There’s been a shift, audiences don’t react well or are indifferent to straightforward sales messages. Content now has a lot more work to do. It needs to be entertaining, inspiring, deliver the message of “we’re all working through this together”, as well as being relevant to the brand. It can feel a little exhausting. But it’s not, there is a solution.
At Next the social team, with ENGINE, has developed five content pillars for their influencers; home workouts, home inspiration, productivity and feel good moments. These are all areas that Eleanor at Next knows they have a level of authority, “We’re not going to tell people what to eat, that’s not what we do”. Emily at George has found a slightly different route that works for them. They’ve also had to branch out into new areas of content and put faith in their influencers to add a layer of authority, “We’re not experts in [other] fields, but our followers will trust us to find the people that are.”
In some ways this is going back to the basics with influencers and putting authenticity at the heart. See influencers as a method of extending your brand messaging, not just a billboard for what you already do. Never forget, make sure the right influencers deliver the right message for your brand.