Many businesses were forced to stop their media production plans last year when COVID hit. If brands wanted to continue marketing throughout the pandemic, they had to figure out how they would source content. Brands that traditionally used influencers for just some of their campaigns now turned to these influencers for complete productions, and they may choose to keep it this way.
Brands are starting to realize that influencers not only have a significant influence on their audience, but they’re very skilled at producing high-quality content all on their own. They create, shoot, and edit their own pictures and videos at a very high quality. The millions of views, likes and comments clearly show that the quality is appreciated. Influencers who have turned content creation into their full-time job are used to working alone or in small teams to create high-quality content in a fast-paced environment.
Among the many challenges of last year was the difficulty to produce new advertising. This is why brands looked to influencers for help. But instead of the occasional social media post, these influencers are creating content for commercial campaigns at a fraction of the cost. Digital creators are already skilled at producing content from home and most have home studios with equipment that rival production studios.
User-generated content (UGC) was already popular long before the pandemic. Consumers seeking entertainment today watch videos on social media platforms. Similar to how marketers used celebrity endorsements, they now use influencers for social media marketing. The authenticity shown in the influencer-produced advertisement pays dividends in engagement.
You may have noticed that we’ve used the terms “influencer,” and “creator,” interchangeably. Creators know that their influence over their audience distinguishes them from traditional productions. Their ability to both entertain and persuade audiences is a powerful combination for when brands turn to them for commercial campaigns. Most professional creators will promote campaigns on several platforms for a fraction of what brands would pay for other types of ads. Those savings combined with no shooting costs, means twofold ROI, between production and awareness.
Brands turning to content creators as production replacements are seeing significant reductions in costs and increased engagement that will surely disrupt the advertising world long after COVID.
