Don't Make Creators an Afterthought in Your Marketing Budget

Editor’s note: This piece is part of our Columnist Network series, which explores the tactical thoughts and actions from Adweek’s community of high-level experts. Today, Collab's Will Eagle shares his tips for brands looking to partner with content creators. Below, in his own words, he says follower count shouldn't be the deciding factor. More than ever, brands of all sizes are embracing creators as a core part of their marketing mix. It’s fantastic to see this rise in the need for creators; we regularly receive briefs from clients or agency partners requesting a selection of creators to participate in their campaign, but as many as half of those requests require some delicate conversation around the realities, and costs, of working with creators. Whether you’re a big brand or a small business planning your creator marketing efforts, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, pricing moves quickly. We’ve had clients decide to move forward with a creator proposal months later and are surprised when the creator's rates have shot up from the initial quote. In that time, the creator might have doubled their following, landed big deals or brought on representation. This is just as true if you’re at the top of the heap, like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae and Khaby Lame, and if you’re a nano-creator with 500,000 followers or fewer. A creator's follower count, however, is only one factor of their rate, and oftentimes, it's not even the most important. Consider the scope of work. What are you asking them to deliver, for which platforms and on what timeline? For example, it’s one thing to ask someone to make content wearing your latest line of clothes, another to ask them to film a complex trick shot with a group of fellow creators. The complexity and sophistication of the ask is a big factor in cost calculation, as are the platforms—YouTube tends to be on the premium side; however, we’re seeing rates for creators on TikTok grow very quickly. Shorter turnaround times will also boost the price. A very popular ask from clients is exclusivity, and sure, if you’re working with a creator to promote your product and brand, it’s natural to want a period of time where your competitors can’t work with the same creator and potentially undo your work. Being flexible on periods of exclusivity is key, unless you’re prepared to pay more. Perhaps more than anything, creators who have a highly engaged audience can ask for a better rate. Maybe they have fewer followers total, but as mentioned, that’s not always the most important factor. Would you rather hire a creator with a broad, passive audience of 1 million, or one with 500,000 leaned-in followers in your target audience? A tip to get more value from your spend is to determine your comfort level working with creators who are a little more under the radar but whose growth is trending up. Rising stars can be hard to catch, but taking a chance can pay off. If you want to offer bonuses like travel, products and services for free, that might yield a cost-efficient discount for you, but the days are long gone where you could send a creator some swag and get a result. The big takeaway here is not that you need more money (although that will help) but to engage your creator and creator agency partners early in your planning process. That’ll give you greater success in allocating the right budget and managing your own expectations on what’s possible. If you’re a smaller operation, consider using the criteria above to help you select the creators you want to work with. Ultimately, by making creators a central part of your campaign effort and not a last-minute afterthought with whatever remains of the budget, you’ll be set up for greater marketing success.

Columnist Network

Don't Let Creators Become an Afterthought in Your Marketing Budget

Early and realistic planning will pay off for your brand

Will Eagle

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Will Eagle