Rethinking Influencers: Creator, Media Channel, or Both?

Influencers have revolutionized marketing by combining two powerful roles: creators of engaging content and media channels to reach target audiences. This duality is often seen as their greatest strength—but it’s not always necessary for an influencer to be both. In fact, separating these roles and evaluating influencers based on their strengths as either creators or media channels opens up new opportunities for brands to optimize their campaigns, especially in niche contexts like B2B marketing.

The Creator vs. Media Channel Distinction

Most influencers are valued for their ability to create compelling content and distribute it to their built-in audience. However, not every great creator has a large following, and not every influencer with a significant reach is a strong voice for thought leadership. This is particularly evident in B2B settings, where CEOs, innovators, and other subject matter experts may have powerful messages but lack the developed social channels to reach their audience effectively.

Unlocking Potential Through Pairings

When brands evaluate influencers separately based on their message strength (creator) and audience reach (media channel), they can unlock new opportunities through strategic pairings. For example, a CEO with deep industry insights can be the authoritative voice behind a campaign, while a well-read publication with a large audience serves as the distribution channel via native advertising. This approach amplifies both the quality of the message and its reach, solving the problem of limited visibility for influential voices.

Adopting a Smarter Approach

To implement this dual strategy, brands need to evaluate influencers on two distinct metrics:

1. Strength of Message: Does the influencer bring expertise, authority, or creative vision that aligns with the campaign’s goals?

2. Strength of Reach: Does the influencer have the ability to reach and engage the desired audience effectively?

By separating these evaluations, brands can better identify how influencers fit into their campaigns. Whether as creators, media channels, or both, influencers can be deployed in ways that maximize their unique strengths.

The Benefits of Duality

Adopting this dual perspective allows brands to:

• Collaborate with authoritative voices that may not have large followings.

• Optimize campaign reach by leveraging influencers or channels with strong distribution networks.

• Build credibility in niche markets by pairing experts with influencers who understand audience engagement.

Influencers don’t always need to be both creator and media channel. By separating these roles and evaluating them independently, brands can create smarter, more impactful campaigns. Whether it’s amplifying a B2B thought leader’s message or leveraging a social star’s reach, embracing this duality helps brands make the most of influencer marketing in any setting.

How Social Media and Influencer Marketing Shape Holiday Shopping

The holiday shopping season is here, and social media is playing a bigger role than ever. According to RetailWire, roughly half of Gen Z plans to buy holiday gifts directly through social platforms this year. Features like product tagging and in-app checkout on platforms like Instagram and TikTok make shopping seamless, turning scrolling into spending.

Influencers are at the heart of this trend. Studies show that half of social shoppers are influenced by creator recommendations. Their holiday gift guides, unboxings, and discount codes create excitement and drive conversions, outperforming traditional ads in many cases.

As Black Friday approaches later this week, brands that have prioritized social commerce and influencer marketing are going to be coming out ahead. Social media isn’t just a place to advertise—it’s where shopping happens. Brands that embrace influencer marketing and optimize for social commerce will stand out in the crowded holiday landscape, turning festive followers into loyal customers.

1st Party Data & Influencer Marketing

Identifying the lifestyles and influencers that make sense for your brand - where to start? Start with your own 1st party data. How do you judge the success of an influencer program? First party data. It can serve as the bookends to a successful influencer marketing program. Here’s why 1st party data is a game-changer for influencer marketing.

In the planning phase, 1st party data allows brands to identify and connect with their ideal customers. By analyzing customer data to locate social handles, brands can see where their customers are active online and discover lifestyle networks they’re part of. This helps brands pinpoint not only the type of content their audience engages with but also which influencers are part of these circles. Filter for the lifestyles in which a brand can credible contribute, you have the beginnings of a data-driven influencer program.

Say a brand’s ideal customers frequently follow influencers who post about wellness, adventure, or family activities. These insights give brands a clear roadmap for selecting not only appropriate lifestyles but specific influencers who can reach and influence the right consumer segment. The result is a more targeted influencer program that resonates on a personal level, increases authenticity, and ultimately drives engagement.

1st party data is also invaluable in measuring the success of influencer campaigns. Beyond traditional metrics like reach and engagement, this data enables brands to see which lifestyles, networks, and even specific influencers are driving the most impact. For example, a brand might find that influencers within the fitness lifestyle have a higher conversion rate than those in other segments. This allows the brand to double down on content and partnerships within that segment, maximizing ROI.

We can take it deeper. By tracking 1st party data like connecting emails used in purchase with social handles, brands can link specific influencers to conversions, sales, or other actions. This granular insight allows for precise measurement of what’s working and what’s not. Brands gain the flexibility to pivot their strategies in real-time, optimizing their approach and focusing resources on the most impactful networks and influencers.

Every marketer has a responsibility to understand the impact of each tactic and every dollar spent. The use of 1st party data in influencer marketing has become essential in doing that. It not only informs brands of where their ideal customers are spending time online but also helps them identify the specific influencers and content styles that will resonate. And when it comes to measurement, 1st party data offers a level of precision that other methods simply cannot match.

First party data gives brands the ability to make informed, data-driven decisions at every stage of their influencer campaigns. By focusing on the lifestyles and networks that matter most to their audience, brands can create more relevant, effective influencer programs that drive both engagement and conversions.