As a marketer, the end of the year is when you’re reviewing what worked well for your business and what you’d like to do differently for the next year. One of the biggest areas smart brands are focusing is creator marketing.
If you’re not familiar with the term “creator,” it’s a way certain influencers distinguish themselves in the marketplace.
While many people use these terms interchangeably, creators see themselves as people who develop content designed to engage and even educate (i.e. tutorials, videos, blogs). They’re often creatives or artists, such as photographers, makeup artists, writers, or graphic designers.
Influencers are viewed more like paragons who influence followers based on their own lifestyle, such as how to dress, what hairstyles to do, or what products to buy. They often have a powerful personal story to share, which resonates with their audience who sees them as an online role model.
Developing a relationship with a creator opens up brand affinity-growing prospects and a bonafide stream of revenue. And by making space (and budget) for them in your 2022 plans, you can expect to see better results… if you do it right.
3 Reasons to Use Creators in Your 2022 Marketing Mix
1. Adding creators in your marketing mix can increase ROI.
Want to move the needle on your 2022 revenue goals? Diversify your marketing with a strong strategy for creator marketing.
Creators have something other marketing channels can’t always offer: trust. Statistics show consumers buy from those they know, like, and trust – which is what relatable creators do so well. Creators and influencers both build trust online by creating real, authentic relationships through their content. And this trust leads to sales. In fact, The State of Influencer Marketing found that influencer campaigns earn $5.78 for every dollar spent – some up to $18. So when you partner with an authentic creator and they recommend your brand, that trust often transfers to you – and you reap the benefits in terms of increased revenue.
2. Developing partnerships with creators opens up a new marketing channel.
We all know how saturated and competitive the digital ad space is (not to mention increasingly restrictive, given new privacy policies and third party tracking limitations), so to increase both brand awareness and sales, it’s time to think outside the box.
Thinking of creators as a channel—just like email, digital ads, and paid search—is a smart way to build your 2022 marketing mix. Many marketing strategists and ad agencies across the globe follow this approach, setting aside 20-50% of their annual budget for influencers and creators.
Why is this number so high? Because this style of influencer marketing often has a significantly higher return on investment than traditional channels. Creators offer much more than ad placement and calls-to-action. They’re essentially word of mouth advertising, because their followers see them as online best friends, which is much more compelling than just an ad on a page.
The secret to effective influencer marketing strategy is to let your creator be your guide. They know their audience best, so instead of handing them a folder of assets to publish, encourage them to be collaborators. Not only will it lead to better content that resonates more authentically with their audience, but you’ll also build a stronger, long-term relationship with your creators.
3. Tapping into creator marketing keeps your brand relevant.
Did you know nearly 2 out of every 3 consumers say they trust influencer messages about a brand more than the brand’s own advertising?
The word “advertising” has gotten a bad wrap, so savvy marketers are making the switch to leveraging creators and influencers. Gen X and millennials are particularly swayed by social media influences. So if your brand is going after a younger demographic, you need to use creator marketing to stay relevant.
Think about it this way.... When your product is being touted by real life humans, as is the case with influencer marketing, it’s akin to your best friend telling you about a product they love. Wouldn’t you rather be “sold” to by someone you know than from a faceless company you’re sure is looking after their own best interests? This is how many consumers view creator marketing versus traditional advertising.
A great example of a brand using creators as part of their marketing mix to boost sales is Signet Jeweler’s (Zales, Kay, and Jared all fall under the Signet umbrella). Signet’s steady growth across all its brands is due to smart strategic business decisions, including spending $333 million on advertising each year with a generous portion allocated to influencers.
Jewelry may not be an industry you think about when it comes to influencer marketing, but Signet found that by partnering with the best-in-class platform, Creatable, they had a way to break into the market seamlessly. Not only do they have the ability to find the authentic, relatable influencers they need, they also have a simple way to manage those campaigns. Because Creatable integrates directly into their ecommerce backend, they’re able to see real time, reliable data with clear, first party attribution – so they know which tactics are working and which are not. That’s not to mention the operational ease they experience in reviewing and approving content, paying their creators, and having one central hub to manage the entire channel with ease.
Brands who use Creatable to optimize their influencer marketing efforts see up to 3x higher conversions. To find out more about how Creatable can help improve your creator marketing initiatives, schedule a demo with us here.
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