An Introduction to Creator Marketing
You already know that creating engaging content and a well-thought-out marketing strategy helps you grow your business. But one idea that might be new to you is creator marketing, a concept that is shifting how marketers collaborate and create content. When introducing a product or promoting your business, one post with a creator simply no longer suffices. Instead, a larger strategy needs to be set in place.
This article will introduce the concept of the creator economy and creator marketing. You’ll also learn more about the difference between working with a content creator and an influencer.
What is the Creator Economy?
Before we get into creator marketing, let’s look at the background on this topic. The countless social media platforms and content creators active today make up a new landscape on the Internet, which is called the creator economy.
According to the marketing software company HubSpot, the creator economy is the online economy made up of content creators, which includes social media influencers, videographers, bloggers, and other digital creatives. Tools and software that help these creators grow profit from the content are also part of the creator economy.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people were at home and had more time to spend time online, the number of active content creators increased. Many soon discovered this content could also generate money. It was estimated there were over 50 million content creators just two years ago. It’s likely this number is even higher today.
Creators use social platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch, just to name a few. If you’re not yet using TikTok to promote your brand, take a look at our blog article Using TikTok for Your Business.
What is Creator Marketing?
Sprout Social defines creator marketing as “when brands partner with content creators to drive awareness and engagement for specific campaigns or initiatives.” By incorporating creator marketing into your strategy, you can greatly improve your audience engagement and reach.
Choosing to work with a content creator can help you strengthen your community or reach new followers, but not all creators are the same:
- Content Creators: produce entertaining or educational content for digital distribution, including audio content (podcasts), written content (blogs), photos/images, and videos (YouTube videos). Content creators know how important it is to build a relationship with their audience, which is important to note when you are looking for someone to collaborate with a creator.
- Social Media Content Creators: similar to content creators, this creator subcategory prioritizes building a relationship with audience members across all social platforms. If you are interested in marketing on various social platforms, it may be beneficial to work with a social media content creator.
One popular content creator is Yoga with Adriene. She creates yoga-workout videos and has brought yoga to many peoples’ homes, especially during the pandemic. She connects well with her following and it is apparent that she has built a strong community behind her brand.
What is the difference between a content creator and an influencer?
It’s important to note that content creators create content, blogs, photos, etc. to make money, while influencers “inspire” followers to buy or to do something. The big difference is the intention behind the content being posted.
Content creators produce high-quality content to engage with their audience through photos and videos, which can include tutorials, how-to guides, etc. Influencers share their lives and promote products, which, if purchased by their following, often bring them a percentage of sales.
Here are some example marketing goals that can help you decide if you should work with a content creator or an influencer.
- Working with a content creator: you want high-quality content and/or want to create a unique project. You’d like to use the creator’s style to present your brand. Digital content creators are usually paid per project and they often offer you a quote based on your request. They can help you create engaging content for marketing purposes or for sale strategies.
- Working with an influencer: you want to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness. You’d also like to promote a new product or service to a special niche group that the influencer targets. Influencers often create packages based on the promotion that you want and the reach that they have.
It’s important to note that choosing to work with a content creator vs. an influencer is not necessarily an either-or situation. It really depends on your marketing strategy and your overall goals.
As always, make sure to stay on top of trends and learn about content creators in your industry. You can find content creators or influencers that interest you by using social listening. Want to learn how? Read our How You Can Use Social Listening to Improve Your Business blog to find out.
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Web3: What Is It and Why Should You Care?
You may or may not have heard the terms Web1, Web2 or Web3. Don’t worry if you haven’t. With so much technological change underway, it’s hard to keep up. In this article, we will cover the basic history of the World Wide Web and how Web3 will affect how marketers do business.
What is Web3?
Web3, or Web 3.0, is the third generation of the World Wide Web that is built, operated and owned by its users. New technologies are used to make a decentralized infrastructure of the internet, all while protecting personal privacy. Our GoViral Managing Director also talked a little about Web3 in the Takeaways from a Blockchain Convention blog. But before we dive deeper into Web3, here’s a little background information about how we got here.
Web1: 2001 to 2004
Web1 was the first iteration of the internet where you could view “read-only” content on static pages. Most of the users were consumers who didn’t produce any of the content. In this era the internet was decentralized, and there weren’t many protocols to govern what was posted.
Web2: 2004 to Today
In the Web2 era, the internet became a platform where you could create content, publish to forums, post on social media, create blogs, or buy and sell in marketplaces. This is the “read-write” second iteration of the net, where we currently stand today. Websites and social channels are centralized and governed by a few large tech companies.
Large companies use the internet to market to target audiences by collecting data from individuals. In a few short years, our personal data has become a valuable commodity and a debatable topic in terms of privacy concerns.
Web3: Progressing Toward the Future
In 2014, co-founder of the cryptocurrency Ethereum Gavin Wood was the first to term Web3 as a “decentralized online ecosystem based on blockchain.” Web3 uses blockchain and decentralized technologies to create a more democratic and fair online environment. The idea is that users would own the material they post and create, and even get compensated for it. The use of personal data would be transparent, both in how it is used and by whom.
