In the world of content marketing, a few terms have gained a lot of popularity lately—and some new ones have popped up as well. Content creator and influencer are two of those hot buzzwords that don’t always mean the same thing, which can cause confusion for people trying to create their first content or marketing strategy.
Are there any real differences between a content creator and an influencer? Many marketers treat social media celebrities (YouTubers, Instagrammers, Snapchatters, etc.) like celebrities in their own right. And while it’s cool that these digital influencers are getting mainstream recognition for what they do on YouTube, Instagram, or Snapchat; it’s important to understand the difference so that their strengths can be rightfully utilized for your brand.
In this blog post, we dive into what both influencers and creators actually do (Hint: it might not be what you think) and why understanding the difference is so important.
Who is a Content Creator?
These days, if you need to gain traction, you need to be creating content. And not just any type of content — but very carefully written and thoughtfully executed content that aligns perfectly with your target audience. But wait! First you’ll need to do the necessary research. That means crafting something unique; perhaps it even involves doing some investigative reporting or uncovering an untold story about a particular topic or industry.
A content creator is like an artist who uses his/her creativity to create content for diverse audiences. They might make videos, blog posts, graphics, or other types of engaging content to spread brand awareness and boost traffic to their client’s site. The different kinds of content include:
- Articles
- Blog posts
- Images
- Infographics
- Podcasts
- Screen captures
- Social media posts
- Videos
Content creators focus on a narrative that draws people in, but they also have to be sure their brand is being seen. There’s so much variety of content from which one can choose as a creator. Each type of content gets different responses based on what it’s about and how the story is told, so it’s good to know one’s audience before going down a certain path. One has many options when it comes to creating content these days. Not only can you easily upload a video or a picture, but there are entire communities built around social platforms for sharing all sorts of things that cater to virtually any niche or interest out there.
@kevinbparry has earned quite a name for his amazing visual effects. Hence giving you an incredible example of a content creator making waves.
Who is an Influencer?
As an entrepreneur, one of the key components to success is knowing how to work with influencers. These individuals have a reputation and a strong presence in their particular industry or niche to leverage on social media. They typically amass a large following and seem to be able to get new ones just about any time they wish by publishing tips, tutorials, and recommendations of products or services they like, or perhaps even ones they’ve produced themselves!
An influencer knows how to engage with his audience – whether it’s through fun chat sessions, helpful blogs (like this one!) such as on his website, on YouTube videos, on Snapchat, etc. He knows what it takes to keep them interested and inspired, and he does so by working hard to build relationships with his followers while delivering the content they seek.
The number of followers they have can categorize them into various groups, including:
@being_her by the twins Hermon and Heroda is a great example of an Influencer blog. The twins who are deaf, run a lifestyle blog and raise awareness about their disability.
How do Influencers and Content Creators work with Businesses?
Suppose you’re a brand new business going to launch a product. You’ll hire a team of content creators to write product descriptions, create infographics highlighting the benefits of the products, and develop a series of social media posts. All of this content goes on your business’s website as well as its social media accounts.
All this being done, you want to generate even more interest in your product. In that case, you would turn to influencers who may share a selfie showing them posing with the product or post a video on Instagram of them using the new product. Ideally, their fans then try out this new product for themselves or start checking out this particular brand and what it offers on various platforms.
