With agencies temporarily shut and shoots cancelled, brands are turning to influencers for content creation in favour of production agencies according to a study by marketing agency Obviously.
Obviously analysed 7.5 million Instagram posts, 260 campaigns and 2,200 TikTok influencers to better understand the ways people are using social media during this unprecedented time.
Now the Coronavirus is disrupting the way brands work, they are turning to influencers and are pleased with how high the quality is, how much better content performance is, and how cost-effective it is turning out to be. Creators are already geared up to work from home and are used to producing high-quality content with little budget.
The report revealed a 33% increase in brands looking to hire influencers to create their photo and video assets. Brands also saw a 50% reduction in creative costs on average when working with influencers in place of a production studio, and are seeing a 40% increase in ad performance of influencer-created content in social ads.
With people staying at home and looking to social media for entertainment, education, socialising and wellness, it comes as no surprise that demand for content has increased.
“Influencers can have a huge impact right now. People are stuck in their homes and are scrolling more than ever,” the report outlined.
When it comes to the preferred mediums, influencers said they are experimenting most with Instagram Stories, and nearly a quarter are hosting more live-streams on Instagram.
“It’s really important to go live and post Stories regularly and continue to give people some normalcy in their feeds,” said one influencer in the report.
Meanwhile, 24% said they have joined TikTok during the quarantine, and 67% of those surveyed are creating and consuming TikTok content. Influencers said they enjoyed the lighthearted challenges and the sense of community the platform offers.
Obviously found that 97% of their influencer network said they post about brands and causes they care about, and 8% said they will participate in a charitable campaign without compensation.
