🆕Your Weekly Creator Marketing Update
24.03.2024
Happy Sunday & welcome to your Weekly Creator Marketing Update
HOW TO BUILD AUTHENTIC CREATOR COMMUNITIES WITH GEN Z CONSUMERS
TL;DR
If you’re struggling with the concept of working with creators to engage communities and humanise your brand - this article provides some baseline thoughts to build from.
HEADLINE QUOTE
“Everybody’s talking about authenticity” — “For a brand, especially as it relates to social and how we connect with Gen Z, what it means is humanization. Why are creators or influencers so incredibly popular and effective today? It’s because they feel like a friend. They don’t feel like a celebrity. They don’t feel unattainable. Brands need to implement that same approach when it comes to humanization.”
OUR TAKE
I really enjoyed this article, and I’ll break down the “steps” discussed to provide some context - and hopefully some inspiration. This can also be applied to groups and communities outside of Gen Z - in my opinion.
Map how your brand is “showing up” on social (+ creator marketing) in relation to Gen Z (and other communities) - being overly promotional is one thing to watch out for, in addition to using social media as a customer service channel, as opposed to a channel to cultivate a sense and feeling of community.
Examples used in this article to counter this are finding ways to provide value; with edutainment being an example used in the article. Showing up with content that people actually want to engage with (versus it being a reach play)
Humanise your brand; which covers everything from social to creator selection; with a big watch out being “inauthentic” creator relationships that are based on reach alone, without focusing on creators that are aligned with the brand - this has the potential to harm perception.
The article uses the term “rawthentic” in relation to content production, overly produced content is not being pushed by the algorithms as much as it might have been in the past.
Being more “risky” and real could pay off accordingly to the article - step away from the overly brand-safe approach. Copying the below quote for reference:
“What is the business cost of not being a bit more edgy or taking more risks? Our competitors are doing this really well. It’s time for us to catch up.”
Consider the experience; what’s the first touch point with the product? How does the experience differ from competitors? There are a lot of angles to explore, but the article focuses on VR/AR - but the below quote stands out here for me too
“They’re taking a step back from just marketing to the community, and showing that they’re a member of the community. And as a result, they’re seeing really great reception because it’s organic. It’s authentic.”
The article closes with an excerpt of how a brand might deal with negative sentiment - using this The North Face example
Overall, this article provides some great examples and thought-starters when it comes to elevating your creator strategy - and a nice reminder that both your target audience as well as content creators are first and foremost human beings.
🏭 This week’s must-reads
MrBeast strikes Amazon deal for biggest competition series in TV history
YouTube star MrBeast has struck a deal with Amazon MGM to produce a massive reality TV competition game show — a watershed moment for the entertainment industry that shows how online content creators with millions of followers are being sought by more traditional entertainment companies.
TikTok Influencer Dr. Muneeb Shah Launches Skincare Brand
TikTok’s most-followed dermatologist Dr. Muneeb Shah unveiled his skincare brand, Remedy, online on Mar. 19. With over 22 million followers across platforms, including 18 million on TikTok, Dr. Shah’s initial offering is based on his Gen-Z and millennial audience’s top skincare concerns.
Read the pitch decks from these creator-economy startups that helped them raise millions of dollars
Here are the pitch decks that 31 startups used in Series A, seed, and pre-seed rounds.
How LinkedIn has quietly become the talk of the content creator community
LinkedIn is having a moment, drawing interest from bespoke agencies and creators alike. However, this transformation has been quietly unfolding over the years, establishing LinkedIn as a haven for content creators.