LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 09: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meets ... [+]
What a difference a month makes. At the beginning of March there was speculation that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – the former Duke and Duchess of Sussex – could possibly make a living as Instagram influencers. The question at the time was whether the pair needed the "Royal Sussex" brand to be successful, but now the more appropriate question might be whether they have any influence at all to promote brands or products on social media.
Given the state of the COVID-19 outbreak, which shows no signs of slowing down, the bigger question to ask will be whether anyone's social influence can survive. Perhaps in the short term influencers – including Harry and Meghan – could promote online retailers and products, but with unemployment on the rise and people worried about basic essentials, the former royal couple might not be exactly "influential" right now.
According to new insights from Smartly.io, it is e-commerce sites and services, such as food delivery and streaming services where the traffic is going.
"Consumer demands have continued to shift as the coronavirus situation has developed," said Riikka Soderlund, director of brand marketing at Smartly.io. "The initial surge in panic buying items like toilet paper and tuna cans has started to taper off as people begin to realize this situation is set to last for an extended period of time."
Likewise, influencer marketing company Linqia, has suggested that brands should be focused on campaigns such as healthy living, activities at home and happy distractions. In other words, luxury products, fancy getaways and the sort of POSH things that royals could promote are certainly on the "outs" right now.
Can Royal Sussex Regain Their Influence?
It was only this week that the couple stopped using the "Royal Sussex" account on Instagram, while they had already stopped updating the RoyalSussex.com website.
If Harry and Meghan can't retain their influence in the coming weeks, and possibly months, can they recover or regain it in the long term? And should they – and other luxury influencers – step back now?
"During this time, what is crucial is that most influencers recognize the importance of setting a good example for their audiences and to help the greater good," said Viral Nation CEO and co-founder Joe Gagliese.
"Most people have far more serious things on their minds these days than celebrity happenings," explained Gagliese. "That said, Harry and Meghan have a unique and powerful influence and are clearly not shy about speaking out. So whether it's related to the government's handling of the crisis, or helping to educate their massive following on safety measures and the importance of social distancing, there's a ton that Harry & Meghan can do as influencers with the mass audience they have already garnered. Some of their Instagram posts (@sussexroyal) have reflected this."
Remaining Influential
It still isn't known how quickly the COVID-19 pandemic will last, but no doubt those who have made their living as influencers could be impacted as well as everyone else – unless they use their influence for good.
"Influencer will reinforce their influence now, more than ever," said technology industry entrepreneur and consultant Lon Safko, author of The Social Media Bible.
"Social media as well as all media is all about 'trust,'" Safko noted. "People are influencers because their followers trust them, trust their observations, trust their content. Trust is the key factor. Brian Wallace was once one of our country's leading influencers, he learned the penalty for breaking that trust with the American people."
It is during these most troubled times that we may need to rely on our influencers the most. And that doesn't just mean those hawking products online. Safko explained this can include our government, religious leaders, teachers, parents or even those with a popular YouTube Channel as a place to find information and comfort.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has given all of our leaders and influencers an opportunity to step up, and be there for us with credible and comforting information," said Safko.
For this reason even the smaller influencers still have that vital influence.
"In fact it's gone way up," noted Gagliese. "Working from home, or not working at all, most people are locked in on their phones, computers and social media, as those have become some of the primary connection points with work, friends and family. So influencers are getting a lot of visibility right now.
"Furthermore, there's even a role for influencers to play during a crisis," he added. "I've seen numerous examples of influencers sharing useful information on CDC best practices and social distancing. So influencers can definitely do good."
While the messaging and "creatives" for influencers has shifted, which reflect the obvious sensitivities, overall influencers are actually as active as ever these days and many may have even discovered some new ways to be of service suggested Gagliese.
Back To Normal
While it could get worse before it gets better, which could sadly be the course COVID-19 takes, in the end the influencers could come through this as well.
"The world will get through this," said Gagliese. "And eventually, things will return to normal and these influencers will carry on as they did before. I don't think there's any rebuilding of audiences required, because, in large part, social audiences are very loyal and don't tend to unfollow just because there's a crisis."
In fact, for some the influence may be bigger than ever.
"Once this crisis has passed, those who were there for their followers will have a stronger influencer relationship than ever before," said Safko. "It's an opportunity for all influencers to do the right thing."
It also doesn't help that for many there really isn't much to do except to stare at our various screens all day.
"Content is being consumed at a faster and larger scale than ever before due to restrictions of being isolated at home," added Gagliese. "Audiences are often looking to the influencers to help them get through this; whether that be entertainment, to help create unity, to provide useful info, or to just have a laugh. Again, if anything, these audiences have become more engaged and many influencers have used their platform to raise awareness or money towards relief of the effects of COVID-19."
