Social media is constantly evolving. Most recently, we have seen TikTok enter the social media sphere. Even with multiple platforms, one thing stays consistent through each of them: influencers and creators. There are influencers and creators on every social media platform who take part in various social media trends. Each platform provides an opportunity for both influencers and creators to increase their outreach and put out specific content.
Many people tend to think influencers and creators are the same things, but they are actually very different. However, there are instances where they overlap, and a content creator can be an influencer too. Ultimately, understanding the key differences is crucial to navigating social media as a brand or public relations agency.
What is an influencer?
By definition, an influencer has a distinct and niche following with whom they interact, engage, and influence. Because their audiences trust them, influencers influence their followers to purchase or interact with the brands they post content about. Using social media trends, influencers can help grow awareness for a brand or business and bring more traffic to a company’s social media and website. Individuals follow influencers for their specific content, and they are an engaging audience. That is why brands need to choose the correct influencer for their product or company.
There is no specific number of followers that classifies someone as an influencer. On the one hand, you have Kendall Jenner, who has 194 million followers. Then there are “micro influencers,” which usually means someone with 100 thousand followers or less. Keep in mind, however, that it is not always about the number of followers an influencer has. It is also about how loyal and engaging their followers are, and how relevant their audience demographic is to your potential customer base. These micro-influencers tend to hold a higher engagement rate on Instagram than bigger accounts, meaning they can sometimes be a better fit for your influencer campaigns.
What is a creator?
A creator is someone who creates appealing written, audio, or visual media for a specific audience. The material they make can be for entertainment and educational purposes, but they aren’t necessarily encouraging or promoting any brand or product in particular. Content creators work behind the scenes for particular brands, creating original content to post and use in marketing efforts specifically.
As mentioned, content creators can be influencers, too, due to growing popularity on their social media accounts. YouTube is a platform where you will find various creators who are also influencers. Starting with making original video content, many YouTube creators’ personal brands also grow along with their YouTube channel. With that popularity and spike in followers, they eventually start bringing ads to their videos and posts on other platforms like Instagram. This also shows how their followers are unique to them and their content because they come from the attention gained from their YouTube content.
Influencers and creators both put out content that is used to market to an audience. They know how to take social media trends and make sure what they are putting out is relevant and up to date. Even with a difference between the two, they both are crucial to helping engage and reach customers and consumers. To learn more about influencer marketing and other social media trends, click here.
