These two terms are often used interchangeably, but there are a few notable differences between the two – differences that are important if you’re looking at third party amplification in your brand marketing strategy.
Put simply…
Creators make content for themselves and their audience to entertain and educate.
- They’re the ones who make content on a specific topic they have a passion for and knowledge of.
- Words like industry expert are often brandished around when it comes to digital creators – however please note, not all of them!
- A creator’s brand is all about the content they produce and the audience they serve – who are others who share a passion for their beloved subject.
- The content is king, and how they communicate with their audience, is integral.
- They would be making the content whether you, as a brand, had asked them to or not. You’ll see a lot less ‘sponsored’ content on the feeds of digital creators.
Influencers make content to grow their personal brand and deliver ‘aspirational’ content for their audience.
- They have built their reputation through pushing their lifestyle and everything that comes with it.
- These aspirational lifestylers’ mission is to constantly build their personal brand, and to promote brands that ‘help’ them in their day-to-day lives. They usually have a niche, but their content is built to promote themselves rather than inform or offer value around a specific topic.
- They are more likely (again, not all) to take the brand partnership that delivers the dollar bills, rather than authentic content to their audience…
- The best Influencers aspire to inspire. Their content stimulates, motivates, and encourages followers to explore themselves.
The benefits of working with creators…
Creators are focused on the content quality first – they’ll ensure it fits your brand and provides the kind of value you want it to.
Thought Leadership within Your Niche
With creators, the topic comes first. If you choose wisely, you’ll build brand equity by partnering with a creator who endorses your brand, service and/or product, through authentic, engaging content. It won’t feel like a sales pitch.
Audience Relevance
If you do your research, the likelihood is the creator’s audience has similar attributes to yours, so you can grow brand awareness and knowledge within the right communities.
Benefits of working with influencers…
Grows Wider Brand Awareness
If you are looking for quantity over quality of audience, AKA greater reach, choosing an influencer with a larger following is a good place to start. They usually have a more generic audience base, with less of a niche.
Moving the Marketing Needle
Short form, they’re a great way of changing up your content, featuring someone identifiable and engaging your audience through a new tone or content format.
Long term, if a renowned influencer becomes synonymous with your brand, for all the right reason, it can create a combination of yours and theirs followers, driving a larger digital community.
The Bottom Line
So, as an existing or potential client of BTI, what would I advise?
The likelihood is, you’re not at the stage where a tennis star, a Hollywood actor and *** are going to endorse your brand, like Hugo Boss enjoys. You’re not a global brand, with an astronomic reputation, where those involved with your brand will influence others to purchase from you.
These kinds of partnerships are mutually beneficial – the ‘influencer’ effectively grows their reputation through the work with the brand, whilst the brand improves its awareness. But they don’t necessarily build brand trust!
For aspiring brands, within a niche, finding a creator who is passionate about their subject and build creative and dynamic content, can be a great win. You diversify your feed, give your audience something unexpected and are exposed to a new, relevant audience.
Key question: would their existing content work with your logo added to it. If yes, it’s worth testing a content collaboration!
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