Social distancing is the new order of the day for influencers.  Because containing the coronavirus crisis is a top global priority.

You weren’t expecting the world to still be like this coming into 2022, right?

Well, influencers, here we are.

And the current situation demands that we all dynamically shift focus toward solutions that serve the crisis that the world is facing – for our survival.

Hey, even the electric vehicle company, Tesla, plans to repurpose factories to produce ventilators if needed.

We simply can’t ignore what’s happening and wait for things to “return to normal”.

It is happening.  And the reality is, that we may find ourselves with a new “normal” to adapt to.

So, you may as well join in and find your place in the change.

Influencing in a socially-distanced world?

Here’s the plan of action.

Boom!  Let’s do this.

Start by Understanding the Change in Behavior

It helps to have some kind of orientation before you navigate your influencer strategy in any particular direction.

There is, without a doubt, a change in consumer behavior across the globe as a result of social distancing.

Dining out, dressing up, and holidaying away are no longer on top of anyone’s list right now.

Instead, people are trying to survive this period.  And that, influencers, is where your attention should be during this social distancing period.

Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

The global coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a sudden shift to the most fundamental needs:  physiological and safety needs.

Food, health, financial security, emotional security, and wellness are critical needs right now.

But why is this important to know?  Because, according to Maslow, a person’s basic needs must be met before they can desire higher-level needs.

So, no need to get yourself all knotted up because your jewelry line collab campaign is a fail.  Or because non-essential products and activities have been scratched off the market.

Now is the time to be agile in your influencer strategy as you begin to understand the change in your followers’ needs.

A simple creative shift in your content approach could turn your influence from weirdly irrelevant to extremely valuable.

Influencer Engage:  Find Out What Your Followers Need

Throw assumptions out the window and instead start talking to your followers yourself.

Strike those conversations up with your audience.  How about asking them about their experiences, struggles, and needs.  Dive into their profiles and check out what they’re posting about.

You should also thoughtfully respond to their comments with questions, DM them, and even host live calls with them.

Engage.  Listen. And learn from what they’re saying about their social distancing experiences.

Are they struggling to set up their home office?  Do they need help with entertaining their kids at home?  Are they looking for easy cost-effective meal solutions? Or are they in need of home workout inspiration?  Do they need help adjusting to an online-based lifestyle? Or maybe, at the very least, all they need is some feel-good vibes to uplift their wellness.

Whatever it is, it’s your job to figure out what they need right now and deliver your content around those needs.

Be Valuable:  Create Relevant Content

This social distancing stretch is probably not the time to be posting coffee date outfits on your influencer account and pretend everything is normal.

Using the #tb hashtag gets old very quickly.

While many influencers are faced with the dilemma of creating a distraction from the tension around current events without coming across as insensitive, it’s important to always remember the context.

Let’s just say that it’s not a good time to be posting anything without regard to the current context.  Even Google has canceled April Fool’s this year.

Content in context.

Examples of Content Relevant to Social Distancing:

• Beauty and fashion influencer, Estée LaLonde, dropped a “Working From Home Makeup” video to inspire her followers to look presentable for those video conference calls.
• DJ Dani Acosta is helping fitness instructor followers set up their class live streams.
• And vegan blogger, Nisha Vora, will show you how to make beans taste better because we’ve all practically stocked up on these kinds of non-perishables.

While some influencers continue rolling out their scheduled content from months ago, others have quickly hopped on with the new program and are already giving their followers immense value through relevant social distancing content.

And it’s not to say your pre-planned content should go to waste.  Perhaps you need to revisit those scheduled posts and edit captions, at the very least, before they go live.

Because your #girlsquad #party post will get really weird during these social distancing days.

Even prospective brands will rethink whether you’re capable of creating responsible marketing content during the pandemic.

And that will always be a factor, influencers.

While you are primarily creating for your followers, never forget that brands looking at your content too.

You need those collabs. So, take care.

Remember: if you’ve been engaging with your followers, you’ll understand what their needs are, and then you’ll be able to pivot your content to provide value.

And just in case you’re still trying to figure out your new influencer content, even just documenting your own raw social distancing experience will be good content material.  Being real with your followers never gets old.

Game Change:  Social Distancing Brings New Collaboration Opportunities

Sure, your current brand collaborations may be shut down.  You could harp on about it, or, you could change your game.

While many business lines may be on hold, there are many others still operational – serving the current times.

