As we get ready to move into another year, nailing your content creation strategy for 2023 is going to be key to keeping current customers engaged, attracting new eyeballs to your business or brand and, most importantly, growing your bottom line.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, we know that integrating user generated content into content strategies works; however, as social media evolves so have two different breeds of UGCs – Content Creators and Influencers.
So, what is the difference and, more to the point, which one is right for your content creation strategy?
While from the outside, an influencer and a creator can be seen as ‘same, same’, they are actually quite different.
How so? Let us explain…
What is an influencer?
In simple terms, an influencer is just a more updated buzzword for what we called in the old days a ‘brand ambassador’ or “face of a brand”.
There is nothing new about getting beautiful or famous people promoting a product or brand; companies like Calvin Klein, Pepsi, Nike, American Express and luxury brands such as Dior, Gucci and Chanel have been doing it for decades.
These days the mediums have just expanded beyond glossy magazine covers, big-budget TVCs and billboards. Now we have platforms like Instagram and TikTok that have allowed for the rise of everyday people finding celeb-like status due to what they do or post on their social media.
So, when they team up with a brand and are paid to promote it to their usually large audiences, these brands are relying on their “influence” with their followers to convert to sales and brand recognition.
Admittedly till now, this has worked very well for many brands and influencers, but the tides, they are a turnin’, and we - the everyday consumers are becoming a little more discerning about who we listen to when it comes to deciding where and on whom we spend our hard-earned cash.
So, hiring that ‘IT’ influencer may not necessarily be the right or best decision for your content strategy in today’s changing market.
What is a content creator?
Simply put… Content creators create content!
These kinds of peeps tend to create content for the same reasons someone might write a book, paint a picture or design an item of clothing – it is a passion or an extension of their core skills or business.
A content creator’s purpose is to create content – so when they are doing this for your brand, they really understand the process behind creating content for a specific audience and are usually damn good at it.
This can be anything from a blog, a recipe, a photo shoot or a tutorial and while their followers may not rival those of a Kardashian, they are usually loyal, highly engaged and invested in what person creates and what they create smacks of authenticity, which means they too can have significant pull and be a very effective option for your content creation strategy.
At the end of the day, there are cases where influencers do become content creators and vice versa, however, we have seen influencer marketing becoming less desirable to consumers and loads of brands shift to more authentic user-generated content.
When it comes down to selecting the right mouthpiece for your brand or campaign, you need to keep in mind what your ultimate goal or outcome is and remember that choosing an influencer versus a content creator will yield very different results.
If you’re just looking for reach, an influencer will work, but if you are looking for creative and authentic ways to truly connect your brand to your audience, a content creator is the way to go!
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