As a nation we’ve been through wars, hurricanes, and recessions. But these past few weeks, with the sudden advent of the novel coronavirus, everything has been turned upside down. On the business side of things, we’ve never seen consumer behavior change so drastically overnight, creating a completely new reality.

At Linqia, we’re constantly tracking trends and crunching numbers to get ahead of this new reality. We’ll figure this out together. We’ve compiled insights about what’s changing, how best to communicate, and how to fit in right now.

If you’re a brand or an agency asking yourself, ‘How do you do it?’ Based on our learnings, we’ve got some recommendations:

1. Be social. We saw an unprecedented spike in social use, an 83% increase according to Meltwater. If you want to be where people are, that’s the place, so it’s important to be visible on the biggest social media platforms. But remember to stay true to your brand and go where you’re authentically needed. If TikTok isn’t where you would have advertised before, don’t start now. 
2. Move CTAs to only be online. Online shopping is also on the rise, people who had never purchased groceries online before are now turning to eCommerce to get their needs. In fact, our partner SmartCommerce showed a 30% increase in online shopping from social posts and a 400% increase in cartings from a brand’s direct website. People are still shopping, but they’re not going out to do it.
3. Authentic content. People are not reacting well to polished sponsored content; they want authentic content that speaks to them now. So don’t have influencers post content that is “Instaperfect”, instead make sure all posts have influencers indoors with loved ones and not looking perfect. Realness is what’s most desired now.
4. Tie to a Pain Point. Can your brand help someone right now? If so, make sure your message ties to that. Topics such as what to do if you have kids at home, how to wash groceries, DIY projects you may have been wanting to do. Connecting and delivering content that seems relevant to your space.
5. Don’t mention COVID-19 or Coronavirus in your posts. We ask our influencers to not mention it directly but speak to how the reality has changed. It’s not best to include your brand next to the name of the pandemic, and instead focus on the new norm and how your brand can help.

We covered this and more in our latest webinar, The State of Influencer Marketing 2020 and COVID-19. To learn more, listen to the whole webinar to hear all of the insights to better form your plan. 

Take care out there – we’ll get through this.