The creator economy: How to build and leverage influence

How exactly do we define creators, and what effect are they having on how people make purchase decisions?

This is something every entrepreneur and small business owner needs to understand to ensure they have a fully-rounded marketing strategy. The fact is, that around one-third of social media users find new products through influencers. And this trend isn’t reserved for B2C companies – we’re increasingly seeing B2B companies leveraging creators as part of their marketing strategy.

Here, we look at how these creators are reshaping consumer habits and driving a new wave of economic activity. I’ll also explore how this disruption offers opportunities for the entrepreneur and small business owner, and offer tips on how best to take advantage of this growing area of marketing and advertising to ensure your products or services are finding the desired audience.

The latest research predicts that by 2027 the creator economy could be worth $480bn. So, it looks like its influence is set to increase. With that in mind, let’s start with some definitions before jumping in with the best approaches.

What is a creator and which ones are important?

A creator is someone who uses digital platforms to generate and share content that markets products and services to their audience.

Researchers have struggled to find exact numbers, but the Harvard Business Review concluded that there were around 40 million ‘economically consequential’ creators worldwide, although they noted the number may well be significantly higher. To be deemed consequential in this study, you needed to have more than 1,000 followers and actively post content. This might seem like a low bar, but while the mega-influencers might grab the headlines, it’s these smaller creators who make up most of the creator economy and therefore have significant influence.

The move from passive consumption to active engagement

 The creator economy has given rise to a much more interactive and personalised experience than traditional advertising platforms such as television. In the past, we sat back and consumed whatever was in front of us. Today, we interact with creators – posting comments and likes as well as participating in live streams. This two-way interaction builds a sense of community and loyalty, turning passive consumers into active participants.

The actual type of content and the platform have changed. In contrast to the hard sell of television commercials, creators often share behind-the-scenes content (so rather than a thirty-second commercial for make-up, they will give make-up tutorials using particular products) as well as personal stories and live updates to create a more intimate and authentic connection.

This authenticity (or what appears to be authentic but in reality is often highly staged) goes along with the perception that the creator is an expert in a particular field, yet remains relatable to the audience. The final part of the puzzle is entertainment – without this, the content will struggle to find its audience, no matter how instructive it is.

Influence and trust: the new currency

Once that trust has been built, creators can endorse products in a way that feels more credible to the audience than conventional advertising. For their part, brands have recognised this shift, increasingly partnering with creators for influencer marketing campaigns. Any new business owner needs to think about where their current (or future) audience resides online, and then look for the key influencers in that area. These collaborations need to be mutually beneficial: creators receive financial support, while your brand gains access to highly engaged and targeted audiences.

How creators have changed the game

By transforming how consumers discover and utilise products, creators have disrupted marketing in the following ways:

• They ‘pre-approve’ products: A creator can truly stand out by easing the information overload that consumers often face when searching online. Acting as curators and educators, creators reduce the need for consumers to sift through a maze of options by highlighting specific products they endorse, thereby streamlining the search process. Entrepreneurs creating niche products should consider this approach central to their marketing plan.
• They become a one-person ‘customer success’ function: Creators also enhance the value of newly discovered products for the average consumer by demonstrating how to use them to maximum effect. They demystify product complexities, making them more appealing through practical demonstrations and tutorials.
• They influence product life cycles: Content creators are not only shaping demand but also significantly speeding up product life cycles. To keep their audiences engaged, creators regularly introduce fresh and distinctive products – so the entrepreneur needs to keep this in mind. While the creator wants relevance (hence they are always looking for the latest products and trends), the business owner needs to ensure they don’t get left behind in terms of product iterations. In short, you need to feed the machine.

Strategies for businesses to leverage the creator economy

For the entrepreneur or small business owner to get ahead, it’s vital to think about whether this creator economy should form part of your marketing and advertising strategy. To that end, I would recommend four strategies to employ:

Find your audiences: As an important first step, you need to research where your potential audiences are located online. Are they active on social, and if so, which platforms?

Cultivate partnerships: Get ahead of the game by establishing collaborations with creators to develop offerings that resonate with niche markets.

Think ‘niche’: Unlike older forms of marketing that aim for mass appeal, creators usually cater to highly specific interests and communities. Leverage this knowledge when developing new products.

Use predictive analytics: To ensure your creator partnerships remain strong, do your research (and use predictive analytics) to stay ahead of customer trends. This way, you can ensure that you’re giving your creator-partner something they know they can show on their platform and that their audience will like.

As the creator economy continues evolving, its impact on consumer behaviour will likely deepen. The direct, personal connections between creators and their audiences will drive further shifts towards personalised, community-driven consumption. Brands will increasingly need to adapt to this landscape, focusing on authenticity and building genuine relationships with consumers.

The creator economy is not just a passing trend but a fundamental shift in how we consume media and make purchasing decisions. As a consumer yourself, observe how you now choose what you buy and what influences you. That information is part of what you can then use to devise your creator-partnership strategy for your business.

By fostering these vital, authentic connections and catering to niche markets, you can make your marketing efforts more personalised, interactive, and community-driven.

The writer is the marketing and partnerships manager at SPC Free Zone.