Sponsorships In the Time Of COVID-19

Creators everywhere have seen ad revenue plummet in recent weeks, despite record high rates of online content consumption. Why? Brands are pulling ad content filmed pre-COVID that might strike the wrong note, and frantically retooling their marketing calendars. Brick-and-mortar stores are closing for the duration, and while online shopping is having a MAJOR moment https://www.magiclinks.com/blog/trends-from-the-frontlines-of-ecommerce/, that doesn’t mean brands are rolling in the dough.

Consumer spending behavior is changing rapidly, given that no one knows how long we’ll all be stuck at home – or when we can all go back to work. Many consumers are shopping more, but spending less. It makes sense, therefore, that lots of brands are reluctant to commit to expensive influencer campaigns. What’s a creator to do? Get, well… Creative!

Demonstrate Brand Loyalty

When MagicLinks casts brand campaigns, we use our proprietary Match Intelligence™ software (s/o to our amazing tech team!!) to analyze thousands of creators’ content, engagement rates, linking, and sales data to find the perfect influencers for a brand. One key way to show your love for a brand, even if they aren’t doing sponsorships during coronavirus? Link to them. A lot. Mention your favorite products of theirs, tag them in your IG pics & YouTube video descriptions, and reinforce your position as a true blue fan of their company.

The commissions you’ll earn when your fans click & buy through your MagicLinks to that brand also cement your status as a proven sales driver. If you’ve got a sales record to back up your asking price for a sponsorship, a brand will be much more eager to invest in you, both now and after COVID-19.

Since budgets are limited, brands are being EXTRA PICKY when selecting creators. Translation? They’re looking VERY carefully at your content. Go through your channels and polish things up, so your work shines.

Samantha Robinson (AKA Saaammage) knocked it out of the park with her Sephora Spring Sale sponsored video. It’s well-shot, well edited, entertaining, encourages brand discovery, and is still 100% her.

Engage and Cultivate

Budgets have plummeted, which can mean lower campaign fees – but it can ALSO open up more sponsorships for smaller influencers. Big names = big views, yes, but those top name influencers charge top dollar and often have low engagement rates, compared to smaller creators who can take the time to really connect with their fans. A mega influencer might have 500,000 subscribers, but a 1.4% conversion rate on their links. Micro- and nano-influencers, on the other hand, can boast up to a 30% engagement rate + 10-15% conversion rate, unheard of for big channels.

Use this time of change and uncertainty to cement your relationships with your fans, and brands you love. Sales matter, but authenticity matters just as much. Viewers can tell when a creator is truly passionate about a topic or brand, or if they’re just in it for the $$$.

Mandy Lea is doing a fun series of videos during quarantine – she’s letting her fans pick the topics!

Have Fun!

If ever there was a time to deviate from the norm, it’s now. We all need a distraction – and creators need to do something unique to stand out from the influx of content being uploaded daily during quarantine. Here are a few of our recent MagicLinks creator faves – some sponsored, some not, all super fun.