Insights for Creators & Marketers

The idea of short-form video platforms is relatively new. YouTube Shorts was fully released in July of 2021, Instagram Reels was launched in August of 2020 and TikTok launched in August of 2018. Each of these platforms have their perks and downsides. Choosing which platform to publish content on can be dependent on the type of content you produce and what your target audience is. Here are some perks and drawbacks of each platform mentioned above.

When we think about influencers and creators, the idea that comes to mind is people who post their content on Instagram, YouTube, and even TikTok. While it’s often not our first thought, podcasting is a type of content creation that is on the rise and depending on the brand’s target demographics can perform very well at attracting new customers.

In 2017, ByteDance Ltd. acquired an app called Musical.ly. By mid-2018, it had been transformed into the popular app known as TikTok. Many influencers have found success solely through TikTok since its start. Some influencers gained their following through other platforms, like YouTube and have yet to try their hand at being a “TikToker.” If you aren’t already, you should consider making a TikTok account. Here’s why:

Brand loyalty is characterized by consumers repeatedly purchasing products from a particular brand. This loyalty can be attributed to their values as a brand, the quality of their products and services, and their brand image. Loyalty to a brand from a consumer perspective has nothing to do with price and everything to do with how the brand markets itself and the products and services it offers.

Whether you post YouTube videos or Instagram posts, as a creator, a major key to success is creating and executing a posting schedule. When a creator is looking to grow in follower count, among the many ways to do that is keeping a consistent posting schedule to engage with your followers.

As a brand, you might feel as though you need a partnership with a major celebrity or an influencer with millions of followers to gain more recognition. While this is one strategy, bigger isn’t necessarily always better. In fact, micro-influencers hold massive power when it comes to influencer marketing campaigns.

Partnering with influencers is an effective way for brands to expand their existing customer base and grow their potential for more sales. Partnering short-term with influencers to promote one service or product can be effective, but creating a long-term campaign can be far more beneficial to brands and influencers. When a short-term campaign is over, both the influencer and the brand will move to find other partnerships, possibly leaving behind an amazing opportunity to expand and nurture an existing community into converting into a paying customer. If the creator matches the target audience of the brand and they have a great connection, there is evidence to suggest that a longer form partnership is more effective in influencer marketing, similar to email nurture campaigns which sometimes take 5-7 emails before a customer converts.

For creators and brands, it is important to be transparent about the partnerships you engage in. Honesty and transparency are vital for creators to maintain a trusting relationship with their viewers, and sometimes that means following guidelines set forth by the FTC. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a set of rules regarding disclosures when it comes to creators getting compensation or free products in return for their endorsement. Creators and brands must abide by these guidelines to continue their partnership. The FTC guidelines dive into more detail, but below is a brief outline of when and how to disclose a relationship between an influencer and brand.

Brands over the past 5 years have realized that marketing with influencers can be a powerful tool. Being able to educate varying audiences about a brand’s product or service through creators can be essential to a brand’s success. From a creator and brand standpoint, it is important to keep the Halo Effect in mind when partnering with companies.