What’s the Creator Economy and what’s in it for your brand?

It’s a new class of online businesses — built by over 50 million independent content creators, curators, community builders, social media influencers, bloggers, videographers and all the software and finance tools designed to help them with growth and monetization. It’s enormous. These saavy “creators” earn revenue from their creations and build a lucrative “economy” that’s increasing exponentially. Want your brand to be part of it?

First, let’s take a look at the trends:

• Brand loyalty is at an all-time low. Thanks to the pandemic paradigm shift, less than one third of internet users consider themselves loyal to the brands they like.

• People crave authenticity and transparency. It’s nearly impossible to earn trust without the right content. Being open and vulnerable is becoming more valued than the importance of others’ perceptions.

• We all need more comfort and laughter. Focusing on the emotional side of brand building will help create authentic, high-quality, relatable content for your consumers.

Why does all this matter?

Content is making a comeback. Over the past decade, content was bumped for more advanced targeting technologies and changes to privacy. So, as we move closer to a cookieless future, we need to prioritize content and identify opportunities for value exchange opt-ins to build first-party data.

Don’t worry. It may be easier than you think to start creating authentic content. Here are a few of our trusted tips to keep in mind:

• Understand your role and culture in order to cut through the clutter. Self-identification of altruistic traits (respectful, loyal, and open-minded) is rising. This is what consumers demand of brands. Also, be intentional about cultivating community— that’s where authenticity lives.

• Don’t interrupt, entertain! Entertainment-first content focuses on understanding human behavior. Data informs decisions, but if you want to surprise and delight, you must have instinct—and instincts are products of our collective experience. (Think of a robotic surgeon doing the robot dance with the robotic surgery system).

• Hand over the keys with a strong POV. Partner with creators who exemplify your brand values, appeal to your audience, and offer a new perspective. Creators know their audience better than anyone. Provide a strong brand POV instead of a script. Not ready to let a creator drive? Include them in the creative process instead. 

Not ready to move forward just yet? These basic steps may help you get started:

Research your audience

Identify your audience, and segment them out by characteristics. The kind of content that appeals to one audience might not appeal to another. Once you have your segments, do your research. See what content resonates with them and where they go to get their information.

Curate your content

During the pandemic, companies focused on the emotional side of brand building — a trend that we predict is here to stay. People have also placed greater emphasis on their mental and physical health. Understanding your audience, the kinds of language they like to see and the types of content they gain value from are the keys to creating content that sticks with them.

Narrow down your tactics

Once you determine what kind of content your target audience consumes the most, make a shortlist of content types and social platforms to focus on. From there, choose how much time you have to devote to this project, and consider narrowing down your list of tactics even more. If you spread yourself too thin, you may release hastily created content.

Consider partnering With influencers

On social media, there is so much noise to cut through, and sometimes people are wary of overtly branded content. This is where a social media influencer can help. Not only can they reach your target audience in a more natural setting, but they are also experts on what kind of content that audience likes to see.

It’s important to focus on the partnership aspect, as well. Instead of telling influencers exactly what to do, brainstorm together, or even give them a POV, let them think on it, and review any ideas they have before creation. When properly utilizing an influencer, you can help build your brand’s credibility and visibility with your desired audience.

Ready to meet your audience where they are? If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, we completely understand; it can be a lot to manage. You can trust our team of experts at DECODE to help you cut through the clutter and stand out amongst your competitors.

Discover how DECODE helped a Houston hospital system connect with members of the community during the pandemic with just a simple cup of coffee. Or ready to chat with us? Give us a call, and we’d be happy to discuss a partnership with you over your own cup of joe.