The world is full of millions of content creators out there. And if you’re a company that wants to start its first influencer campaign, it’s difficult to narrow that selection down and choose the best content creator for your company.
This article will discuss several different ways of classifying content creators, and also explain what you should look into to determine the best ones to use for brand collaborations.
The types of content creators
There are many methods to categorize creators, but let’s take a look at some of the most well-known.
Network
One of the best methods of thinking about content creators is by which network they make their content on. Although many creators have profiles on different networks, they tend to focus on one network as their primary profile.
Each of the networks has a different format for content. Consider the kind of content you’d like to include in your marketing campaign. If you’re looking for video content, for example, maybe contact TikTok creators. Or if you’re looking for live streaming, think about Twitch streamers.
Remember that every network has its own methods of engaging with their content. This can affect how you determine engagement rate, which is a function of the number of interactions that a creator receives on their content, compared to the number of followers they have.
Influence type
Regarding the kind of influence, influencers can be broken into two main categories:
- Creators, who gained fame by creating content for social media.
- Personalities, who use social media but are also famous offline for being actors, athletes, etc.
Creators are usually open to working with brands because it’s their main income source. However, personalities aren’t likely to earn the majority of their earnings through social media and tend to be more busy offline. This means it could be a bit more difficult to secure a partnership with them.
Number of followers
In terms of the amount of followers they have, content creators can fall into one of these tiers:
- Nano: 1-5K followers
- Micro: 5-50K followers
- Medium: 50-100K followers
- Macro: 100K-1M followers
- Mega: 1M+ followers
Micro and nano influencers have the lowest number of followers, yet have the highest average engagement rates and the fewest fake followers. From the medium-tier and up, you’ll notice more reach, but that comes along with higher prices and less engagement.
Category
Creators can also be classified by the various categories they post about. Social media is a vast place, and there are different niches for people with common interests. Some common categories of creators are fashion, travel, beauty or lifestyle.
Engagement rates differ across these categories, so if trying to compare one creator’s engagement rate to the benchmark, ensure that it’s that benchmark for their networks, content category, and their follower count.
How do you select the most suitable creators for your brand
Once you know the various kinds of content creators out there, let’s look at what you can do to find the most suitable one for your business.
First, determine your target audience and find creators that match your criteria. Think about the network where the target audience spends its online time. Look at the categories that are appealing to them. Examine their ages, genders, and locations around the world.
The second is to always look at the performance of a creator’s metrics. It is important to ensure they do not have fake followers and that they’ve built a strong relationship with their fans. Look at:
- Follower growth throughout time
- Engagement rate
- Average views of videos
- Audience demographics and their authenticity
Consider your brand’s mission and core the values it holds. It is important to select creators that have a good reputation for your brand and who are aligned with your brand’s mission and character. For example, if yours is a slow fashion eco-conscious brand, search for influencers that share those environmental values.
Conclusion
If you are aware of the various kinds of content creators that are out there, it’s simpler to choose which will be a good fit for the collaborations of your company. Keep the target audience at the forefront of every decision you make when sourcing content creators for your campaigns.
