The terms influencer and content creator are often used interchangeably, but strictly speaking, that’s not entirely accurate. Yes, both influencers and content creators produce catchy content for their own social channels and/or for a brand’s platforms. But when exactly is someone an influencer, and when are they a content creator? And what’s causing the shift from influencer marketing to creator marketing?
An influencer is seen as an individual who has influence over a large follower base. Someone who creates relatable content for social media and produces content in collaboration with brands to influence their online community’s purchasing decisions.
A content creator, on the other hand, primarily aims to connect and engage with people on social media who share the same values, lifestyle, goals, etc. They only enter into partnerships with brands they truly believe in. Think of athletes, journalists, artists, …
So, an influencer is a type of content creator but not all content creators are influencers.
Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely similarities between the two:
But the main difference lies in why they create content. Is it a full-time job, where the influencer might also post about products or companies they aren’t necessarily interested in themselves, or is it about promoting a product or company as a true sign of appreciation?
Do you ask yourself that question when seeing promotional content on social media platforms? Then you’re already a critical follower or social media user!
Step by step, we’re moving from an influencer era to a creator era. Nobody wants to “influence” or be influenced anymore. Instead, they want to build a niche and share knowledge from that specific field through content creation.
You may not appeal to the masses, but that’s perfectly okay. What matters most is that the smaller group who does follow you knows that your content is meaningful, sincere, and authentic. That’s how you build your own community and foster a close connection with it.
When a creator then partners with a brand, that community is fully convinced that what the creator says is true — even if the post ends with #ad.
We’ve already talked about content creators, but what about UGC creators? Don’t be mistaken: User Generated Content creators are not the same as content creators, even though the terms sound similar.
UGC creators may not have a large social following themselves, but they do create catchy content. More and more, brands are turning to UGC creators because they can’t always produce the kind of content they want themselves, but they can use it to boost or maintain their own social media channels.
Influencers, content creators, UGC creators … It’s clear that influencer marketing, or perhaps creator marketing in the future, is constantly evolving. It’s becoming increasingly integrated into the broader marketing mix.
The combination of micro- and meso-influencers (those with between 5,000 and 100,000 followers) is an ideal way to achieve full-funnel results in a cost-efficient manner.
