Why Creators Work: The Value of Putting Real People in Your Marketing

There’s a reason you’re seeing more people show up in the marketing of the brands you follow.

Not celebrities. Not necessarily influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers.

People.

People trying the food. Walking into the store. Attending the event. Using the product. Experiencing the service. Talking about what they liked and showing you what you can expect.

That’s creator marketing—and it can be an incredibly valuable tool for businesses of all sizes.

At Signify Marketing, we believe good marketing starts with a story. Content creators give businesses another way to tell that story.

Your Business May Not Need an Influencer

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding creator marketing is that it’s all about followers.

Businesses hear “content creator” and immediately picture traditional influencer marketing: find someone with a massive following, pay them to promote a product and hope their audience responds.

That can be one approach—but it isn't the only one.

A creator's value can also be found in their ability to create compelling content and communicate an experience.

Can they tell a story?

Can they comfortably speak on camera?

Can they capture what makes an experience special?

Can they take something your business has explained a hundred times and show it in a way people immediately understand?

Those abilities can be valuable regardless of whether someone has 2,000 followers or 200,000.

Sometimes you don't need the biggest audience.

You need the right creator, creating the right content, for the right goal.

Creators Give Your Business Another Perspective

You know your business better than anyone.

You know why you started it, what makes your product different and how much work goes into serving your customers.

But because you're so close to your business, there are things you may no longer notice.

A creator gets to walk through the door with fresh eyes.

They notice the atmosphere.

They notice the little details.

They experience your service as a customer would.

They ask questions a new customer might ask.

They find moments worth capturing that your team might walk past every day.

That outside perspective can create an entirely different kind of content.

Your business is still telling its story. You're simply allowing someone else to help tell it.

Creator Content Helps People See the Experience

Think about how much time businesses spend trying to explain themselves.

We tell people our restaurant has an incredible atmosphere.

We describe what makes an appointment different.

We list all the things happening at an upcoming event.

We explain how a product works.

Sometimes, instead of explaining it, we need to show it.

A creator can walk into the restaurant and take viewers along.

They can document an appointment from beginning to end.

They can attend the event and capture its energy.

They can use the product and demonstrate how it fits into everyday life.

Suddenly, potential customers don't have to imagine the experience.

They can see it.

Your Next Customer May Need to See Someone Else Go First

There can be a lot of uncertainty between discovering a business and actually becoming a customer.

What happens when I get there?

What should I order?

What does this service involve?

Is this event really for me?

Is this something I would enjoy?

Creator content can help remove some of that uncertainty.

When someone watches another person experience your business, the unfamiliar starts to become familiar.

It's one reason people search social media before visiting a restaurant, booking an experience or purchasing something new.

We want to know what we're getting into.

Creators can give potential customers that preview.

But Views Aren't the Strategy

This is where Signify's approach to creator marketing becomes especially important.

We don't believe businesses should work with creators simply because creator marketing is popular.

And we certainly don't believe getting a lot of views automatically means a campaign was successful.

Before asking “Who should create this content?” we want to ask:

“What are we trying to accomplish?”

Maybe you want to increase awareness of your business.

Maybe you're launching a new product or service.

Maybe you need people to understand an experience that's difficult to explain.

Maybe you're trying to drive attendance to an event.

Maybe you want fresh content for your social platforms.

Maybe you want to reach a different segment of your community.

The goal comes first.

Then we can think strategically about the creator, the content, the message and the call to action.

It's another application of something we say often at Signify:

Stop posting. Start marketing.

Introducing Signify Creators

We also recognize that working with creators can feel intimidating—especially if your business has never done it before.

Who do you contact?

What do you ask them to create?

How do you find someone whose personality fits your brand?

What should compensation look like?

What expectations need to be communicated?

How does the content fit into your larger marketing strategy?

Those questions can keep businesses from exploring creator marketing altogether.

That's one of the reasons we created Signify Creators.

Signify Creators is designed to bridge the gap between businesses and content creators.

We're building a network of creators with different strengths, styles and perspectives—from lifestyle and local experiences to event coverage, product features, storytelling, on-camera content and more.

Instead of a business having to figure everything out alone, Signify can help develop the opportunity, identify creators who make sense for the project, establish expectations and keep the collaboration connected to the business's marketing goals.

Because your business doesn't need every creator.

You need the right creators for your story.

What Could Creators Do for Your Business?

Maybe you have an event coming up that you want people to experience through someone else's eyes.

Maybe you're launching something new.

Maybe you have an incredible customer experience that simply isn't translating through your current social media.

Or maybe you've watched other businesses work with creators and thought, We should probably be doing that—but I have no idea where to begin.

That's exactly the gap Signify Creators was created to fill.

You bring us your business and your goals.

We'll help you explore how creators can become part of the strategy.

Interested in putting Signify Creators to work for your business? Reach out to Signify Marketing and let's start the conversation.