The Creator Economy: A Catalyst for Worldwide Brand Exposure

‘Creator’ may not have been a job title a decade ago, but it’s now big business. There are a range of estimates as to how big the market is, but all of them are in the billions of dollars, and it’s only set to continue growing. Marketers are now realising that, far from a fad, creators have a sticking power that brings huge benefits to brands.

Having built a highly engaged social media community around a common interest, they’ve done a lot of the legwork for marketers who want to tap into it. Now, the full-established creator industry allows all types of brands to do just that thanks to agents, contracts and set processes. However, working with a creator can be a double-edged sword.

Successful partnerships can create a deeper sense of connection between your brand and target audience. Unsuccessful ones can leave both parties feeling frustrated or having produced content that’s not landing effectively. To avoid this, it’s important that you understand the benefits of creators and approach them in the right way.

Why should brands use creators?

Data shows that creators now outperform channels such as linear TV and paid social, with the average investment returned within 13 weeks. This performance is consistent across markets and categories. So why are they so effective and what specific returns can brands expect from engaging with them?

– Tapping into communities

From yoga to gameplays to gardening and skincare, creators build their career and community around a specific interest or niche. Attracted to creators because of this mutual interest, followers quickly become invested and engaged in their life stories as told via their social media content.

In a world where segmentation and personalisation is essential for marketers to succeed, creators open the door for brands to tap into very specific audiences. This allows even big businesses to make themselves visible to sub-cultures in a highly targeted way.

– Showing authenticity

Meaningful connections are at the basis of every creator’s success. By genuinely engaging with their communities over a mutual interest and being transparent via their social media channels, they’ve built a strong sense of loyalty and advocacy amongst their followers.

Surrounded by fake news and misinformation, audiences are craving the same authenticity from brands. They’re also highly sceptical of corporate messaging, particularly via advertisements. Particularly Gen Z, who want to buy from and support genuine businesses they can trust.

– Build two-way conversations

Discord, TikTok and Reddit have grown in popularity for a reason; they enable real conversations to happen, even with complete strangers. They’re spaces where people with shared interests can engage, including creators and their followers.

Having the same one-to-one interactions with audiences at scale is a struggle for many brands. Whether they find it hard to talk in the same, real voice as their customers or be consistent across all touchpoints, creators give brands a new way to open up conversations with target customers.

How to maximise creator ROI

Although working with creators has the potential to bring huge benefits to your brand, the right approach is essential to maximising performance.

– Choose the right creators

Creators are niche by their nature and so are their communities. As such, just like any other partnership, you need to be sure you’re right for each other. Rather than looking at their follower count, you need to make sure your values and interests match up. Otherwise, you could end up creating content that doesn’t land, or worse, does mutual damage to your brands.

Engage with agencies or specialists to make sure you thoroughly understand the different creators and their audience. Follow your shortlisted options and see what conversations they’re having with their communities. If they relate closely to your business and its values, then you could be a perfect match.

Don’t be afraid to go super-niche either.

Dove engaged with micro influencers who shared their values of inclusivity and body confidence. This helped them build their own community and spawned lives of its own in campaigns such as #DetoxYourFeed or #PassTheCrow. It also earned them one billion impressions, increased engagement of 20% and a Shorty Award.

– Think long term

Although creators can return on their investment over short-term campaigns, they really start to pay off when you engage them long term. The creators have spent months and years investing in their audience, so if you show the same level of commitment with lasting collaborations, you’ll start to earn their trust and loyalty.

Beyond offering better value, long-term partnerships also give brands the opportunity to develop a productive creative relationship. Rather than having to throw money into a one-off experimental campaign, brands can make strategic investments that produce fresh content which genuinely engages with target audiences.

Zara has established a long-term strategy that leverages a micro-influencer network via an Ambassadors Program, with one-off campaigns featuring big social media stars. It also encourages followers to use hashtags #zarawomen and #zarastyle, so audiences can see their clothes worn in real life. This user-generated content bridges the authenticity gap while maintaining that brand’s minimalist values.

Let them create (with controls)

Creators know their audiences and how best to communicate with them. Any content they produce will also be present on their channels, so they’ll obviously have the majority of editorial control. However, it’s important that partner brands have influence over the content types produced to ensure they’re performing against appropriate metrics.

Setting out these ways of working in a creator’s contract is essential for brands to monitor and optimise the content produced. Whether it’s giving advice on where to place links, suggesting headline messaging or working with creators long-term to develop a joint content strategy, a collaborative approach breeds the best results.

Gymshark has always known this, and has long partnered with athlete influencers who love their products. Steve Cook and Morgan Rose Moroney (who actually met through their brand affiliation and later married) enjoyed global travel, business support and even their own product lines as part of their partnerships of more than five years. This both showcased Gymshark’s products and defined the brand as a genuine supporter of aspiring athletes.

Boost your brand influence

Creators make up just one part of an effective social media strategy. We can help you understand how to influence your target audience with effective brand content on the right platforms. To find out how, call us on 01926 754038 or drop us an email at hello@designmc.org