Consumers want brands to get real. And what’s more real than living, breathing, flesh and blood, occasionally-sweaty-but-mostly-just-regular people?
Don’t get us wrong: customers want to hear from your brand. After all, there’s a reason they smashed that follow button in the first place. But you should never underestimate the power of relatable storytelling from actual humans. This has been the case since the first Neanderthal showed off a super sharp hunting stick and inspired the rest of their cave to hit the nearest thicket. Then, somewhere along the millennia, Instagram entered the equation. And that, ladies and germs, is how we arrived at today’s “creator marketing.”
Finding a creator who aligns with your target audience and who can speak to your product and/or service in a genuine, entertaining way can be just the nudge you need to turn prospects into users.
So, let’s dig into it and look at how creator partnerships can help evolve you into the brand of your dreams.
1.
You’ll reach a highly engaged audience.
Much like beloved actor Pedro Pascal or your run-of-the-mill cult leader, creators tend to have very loyal and active audiences. By partnering with the right accounts, you can drive meaningful connections and conversations about your brand.
For example, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) wanted to prove that their transit is safe, reliable, and more convenient than, say, trying to find parking in Little Italy (if you know, you know).
Collaborating with local creators to show how easy and practical it is to ride GCRTA and to hype up vehicle improvements, ended up bringing over 2M impressions to the media campaign, with posts averaging an engagement rate of over 25%. Showing the actual rider experience helped build excitement and trust. And the comments speak for themselves:
2.
You’ll show realistic and
inspirational use cases.
You heard it here first(-ish): ultra-salesy content is out. Authentic and relatable storytelling is in. And that’s not just anecdotal: many creator ads outperform traditional brand ads in terms of click-through rate. Because the truth is, people don’t want to feel like they are being sold to, but rather like they’re being let in on a great recommendation from a friend who knows their stuff.
For GE Lighting, creator content that highlighted different use cases helped audiences understand just how Cync Smart Home products could help simplify their lives. Hearing creators speak about the products and capabilities, and how they use them in their own homes, sparked real interest among their followers and gained GE Lighting a ton of new fans.
Malley’s Chocolates—AKA Cleveland’s most iconic confectionery—enlisted creators who were also loyal customers to grow awareness of the brand’s crazy yum selection and encourage the community to shop local during the holidays and beyond.
Across three micro-campaigns, creator content got in front of over 400K people and earned over 260K engagements—driving positive conversation and sentiment about the brand.
3.
You’ll influence purchasing
behavior and drive
consideration and revenue.
Creator content gets people inspired, motivated, and muttering, “Ohhhh, I totally need that.” In fact, 49% of consumers make purchases at least once a month because of creator content. And 86% make a purchase inspired by a creator at least once a year. (Sprout Social 2024 Influencer Report: Buying Behaviors.)
Take Hamburger Helper, whose quick and delish one-pan meals are the perfect solution for busy families all too familiar with the daily “What’s for dinner!?” debacle. Helper needed to let people know their products routinely crack the code.
Finding mom creators who fit the demo and sending them a variety of Helper recipes to test and customize for their families cooked up some super-relatable, family-focused content. And delivered over 55K clicks to Helper’s product pages in just two months. All while saving the sanity of many a time-strapped parent.
As history (and, well, pre-history) has taught us: creator marketing isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s gaining momentum. The power of consumer-perspective storytelling that feels authentic to your brand always wins. At the end of the day, people want to learn about products and services not only from the brands they follow, but from other humans they can relate to and trust.
So…how do you find said humans? For starters, consider their engagement rate. Creators should be spotted in their own comment section, responding to and engaging with their audiences. If creators are actively encouraging conversation, they’re building trust which—you may have heard—is EVERYTHING.
And a red flag to dodge? If the majority of their posts are partnerships or ads. This means their profile lacks organic material, which can wear audiences out and make them question the authenticity of a creator’s recommendations. Should you need help connecting with these unicorns, well, you’ve stumbled into the absolutely perfect place. We have the tools to help you navigate the creator landscape from discovery, outreach, and negotiations to content planning and execution.
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