From virtual events, and online classes, to online services – social distancing has brought pretty amazing fireworks to the online space.

It’s Facebook groups like COVID-19 Virtual Meetups that will give you a sense of the activities that are sprouting online.

Besides online services, there are also many essential product-based businesses still functional too.

Whatever your niche, search for brands that have an active place in the current environment and explore collaboration opportunities from there.

If you’re stuck, why not start on Afluencer.  A few influencer programs searches later, and you could find your next gigs to get you through this social distancing phase.

And if you need to power up your image, then signup to get your profile featured in top influencer roundups.

Move Forward With the Opportunity

Social distancing is certainly not a comfortable change for influencers to adapt to.

But as with all changes, come opportunities.

Opportunities to engage with your followers, opportunities to create new content, and opportunities for new brand collaborations.

But most of all, social distancing provides an opportunity to serve your followers for the greater good of all.

So dust yourself off.  You’ve got this.

Now, are you ready to supercharge your socially-distanced influence?

The post Influencing in a Socially-Distanced World (2022 Playbook) appeared first on AFLUENCER.

3 Common Mistakes Instagram Influencers Make

1. Excessive Use of Hashtags

Previously, Instagrammers used to add 50 or even up to 70 hashtags on their posts—with hopes to reach a larger audience. Doing that today with your Instagram posts is a big mistake and could jeopardize your growth as an influencer.

Instagram hashtags are a great marketing tool for influencers, but they can’t beat the importance of content. Instagram wants you to post only quality content so that its users get the most out of their social media experience.

So if you get carried away with those, then you may just get yourself “Action Banned” or your posts may be hidden from your audience. The Instagram algorithm considers excessive hashtags as spam. So put a cap on the hashtags you use in your captions.

Aside from that, avoid repeatedly using the same hashtags for all your Instagram posts. Because that is another thing that triggers the Instagram algorithm. Repeated hashtags may again result in your posts being hidden from users. So make sure to switch up those hashtags!

2. Posting Irrelevant Content

Here’s another common mistake we keep seeing influencers do with their posts on Instagram. Why would you want to post content that has no relation to your personal brand?

Think about it. Your followers are sticking with you because of who you are and what you represent. So posting irrelevant content is just going to be such a big turn-off for your audience.

Here’s an example. There is an influencer who creates regular posts on Instagram about comic books. He managed to build a community of loyal comic fans because of the inspiring content he always released. But then he started to create posts about repairing cars. Then there are times when he’d make quick random non-comic book-related videos about cleaning air-cons or plastering walls and so on.

Fair enough – this influencer is a jack of all trades. But his followers are there to hear about his take on the latest spike in comic book prices. Not to learn about the best method to put up wallpaper.

As an Instagram influencer, you want to avoid posting images, videos, or captions even that your followers are not expecting—as it could prove a costly mistake. Followers may very well move along to the next influencer if they start seeing content that is out of place. Remember, chances are there are plenty more influencers out there covering the same topics as you. People do have choices. So once they have settled on your content, you don’t want to give them a reason to settle elsewhere.

3. Inconsistency

Apart from creating quality content, you need to make sure you follow a proper schedule when publishing each post. You can’t be a successful Instagram influencer if you’re just going to post “whenever you feel like it“.

Your followers can be very particular about consistency in your posts. It’s a big mistake to go on a sudden break and expect your audience to be there for you when you come back.

So this last point is to avoid being inconsistent when releasing your influencer-inspired posts on Instagram. Figure out the best timing for when you’ll catch your audience active on Instagram. Then make sure to always post at that time.

If you struggle to create content during the peak hours when your audience is online—that’s not a problem! You can create posts well in advance. Then use Instagram tools that allow you to schedule posts. So even if your followers are most active at 3 am (maybe because the majority of your fans are halfway around the world), your posts will hit them while they’re online.

Would you like us to go through it again with a fancy infographic made by our very own design team?

Here is our infographic, Mistakes Influencers Should Avoid on Instagram:

So that was our handsome infographic pointing out the mistakes Instagram influencers should avoid. We would love for you to share it, repost it, or even just bookmark it so you can refer to it in the future!

Do You Have The Right Skills To Be An Influencer?

So now you have a better insight into the mistakes you should avoid as an influencer on Instagram. Visit our website, Afluencer.com where you can be a part of our ever-growing influencer marketing network. You’ll not just learn the ins and outs of the influencer lifestyle but you’ll also get to meet and work with top brands looking for top influencers like you!

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