You don’t have to be a marketer to be familiar with the terms “creator” and “influencer.” But what do they mean? Are they the same? If not, what is the difference? And which is right for my business?
It’s a nuanced and confusing new world. There is a lot of conflicting information. Having a baseline vocabulary is the foundation of any good marketing program. So, let’s start by setting the record straight.
Creators and influencers are not the same. If creators build the house, influencers live in it. A creator can be an influencer, but they are not always. Influencers are often creators, but they focus more on their influencing ability than on the craft of creating.
Needless to say, they’re both important and relevant, but they serve different purposes and roles within a marketing program. Let’s look at some of the defining characteristics of creators and influencers:
What are Creators?
Creators may be a new term to you, but it has actually been in use for a long time. The term goes back to the days of blogging and vlogging, when creators like Leo Laporte and Robert Scoble were pioneering the digital media space. They built a following based on their expertise in technology.
As content marketing has grown and become more sophisticated, content creation is still core. The most relevant creators today are content producers. They’re the ones with the expertise and ability to create specific content around a given topic, such as white papers, ebooks, webinars or blog posts.
Unlike influencers, creators are not marketers. They are experts in their own specialties. This means that they have a certain audience already interested in what they have to say. Many of the best creators even have an email list of loyal followers who are eager for more of what they produce.
How best to use creators
What’s the best way to engage creators? First you should search for the creators you want to work with, based on your niche. This can be done through hashtag searches or by looking at competitive brands.
Once you find the creators you want to work with, approach them through their most relevant social media channel. Don’t bother with email blasts or cold pitches via Facebook Messenger or direct messages on Twitter.
Then build a creative brief that explains how you want to work together. The key is to understand their content and how it aligns with your objectives.
Creators are busy people, so be respectful of their time and attention. Don’t expect them to jump at your offer right away. Be persistent, but not annoying.
What are Influencers?
The term “influencer” is everywhere these days. It’s hard to believe a few years ago, the term didn’t even exist yet! Now young people grow up to want to “influence” as a caree. Influencers are everywhere, from Instagram to Twitter to Snapchat and beyond. Most influencers are also creators, but not all are.
Influencers have a certain following that they engage with on a regular basis. Most of their followers are interested in the same things as them.
Influencers also have a high level of engagement from their followers and their main career is partnering with brands to influence the consumers buying decisions.
How best to work with influencers
The most important part of working with influencers for your brand, is picking the right influencers. It may sound easy, but it is actually quite difficult when you consider that Instagram alone has 83 million users with over 1,000 followers.
But an influencer is more than just their following. Their engagement, audience demographics and a few other factors, all need to be carefully considered for an effective campaign.
Once you have decided on which influencers you want to work with, reach out to their agent or manager and explain what you want them to do. It’s wise to have a campaign concept in mind, but also be open to the input of the influencer. They know their audience better than anyone!
Creator vs Influencer: A Cheat Sheet
The easiest way to remember the difference between an influencer and a creator is:
– creators: people who create content (typically videos)
– influencer: people who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, and following.
There is definitely overlap between influencers & creators. If you are still looking for guidance on what is the right approach for your brand, based on your goals, at this moment in time, email us at ImGame@wearelms.com to set up a call to discuss.