Web3 would be the “read-write-own” internet where large tech companies don’t own pools of data in centralized points. Instead, data would be stored across multiple servers and not owned by one entity or group.
Gavin Wood also founded the Web3 Foundation, which is building the blockchain infrastructure of this next era. The Web3 Foundation believes in an internet where:
- Users own their own data, not corporations
- Global digital transactions are secure
- Online exchanges of information and value are decentralized
There are many other companies that are also working on similar projects to make Web3 a reality.
Why should you care about Web3?
We all get unwanted ads online. With Web3 and increased personal privacy regulations, marketers will have more difficulty accessing third-party data that is collected to run targeted campaigns. Marketers will have to find new ways to get customers to grant access to their personal data.
Web3 is still developing, but it’s good to stay informed and ahead to understand how these changes can affect your business. Here are some marketing tips that will help you grow your brand and customer loyalty in the next era of the internet:
- Community and Relationship Building – this might seem obvious, but brands will have to genuinely build trust with their customers in order to access them and their data and to stay connected.
- Better Products and Service Quality – over baseless ads and promises. Brands and businesses will have to live up to their promises to gain customer trust.
- Non-Fungible Token (NFT) Limited-Items – brands have already been starting to play around with using NFTs to reach their customers, like Nike selling 600 NFT sneakers. You can read more in our Intro to NFTs for Marketing article to find out how you can apply this to your business.
- New Loyalty Reward Systems – we all love loyalty reward systems and customers will want to be rewarded for sharing their personal information with other businesses. Digital tokens or other forms of reward systems will appeal to customers in the new Web3 era.
The Future of Web3: Is it Certain?
As we said before, Web3 is still in progress and there isn’t a complete Web3 infrastructure created as of yet. Some even are speculating that it’s a fad that won’t be developed, and questions of sustainability and scalability are at play.
What is certain is that as Web3 continues to develop, it’s best to stay informed and to prepare yourself for the possible changes in your marketing strategy. Need some help growing your blockchain business? Make sure to contact us below and we will be sure to reply!
How to Use Social Media Scheduling Tools to Save Time and Work Smarter
You’ve created your buyer personas, decided on content pillars, and planned your calendar of social media posts. But how do you make use of social media scheduling to share your content with the world?
Sure, you can share each post in your social media calendar manually. For some posts this makes sense.
But often there’s a better way. We recommend saving time and working smarter by scheduling some–not all–of your posts ahead of time. Here’s what you need to know about social media scheduling tools, and how to strike a balance that works for you.
Pros and Cons of Social Media Scheduling
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to social media scheduling. If your budget for social media is large and you have a dedicated social team, it might make sense to post manually most of the time. This gives you the flexibility to make last minute changes and reserve space for reposting trending topics of the day.
If you’re a one-person team and social media is a small part of your job, schedule away!
Regardless of the size of your team, if you’re collaborating with an influencer who is scheduling their posts, you might want to balance these with more spontaneous content.
But these are just rough guidelines, not the whole story. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of scheduling your posts.
Pros
1. Time Management: Social Media Managers are busy. Scheduling posts ahead of time can help you make the most of the work you’ve already put in, while freeing up time for other tasks. This is especially true for managers who wear multiple hats. If you need to carve out time for other work, scheduling can free up your mental space as well.
2. Posting at the Right Time: Maybe you’ve noticed your followers engage most with posts on Thursday afternoons, but you have regular meetings during that time and posting manually is a challenge. Or maybe you’re preparing a post for an audience in a different time zone, who are most active when you’re asleep. Whatever the reason, scheduling can give you better control over timing.
3. More Relevant Live Posting: If you pre-schedule posts of evergreen content, you can create more time to engage on social media in real time. Depending on your industry, this might look like sharing breaking news, live-streaming an event, or joining a trending discussion.
Cons
1. Robotic Voice: Remember that the power of social media lies in connecting people. Your customers want to feel like a real person is behind your social media, not a machine. Scheduling too many of your posts can create so much consistency that your posts feel lifeless. When you get stuck in a rut, you can lose the spontaneity and variability that give color to your content.
2. Outdated Information and Errors: The world is always changing, and sometimes changes that happen between scheduling and posting make a difference. We’ve all seen posts from brands that come out after a major news event and suddenly seem insensitive. And sometimes the start time for an event changes, or a speaker drops out.Similarly, your social content will contain errors from time to time. Maybe there’s a typo you didn’t catch or a problem with the way Facebook generates your link. Scheduling makes it more likely that errors will stay live longer before you can fix them.
3. Temptation to Overpost: With social media, more is not always better. Remember that you’re trying to connect with your buyer personas, not with as many people as possible. Take a look at your buyer personas and consider the scope of your business, as well as the time you can dedicate to social media. You don’t have to be present on every social media platform, and you don’t want to overwhelm your audience with too many posts.
