Wired Magazine recently published an article, “Could the Coronavirus Kill Influencer Culture?” – and many other news outlets have posed the same question, from the New York Times to Vanity Fair. All this commentary seems to focus on the same influencer makeup: globetrotting fashionistas that make us envy their latest trips, newest bag or overall amazing lifestyle. And it’s true that many of those influencers may have now passed their peak. Envy is no longer the way we want to feel. We want comfort, we want messy, we want reality. We want to know there’s another human on the other side of that screen; someone compassionate, someone struggling, someone with heart. We want proof that life is not the shiny, superficial picture that many influencers attempt to portray.

But here’s a little secret we’ve known all along: these seemingly perfect lifestyle influencers aren’t the only game in town. There are a large number of content creators that lift the curtain to show their real lives – complete with messy living rooms, children in mismatched clothes, real and raw emotions, and not-so-perfect dinners. Some of them are well-known, like Eva Chen and Scary Mommy. Some are nano and micro influencers with a smaller but loyal following. They are relatable and their content is genuine, which is what customers want to see.  

Those influencers – the “real” ones – aren’t going anywhere. What has changed, and will continue to evolve, is how we approach, prioritize, and engage with influencers as a whole. Gone are the days of companies paying five figures to influencers to showcase their products as part of a picture-perfect lifestyle. This is good news for the influencers who keep it real. And it’s also good news for brands, especially those whose budgets are not what they used to be (or never were, for that matter).  

The key to influencer marketing moving forward is something we at Resound have always believed – delivering meaningful and genuine content that resonates with a targeted audience. This is a turning point in influencer marketing, which also means it’s the perfect time to rethink your strategy. Carefully consider who you choose to align with and how you can personalize the content to be true to your brand. Authenticity is here to stay!