You may have heard terms like content creator and influencer being thrown around the internet. But what exactly do these terms mean? With influencer and content creator marketing on the rise, and getting businesses a great return on investment, it is more important than ever to understand these two roles. Each means a different type of social media personality, and so will affect the results your business can receive.

To help you decide what is right for your business, here is a breakdown of influencers and content creators.

What are content creators?

Content creator is generally a broad term for someone who creates content for blogs and social media. There are many different types of content they could create including YouTube videos, TikTok reels, text-based posts on social media, Instagram or Snapchat stories, podcasts, and much more. This content is produced to make money, build their audience, and grow awareness of their brand.

Content creators cover a wide range of genres including film, video games, technology, history, education, business, self-help, reviews, guides, music, beauty, and so much more. There is essentially an endless list of genres content creators produce work for. So, it is safe to say you would find a content creator who matches your business. But can’t content creators also be influencers?

What are influencers?

Influencers and content creators have a lot of cross-over. They all create content across a variety of genres to build their brand and grow their audience. But influencers interact with their audience directly far more often. An influencer will grow a sustainably large following and promote other brands and lifestyles to them.

Using their content creation style, or niche, they will aim to showcase products and their lifestyle. That is the key difference, influencers use their content creation skills to portray a certain image about themselves and their lives. They will use audience engagement, promotions, and content to develop an image that people aspire to be through imitation.

A great example of influencers is travel vloggers. Those who jet-set off to luxury hotels, visit tourist attractions and wear certain brands while doing it. You can often tell who is an influencer by the fact that they will be flaunting certain products to thousands of followers with a sponsored tag attached to the post.

Which is right for your business?

While both influencers and content creators have overlapping skills and often large audiences, they do have some major differences. Often these differences come in the types of content they will produce, and the quality of the content. It will also influence how the product is framed in their content and how much promotion they are willing to do.

Because of these differences, it is important to consider which one is right for your business’ marketing needs. Whether you choose an influencer or a content creator will influence the campaign you will receive. So, here are the pros and cons of each.

Content creators pros and cons

The pros and cons of a content creator will vary depending on the individual you choose to work with, but many content creators will share these traits.

Pros

• Content creators need to use digital marketing more, so are much more knowledgeable in it. This can be useful as you work with someone who has experience in digital marketing, adding value to your campaigns.
• Generally, content creators are multi-skilled, meaning they can write about your products, create videos, photography, and more for a comprehensive showcase of your product.
• Storytelling is also generally a strength of content creators. So they will be able to create narratives which strengthen your brand and position it effectively.

Cons

• Many content creators don’t have as massive audiences as influencers, nor do they have as much sway over their audience. Because of this, you may not get millions of impressions per post.
• It is less likely that a content creator will take on a sponsored post. They don’t tend to make content that is advertorial. So, if you were expecting that, you may want to look elsewhere.
• Content creators may have specific processes or style to how they work and the content they create. This may not necessarily align with they type of marketing you are looking for.

Influencers pros and cons

There are some great benefits of working with influencers that counter out the cons of working with a content creator. But influencers do come with their own pitfalls which you should watch out for.

Pros

• According to Mediakix, 90% of marketers say they have received a comparable or better return on investment from influences than other marketing channels. This is huge. Influencers get results.
• Influencers know their audience, have built a strong relationship with them, and know how to have a positive interaction with them. This means they can get your post a lot of engagement.
• You can target specific audiences with influencers. Travel influencers will have a lot of followers who are interested in travel, and experiences that can be had. Beauty influencers will have a lot of followers who are interested in beauty products. This makes it a lot easier to know who you will be reaching.  

Cons

• Just because they have a large following, does not mean they can make great content. Influencers tend to not be as skilled content creators, as dedicated content creators. This means there is no guarantee on quality.
• It is possible that an influencer may have a lot of fake followers. It is so easy now for people to buy followers or make fake accounts to boost their own credibility. This can make it an extra challenge to vet the influencer.
• Some social media users will refuse to engage with influencers, meaning you could cut off a portion of your audience if you only work with influencers.

Conclusion

Both influencers and content creators can offer a lot of value for businesses that use them for marketing. The key to ensuring their success is to choose an influencer or content creator who aligns with your business’ marketing strategy. Vet each content creator or influencer to ensure they can offer what you need. With the right influencer you can massively boost your social media marketing.

For more advice on content creation or influencer marketing, have a chat with Link Pixel.