How to Choose Which Scheduling Tool to Use
So you’ve decided to schedule some of your posts, but how do you choose which scheduling tool to use?
Let’s start with the in-app options. Some social platforms offer an option to schedule directly in the app. If you have a limited budget and a presence on only a small number of platforms, we recommend starting here. If your business is on Facebook and Instagram, for example, you can schedule posts for both in the Meta Business Suite. Schedule a few posts to see how it works for you, and monitor the results to make sure you’re meeting your goals.
If you have a larger budget and social media is a significant part of your marketing strategy, a third-party app will likely serve you better. Scheduling tools like HootSuite and Sprout Social offer a streamlined interface for managing content on social platforms. Importantly, they also offer analytics tools to help you make sure you’re meeting your KPIs and getting the ROI you want.
Many third-party scheduling tools offer a free version and an upgraded version for those who pay. If you pay, you can expect fewer limitations on things like the number of posts, and greater access to tools for analytics and reporting.
Finally, if you work at a larger company that uses a CRM such as HubSpot or Zoho, you may have the option for social media scheduling in the CRM. This is a great way to cut back on the number of apps you use and work more efficiently. Keep in mind, some CRM’s offer social tools only at the highest subscription level, so check your account to make sure scheduling is available for you.
Remember there are no hard and fast rules for scheduling social media posts. Consider your goals, the size of your team, and the tools available to you. Then test, evaluate, and adjust as needed.
Do you need help with your social media strategy? GoViral Digital has more than ten years’ experience in inbound marketing. Request a proposal to take your business to the next level.
Busting 5 Common Social Media Marketing Myths
Well, myths are common. And social media has been around long enough for marketers to have believed and shared some myths about it.
There is no question that social media plays a key role in boosting the success of your business. While some myths are harmless, others have a great potential to negatively affect your success. That’s why marketers need to keep themselves updated to avoid falling for the traps.
Let’s put our Mythbusters glasses on and dispel some widely believed myths about social media in this article.
Myth #1 “Our business should have an online presence on every single social media platform.”
We know you want to stay ahead of the competition, but it doesn’t mean your business needs have a presence on all networks. This notion is pretty harmful to businesses. It takes time, effort and money to maintain accounts on multiple platforms.
Instead what you need is a meaningful presence on networks that lets you connect with your target audience and engage them. We suggest researching pros and cons of all social media platforms. Maybe even try exploring them. Surely, some of them might not be worth your time. This will help you know where to invest your time and resources to get the best results.
Common practices for many local businesses is to have an online presence on Facebook and B2B companies usually expand to LinkedIn as well. For companies with products or services, Instagram and Pinterest are highly recommended.
Like we said before – research and try till you find your sweet spot!
Myth #2 “Why do we need a budget for social media marketing? Isn’t it free?”
While it is free to join and post on any social media, the chances of you getting good results without spending any money are slim to none. On Facebook, the organic reach for posts is in decline, only around 5.20%.
It is vital to have a budget for social media marketing. Boosting your posts is a surefire way of getting more attention. Running social media marketing requires an investment of resources. In addition to an online spend budget, you need to hire a strong team to build strategies according to data metrics.
The good news is that social media still won’t burn a hole in your pocket. It is still one of the most affordable ways to boost brand awareness, lead generation and ultimately customer acquisition/retention. All this makes your investment worthwhile.
Myth #3 “More Followers = More Success”
Remember the golden rule “Quality over quantity”. It isn’t the 2010s anymore where buying followers in bulk was in trend. After all, a high follower count is worthless if your engagement is low.
Brands that know their target audience well are more likely to gain success on social media. Social Sprout’s index data shows that 91% of consumers visit the brand’s website and 90% of consumers buy from that brand they are following on social media whereas 86% choose that brand over their competitor.
Myth #4 “More Hashtags = Higher Reach”
We all have seen posts like,
Our #employees had some #fun on #Friday with #IceBucketChallenge. Watch the video below. #officefun #socialmedia #officeculture #teambuilding #behndthescenes #peopleinmarketing
All we can say is No! More hashtags don’t mean your post gets more reach. Plus, it makes you look amateurish and spammy. Research shows that if you use more than 2 hashtags on Twitter, you will see a 17% drop in engagement.
Take some time out to discover relevant hashtags in the community and don’t overuse them.
Myth #5 “Social Media is merely a sales tool.”
There is a huge misconception is that social media is a marketplace for your products and services. Being overly promotional will make your followers run away. Put yourself in their shoes. Do you want to see sales content on your social media all the time?
Marketers need to tap into social data as a valuable resource. 47% of businesses use social data as a multi-team strategy resource. It can answer questions on how to manage and expand business across every department.
Start by focussing on areas of your business that could benefit from social data, and build your social listening strategy based on it.
It is hard for marketers to keep track of falsehoods behind social media. We hope this article helps you bust some of those myths and push you to tap into the power of social media fearlessly.
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