First published in
As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, Vamp influencers are swapping #ootd posts for promoting social distancing and collaborations with the World Health Organisation.
With 44% of internet users spending more time on social media because of the coronavirus, it’s more important now than ever that these platforms contain helpful advice, approved by experts. With their large audiences and influential content, a group so conveniently placed to spread accurate information and advice during this pandemic is influencers.
One of the ways influencers have used their platforms to promote coronavirus safety, is by being part of our pro bono campaign for the World Health Organisation. Vamp influencers around the world swapped shots of insta-worthy destinations for videos of themselves washing their hands to help #StopTheSpread of COVID-19.
Correct hand-washing has become one of the key pieces of advice from WHO, so the #SafeHands campaign is helping to spread this message. Following their step-by-step guide, influencers are emphasising how important these simple practices are to keep themselves and others safe.
Working together to stay apart
As global governments have been stressing the importance of social distancing and self isolation, the #stayhome hashtag has clocked up over 9 million uses on Instagram. The platform has even created a sticker and Story highlight with the same name. Vamp influencers have been using their platforms to show their practise of this and encourage their followers to do the same.
“Self isolating will of course be hard, but being sick or making others sick would be harder” said @saltyluxe, a travel influencer who cut her overseas trip short to head back home to Australia. She is currently in quarantine and advised her followers in the same position: “It’s a team effort. We all need to stay home to keep ourselves and each other safe”.
@teegly is another creator in the middle for her 14 day self quarantine. She has been sharing tips on how to stay connected with friends and feel less isolated through group video chats. Meanwhile @lovechloejane has created a Story Highlight, for her followers titled ‘Isolation’, where she provides daily ideas to beat iso boredom. From writing online reviews for small businesses to cleaning out parts of the house or painting, even if you’re terrible at it.
Others, like Dubai-based @iddavanmunster have been coming up with creative challenges, like her #LockDownPhotoChallange2020, highlighting how the “slow life” is giving us an opportunity to have “time, space and energy for the things that matter most to us in life”.
Spikes in Instagram engagement
As we continue to self isolate, a lot has been written about the impact on small business, but digital content creators’ income has also been effected by the pandemic. Those that still have collaborations to post, are balancing between fulfilling campaign commitments and being sensitive around the situation.
“It feels wrong to be posting ads and I know people will have things to say about it, but I also can’t afford to stop working” said @livblankson. “Especially with everything being cancelled or put on hold for the foreseeable future. The ads I am posting had already been agreed upon”.
Lifestyle influencer @lawstore has also continued to post sponsored content and says she’s seen a spike in her engagement over the past few weeks, as more people are practising social distancing. “The number of people viewing my Stories daily has almost doubled and there is an increase in likes on posts that are particularly relevant to COVID-19 circumstances.”
“I’m so thankful to have these daily interaction to keep me sane. It’s the DMs, stories, posts, captions and comments that keep me going. I think it’s critical for us to leverage the internet and social media. It’s basically all we’ve got in this these isolated times.”
