Right now, it’s a highly competitive world for influencers and I understand the pressure they face trying to conquer a two-headed python: content creation and constant algorithmic changes on all social media platforms.
The heyday of the influencer era was (in my opinion) circa 2008-2013. Platforms like YouTube were still kinda new and people with degular, regular lives would start posting videos simply sharing their experiences with tech, beauty, hair, pretty, silly skits, much everything.
It was around 2008 that people like Naptural85 began their channels showing us how to properly care for our natural curls and coils, leading us to the start of natural hair movement. Those of us that did not go natural relished with content like what Hairlicious created, primarily focused on keeping relaxed hair nice and healthy.
Then in around 2012, fashion and beauty YouTubers really got BIG on YouTube. We were bingeing on Michelle Phan, Bethany Mota, Nicole Guerrero and so many others who taught us about beauty and style. These were the trendsetters and culture shifters of my late teens and early twenties. In many ways, many of us millennial women might feel a closer connection to stars born out of the YouTube world more so than actual big-screen celebrities. We just related better to a YouTuber than an out-of-touch celebrity who had a life unaccessible to like 99% of us, lol.
Communities were created from YouTube stardom and we became obsessed. We feverishly purchased from every review and every single merch drop. We even hated and cyber-bulled ex-friends or ex-partners on behalf of our favorite YouTubers whom we believed were wronged. Yep, the obsession turned very, very toxic.
But sometime around 2017, we started scrutinizing influencers a bit more. We weren’t so keen of influencers who pushed us to buy a product they got paid for and didn’t truly believe in. There was a certain dislike for influencers who were found to push a shoddy, gimmicky product for a paycheck. This is when influencers started to feel like their defining key to longevity (and to stay in good graces with the audiences they had worked so hard to build) had to be to appear ‘real’, ‘authentic’, and ‘honest’. We realized that the influencers who had humble beginnings on YouTube and now IG or Facebook, had gotten exorbitantly rich off of our adoration.
In 2023, the influencers that are going to be successful reject the notion that they have to be honest angels. Their defining feature is that their audiences are fully aware and even excited that they are being sold to through their content. But they will ultimately win through how valuable their content is to their audience AND the brand they are creating content for. This is now the era of the UGC content creator.
the UGC content creator
UGC content creators and influencers are both types of creators on social media, but there are some key differences.
Influencers, may have a large following and are often paid to promote products or services to their audience. They may not necessarily create content based on their personal experiences, but rather create content that aligns with the brand they are promoting.
On the brand side, marketers like me, were starting to see that macro influencers were costing more and more to work with and their content was producing less and less ROI. The larger their following, the less likely our investment was going to result in anything sustainable. The interest in micro-influencers began to grow as data was starting to show that influencers with smaller audiences yielded the best results and better audience affinity.
On the flip side of the traditional influencer world, the UGC (user-generated content) content creator focuses on creating content that is based on their personal experiences, interests, and passions. They may not have a large following, but their content is relatable to their audience. They’ve also figured out how to create content that aligns with the brand but is tailored to their lives, making it resonate more with the audience of people who share similar attributes.
That’s how the woman who shares her favorite products for cleaning her home or the dad who shares his home tools build an audience that’s interested in their solutions, yet they don’t necessarily consider themselves influencers. This audience isn’t necessarily invested in the UGC creator’s life, they’re staying for the tips and tricks that make them feel like a more ‘advanced’ mom, artist or house fixer.
the next era of influencer marketing
The smartest brands are going to leverage the UGC creator for both brand building and performance.
I first began my ‘official’ marketing career as an Influencer Partner Manager. It was my job to build relationships and grow the brand’s message through our influencers. Through this opportunity I got really good at negotiating payment/commission fees and collaborating with influencers to create content that felt real to their audience.
We had a good product and we knew that it was a time and money saver for our audience – influencer content had to fit that messaging. Our influencers did a fantastic job of showing the ease of using the product, not by acting like they were giving an honest review (OMG, just trust me!), but by presenting the product as an efficient tool in their day-to-day lives: in the shower, on the way to work, preparing for date night; and inviting their audience to try it for themselves. We wanted to communicate that if your day looked like this creator’s, you needed our product to make your hair or skin routine effortless.
As tighter usage rights and rising (and seemingly random) post prices make influencers less and less desirable for brands today, brands are leaning toward UGC content creators and keeping them on speed-dial for a longtime business relationship where content is delivered and checks are deposited in the creator’s bank account FREQUENTLY.
Micro-influencers, looking for brands to choose you out of a sea of thousands and sponsor you on a one-off post is a terrible strategy. The UGC content creator is reaching out to brands, delivering their portfolio and raising their prices according to strength of sales they bring in.
