Beyond Followers: Brands Win When Creators Build Trust, Not Just Audience Size
Creator marketing is continuing to grow in influence, however new research suggests that brands need to focus on trust and relevance, not just reach, in order to maximise results. The ‘’Creator Effect’’ study shows that creator content plays an important role within the consumer journey, particularly during the brand discovery and product research stages. Among heavy online media users, 22% have tried a product for the first time after being influenced by creator content and 19% have purchased a product or service.
However, research by the RED C highlights an increasing trust gap. While 68% of Irish adults highlight the importance of transparency, clear advertising disclosure and commercial partnerships, only 17% believe that sponsored content actually feels authentic. The research also finds a similar gap in relation to relatability, where 62% of Irish adults believe that relatable content is important, only 23% feel that creator content actually reflects real-life experiences.
Insights from WARC Talks, podcast series, reinforces a key theme emerging from recent creator marketing research that bigger isn’t always better for a creator strategy. In the podcast, they explain how brands are increasingly turning to nano and micro creators in order to strengthen relevance, relationships and community. Yong highlights three pillars that are becoming critical to creator marketing success:
Content: Focus on content quality and ensuring alignment between the creator’s storytelling style, their audience and objectives.
Commerce: Providing tools for the creator in order for the creator to contribute to business outcomes, not solely by likes and views.
Community: Fostering strong relationships with audiences. This can be particularly easier for micro and nano creators to create and maintain. This approach helps create more meaningful connections between brands, creators and consumers.
The research and industry insights point to a clear shift in creator marketing. While reach remains important, success is increasingly dependent on creating authentic content, driving measurable commercial outcomes and building genuine relationships. For brands, this means moving beyond follower counts and prioritising enabling creators to deliver trust, relevance and meaningful engagement throughout the consumer journey.