Digital marketing trends: Why creator-led socials are dominating

Whether you are running a campaign with an influencer partner or just follow some within the industry, influencer skills in social marketing are not only better than many legacy experts, they can give you an unbeatable masterclass in how to be a top-tier creator yourself, says Katrina Bell.

In the words of YouTubers Colin and Samir: “Influencers build audiences; creators build content. The best build both.” 

Nano (1,000-10,000 followers) and micro (10,000-100,000) influencers are the fastest-growing segment. Social viewers want to see true users of the products, not just celebrity endorsements. Brands are also put off by the high cost of entry into the realm of large influencers, who are now regarded to be in the celebrity category. 

In recognition of their chokehold on the social apps most platforms are making significant adjustments to give creators improved tools.  

Instagram and Meta are upgrading their creator and partnership marketplaces. Meta is also beefing up the way brands can use AI to be recommended creators to work with. Insta has relaunched its search function on its creator marketplace, which could also be a good resource for finding the right fit for your brand.  

In fact, the apps are falling over themselves to cater for creators and influencers – Instagram Edits, a video editing suite, dropped late into April which it hopes will make a dent in TikTok’s predominance in short-form video. Similarly, LinkedIn – which is having a glow up thanks to vastly improved engagement rates and number of impressions regardless of account size – is pushing post formats that creators have been excelling at for years. These include multi-image posts for driving likes, documents that do well for comments, and, of course, video is riding high in overall impressions. 

All these formats are dupes of post types that creators and influencers understand perfectly, because they have studied what works, and when. This is why they should be at the core of your inspo – they understand why constantly monitoring metrics and app updates are non-negotiable. Have you heard about Insta’s new lockable posts it is trialling, that let you tease product launches? You can bet they have already had a pre-launch trial. 

And do you know the difference between an influencer and a content creator? The lines are certainly blurring as time goes by, however, the consensus currently sits that, to paraphrase, an influencer’s job is to be known; a creator’s job is to make something worth knowing, shaping trends as they go. If this is the route you choose, you can almost guarantee to see your SEO and engagement improve purely through you borrowing their skills. 

There are typically 3 main routes to finding a creative partner. There are dedicated apps like Brandwatch or KolSquare that offer a matching service, or you can go the route of an agency. The upside is that they will have an established set of metrics and vetting process. They will also be able to furnish you with the relevant release documents. 

Or you may have seen a creator you like. The good news is, it couldn’t be easier to drop them a DM.