30 second summary:
- The content creator economy has created the boom in influencer marketing which has been accelerated and the growth has been heavy
- However, the churning beneath the surface is a growing climate of inflated risk, unstable ROI, and a chasing away of vital practices in lieu of what can be perceived as a “faster way” to success.
- Gamactica Influencer and CEO Anthony DiMoro shares a prominent view of influencer marketing, social channels and the need to use SEO for amplified digital marketing results
Not so long ago, many internet marketing strategies were broken down into very specific categories, from search engine optimization (SEO) to search engine marketing (SEM / PPC) and online reputation management (ORM) to social media marketing (SMM), apart from a few wrinkles, these were the most traveled routes.
Fast forward to today and the climate has changed, as brands look for viable ways to break into the creator market and build ROI in a very turbulent space that has a number of different variables and angles.
The content creator economy was primarily responsible for the boom in influencer marketing, and the boom was so accelerated, with heavy growth, that it created a lot of hits. But with those successes, simmering beneath the surface, there has also been a growing climate of inflated risk, unstable ROI, and a shift away from vital practices in place of what can be perceived as a “faster way” to success.
Where Instagram once reigned, seemingly alone, TikTok is now becoming a major threat, so much so that Facebook is making radical changes to capture the trend of success that TikTok has had.
TikTok not only pushed Facebook, it also pushed platforms like YouTube to embed their own version of short-form video content, “Shorts”.
But is it channeling the marketing dollars to show the viability of these trends?
The marketing spend, on this new wave of content marketing and social media marketing, is detailed below, via The Insider.
Source: L’insider
There is no denying what the creator economy has become.
But as the creator economy continues to push boundaries, it has pretty much reached a point where there is now a creator inflation, but more and more are not cashing in. And it begs the question: Does this apparent dilution hinder the overall successes of the platform and creators?
According to The Information, more than 39,000 TikTok accounts have more than a million followers. While more people are finding fame, not everyone is earning it.
A snapshot of why every social media channel wants to be TikTok
It is fair to assume that this can negatively impact brands using influencer marketing as a pillar of their digital marketing strategy.
TikTok’s short-form approach is most closely associated with television content, where entertainment is done by instantly pressing a button or, in this case, a finger. But is it the best form of new influencer marketing that offers doable ROI?
Or, platforms like YouTube, where channels have a longer-term journey to success, rely on branding and community building, delivering far better returns for advertisers and businesses?
Sure, there’s no clear answer here, and it varies from industry to industry and niche to niche, but TikTok’s success and immense popularity are forcing a shift in the creator economy that is having a serious impact on others. platforms.
Amazon’s Twitch platform continues to be at the top of the live streaming game, but how long will Twitch streams be a major player with all the problems the platform has faced, such as toxicity, hatred and harassment?
And is it fair to view Twitch streamers as vibrant aspects of influencer marketing as clearly are TikTok creators and YouTubers?
Also, while the platforms appear to move smoothly with market trends, Twitch appears to have stayed on course, for better or for worse. Maybe it’s a bullish view, or maybe Twitch is out of this world in this respect too.
Companies are demonstrating a willingness to invest market dollars in platforms that have vibrant influencer marketing value for them, and agencies are focusing on meeting these needs.
“Working with content creators and influencers is definitely different from traditional advertising,” said Brendan Gahan, Mekanism Partner & Social Officer earlier this year (via Gamactica).
“Ultimately, the way to be successful with an influencer campaign is to make sure three things happen:
- The audience gets the content they love
- The creator has great experience
- The brand gets its message across
“When you’re not working with creators, you’re really starting with a clean slate. It is wide open. But the beauty of working with creators is their community. That community (in theory) knows them, trusts them, pays attention and wants to listen to them. Consequently, advertisers need to collaborate. They need to focus much more on those first two points ”.
A one-track approach could be a potential trap
As with most things, being different in your approach is key and this point comes into greater focus as we continue to delve into the industries that deliver the content that drives influencer marketing.
As we celebrate the successes of this new form of digital marketing, other aspects are left behind in certain spaces, such as games and content creation.
But we’ve talked about it a couple of times in the past.
Little has changed, however, and despite the metrics, despite the proven formula, and despite the years of data, the absence of SEO continues to be problematic.
And as the influencer marketing landscape continues to evolve, it will have its struggles and present its “risk and reward” and “boom or bust” scenarios, forcing the vertical to change once again and the platforms to reshuffle.
It still remains difficult to keep SEO in the respective corners, where local Florida businesses use Miami SEO and surgeons use medical SEO, but content creators and influencers don’t.
It seems shortsighted to continue those trends, especially as internet marketing evolves to bring influencer marketing into the spectrum.
Only time will tell.
The SEO element
While many may not automatically link SEO and influencer marketing together, there is a lot of symmetry and the question arises as to why SEO isn’t built into most influencer marketing campaigns.
Influencer marketing is primarily about building relationships and optimizing those relationships in order to create impact and ROI potential – the two benefits of a successful marketing campaign.
But pairing it with SEO is an ice cream “icing on the cake”.
By using SEO to power the marketing aspects of influencer marketing content, there can be real added value in both the impact and visibility of the campaign.
We, a Gamtica, have shown that SEO can be feasible within the gaming and content creation industries and niches, both at the organic global level and at the targeted search level. This indicates that these specific elements can actually work to increase the potential success, ROI, and impact for any influencer marketing campaign.
These integrations are key to evolving the influencer marketing landscape to be more viable and valuable as these niches and industries grow and evolve. It also helps the SEO industry move forward to dive more organically into the new era of digital marketing.
Anthony DiMoro is the CEO of Gamactica. It can be found on Twitter @AnthonyDiMoro.
Sign up for the Search Engine Newsletter Watch for insights into SEO, the search landscape, search marketing, digital marketing, leadership, podcasts, and more.
Join the conversation with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
