If content is king, then what do we term the influencer? Upstart cousin, twice-removed, tanned from spending the summer in Portofino, about nineteen million followers, intent on taking over the kingdom? Yep. That sounds about right.
Do you ever find yourself confused about the differences between content marketing and influencer marketing? Are you wondering which approach will best carry your brand to blazing success and maximum exposure? Here’s a helpful primer for you, then.
Content vs Influencer, Defined
First, let’s define the two concepts. Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing valuable, relatable content to attract and engage an audience with the objective of driving profitable customer action. Influencer marketing involves collaborating with a prominent individual (or a group of individuals) to distribute content.
One career path sounds way more exciting, doesn’t it? Who among us doesn’t dream of being an influencer? Earning such a title means we have sway, authority, and even the envy of our millions of followers.
But the problems with relying on influencer marketing are kind of complicated.
When you hand off your brand for someone else to hold, you run the very real risk of diluting your message. Our recommendation is to make sure your brand is strong enough on its own before letting an influencer make it her own. At The Found Gen, our goal is to find brand complements, not competition.
There’s also a lot – a lot, a lot! – of blind faith involved in joining forces with an influencer. Social media changes on a dime, so what guarantees do we have that an influencer will stay on the same message tomorrow as she’s espousing today? We have none.
About the ROI
And what about ROI? An influencer’s amount of followers does not necessarily translate into clicks or sales. We’ve always been swayed by the endorsements of people we admire and idolize, but the internet has blurred what it means to be influential. Sure, we can look at the metrics behind the trending and reach of an influencer, but it’s not a certainty that the strategy will match our brand’s specific goals.
Perhaps most importantly, the problem with influencers is that their very definition is changing at the speed of light. Forget celebrities in the traditional sense. Seventy percent of teen subscribers think YouTubers are more relatable than celebrities.
With 88% of consumers trusting online recommendations as much as personal recommendations, selecting the right influencer seems key. And pricey.
The best strategy is to join forces with an influencer who loves your brand – legitimately, wholly, and passionately. And then get ready to pay. Because influencers are free agents in the content world, always looking for better deals.
If the very thought of an influencer-reliant marketing strategy makes you shudder, we’ve got you. At The Found Gen, we create content that strives to build a loyal, active customer base, affordably and effectively.
Basically, we turn your content into the celebrity. Try us out. Or you could have a go at Lilly Singh, the highest-earning woman on YouTube this year.