We as consumers have become very aware that although our social networks are free that we are technically paying for the use with the data that we provide voluntarily and in some cases without us even realizing.
But when it comes to content creators such as our favorite podcaster or YouTube Vlogger or daily Instagram storyteller or Twitter chat host it’s often not as clear. Yes, the bigger name content creators have sponsored ad rolls in their podcast or do massive brand deals that you can’t miss or release a new book every 6 months…
Think of your 3 favorite hosts, influencers or content creators and ask yourself:
How are they making money? What keeps them motivated to be consistent? What’s their goal of giving away all of their knowledge and intellectual property?
Now I understand as a marketer and one that preaches the importance of building a community some will say that the creators are playing “the long game building a brand” or “They are practicing the Gary Vaynerchuk ‘Jab Jab Jab Right Hook’ and haven’t dropped the hook yet….
In reality, there is very little overnight success when it comes to content creators and the little that does exist happens more so with a lucky piece of content going viral or happen to be an early adopter in a medium like podcasting in 2005 or YouTube in 2011.
As we consume far more content on social media, YouTube and our phones more often than not the creators entertaining us, educating us, inspiring us and consistently delivering us value isn’t very transparent or great at sharing how they make money or what their audience could do to support them. Yes, there are platforms like Patreon that allow creators to monetize exclusive content for a paid tier of their audience. But the mass majority of content creators and even micro-influencers that create great content and have loyal fans if only because we can relate with them and trust them.
For me these content creator’s influence and value for a brand can’t be measured in the total number of followers or views to a video or likes of a photo rather the number of people that TRUST the creator and who will TAKE ACTION based on that creator's words, actions or brand partnerships.
THE PROBLEM
Too often content creators and micro-influencers that get opportunities to partner with brands or create sponsored content are on their own for proving the value they can provide for the money they’re being given which leaves us as consumers in many cases skipping over or just ignoring a post that has #Ad or #Partnership or #Sponsored unless the product/service is of direct value for us. Therefore in many cases, unless the paid opportunity is a perfect alignment the creator is setting themselves up for what I call “One-Night stand influencer campaigns” which is not beneficial for them or us who consume and want them to keep creating the content we love.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO:
My challenge and call to action for all of us who listen, watch and read content daily from our favorite creators is to:
If the sponsor isn’t something we need or want still reach out to the brand and let them know you’re glad they’re sponsoring that creator
Follow the brand or sponsor and let them know you are following because of that creator.
Share the content with your community as it might not be the exact right fit for you but could be for your audience… (Insta: share to stories, Twitter Quote RT, Facebook share to group or page, Podcast share link from show notes on your favorite social network)
Reach out to the creator and ASK them how you could support them and how their success is being measured by the brand.
If you buy from the brand in the future or purchase a different product/service or don’t use the affiliate link select “other” from the list at checkout when asked “how did you hear about us” and put in the creators name and/or show!
Message brands that you feel would be a great fit for your favorite creator
At the very least reach out regularly to the creator letting them know you are finding value in what they are sharing and appreciate them.
We will complain and mock when some big-name “influencer” gets a big sponsored deal or brand endorsement but we can’t change the perspective or empower the brands to change who they are spending money with until we do OUR PART unfollowing those we don’t trust and AMPLIFYING and celebrating those we are fans of!
What My Fellow Creators Can Do:
Be more open about your brand partnerships but more importantly how your fans can support what you sold the brand on as a success.
You 100% won’t get what you never ask for, sometimes although awkward tell your fans directly what you need them to do as you’ve earned their trust and in most cases, they want to support you but don’t know-how.
Focus on building long-term relationships with brands and make sure you have a say in what’s being measured and clearly understand what those measurements are.
Kiss: Keep it simple stupid Transparent: If you are funding your content creation with affiliate links remind your fans of that if the best way they can support you is advocating to their boss to bring you to their event to speak make it clear how they can do that and give them support materials to make that a simple ask.
CELEBRATE FELLOW CREATORS: When you see a fellow creator with a brand deal or sponsored post rather than being bitter and thinking “why didn’t I get that deal” amplify and congratulate them knowing the more brands see value in working with similar creators the money that will be available for all creators!
We need to share this reminder to help our fellow fans remember that although the content we love is free the creators are creating for a reason and it’s up to us to support them and their mission if we want the content to keep coming!
This blog was first posted on medium.com at: https://medium.com/@iSocialFanz/what-every-content-creator-wishes-their-audience-thought-65b931ea9ff5
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