Such involvement in charity work reveals a human side to brands and influencers alike. Public perception is influenced by these activities and provides good PR. This could have long-term effects for the brand and for the image of influencers as genuinely concerned to the community. Thus this will make us adapt and stay relevant as we embrace the new normal.