Why creator marketing works for any business [Tips from a creator consultant]

"If you're a maw-and-paw restaurant, and a local foodie with 300 followers agrees to rave about how bangin' your pot pie is? Mazel tov! You're doing influencer marketing. "'Influencer' is just a general category for anyone that is able to get an audience to take an action," says creator economy expert Lindsey Gamble. And whether that action is starting your first creator campaign or signing a viral TikToker with 2 million followers, today's master is gonna influence the crap outta you. In a good way."

"Whenever you're makin' a Bluesky post or TikTok short on something you care about, you're creating content. And when that content finds someone else who cares, it creates a community. And, even if that group is small or extremely niche, the parasocial relationship between creator and community cultivates a trust that can quickly turn audience members into customers. Case in point, when I worked for a CPAP vendor, we saw double-digit returns working with a sleep apnea influencer. Talk about hyperspecific, right?"

""It doesn't always have to be the person with the biggest followership. You just want to work with people that believe in your brand.""

Influencer describes anyone able to get an audience to take action. Actions can range from driving a first creator campaign to signing a viral creator with millions of followers. Every social post about a passion point is content, and when that content reaches interested people it builds community. Even small or niche followings can produce strong parasocial trust that converts audience members into customers. Working with creators who genuinely believe in a brand often yields better returns than simply targeting large followings. Highly specific creators can deliver double-digit returns for specialized products. A creator exists for virtually every industry and marketing need.

Read at Hubspot