​​What Is A Digital Creator On Instagram?

A digital creator is an individual or group that creates content for digital properties such as blogs and social media platforms. This can be in the format of text, photo, audio, or video, and is often original. On Instagram, this can refer to accounts that share posts, reels, or videos. The primary objective of a digital creator is to inform or entertain audiences. But once their following grows, their goals may expand to brand awareness, audience building, and monetization.

Digital Creator Vs. Influencer

The terms “digital creator” and “influencer” are often confused to mean the same thing. But there are key differences between these two types of online entities, primarily in their goals and strategies.

A digital creator’s job is to tell a story by creating educational or entertaining content targeted to a specific market or topic; they’re in it for the art itself. The content serves their own branding, so it’s more authentic, and it resonates better with niches that already trust them. 

On the other hand, an influencer primarily leverages their large following to promote brands or lifestyles by maintaining an image their market compels them to aspire to. They’re more focused on promotion, and audience engagement since their work typically involves posting about brands (usually tagged as sponsored ads) on their social media accounts. To do so, they create content, which causes people to mistake them for digital creators. 

What Does A Digital Creator Do?

Digital creators work similarly to a creative marketing agency. They work on creating a digital marketing strategy, considering elements such as publishing, keywords, audience targeting, etc. to produce their content in the form of posts, blogs, or videos. They earn through advertising, affiliate sales, paid subscriptions, and brand partnerships.

Pros Of Working With A Digital Creator

Working with a digital creator can add a lot of value to your marketing campaign because they allow you to introduce your brand or products in an original and captivating way. They can also help you tap into certain niche markets. Here are the pros of working with a digital creator.

High-Value Marketing

Most digital creators have strategy-building skills. The content they create is not based on hunches and whims. There is a logic to what they do. They use research and statistics to build marketing campaigns that mutually benefit them and their partners.

Content Creation

Working with a digital creator means that you can be hands-off when it comes to production. Since they produce their own content, you most likely won’t have to provide any significant addition to their resources.

Audience Trust

Digital creators usually have a niche following they’ve already built trust within. It may not be the largest audience, but you can be assured that they trust the creator and consider the brands they support and work with.

Cons Of Working With A Digital Creator

When working with digital creators, some limitations could hinder your business' ability to reach its marketing objectives. Here are two cons to consider when working with a digital creator.

Advertising Limitations

Digital creators have built their own brand with the content they create and the way they present it. Businesses that want to work with them may have to adjust to their requirements, limiting their opportunities to showcase themselves in a more advertorial manner.

Lack Of Influence

Digital creators don’t aim to influence their audiences, so a call-to-action for sales or conversions isn’t always guaranteed.

What To Look For In A Digital Creator

A good digital creator is a storyteller, a marketer, and a unique personality. Here’s what to look for to make sure that you find one that fits all three titles.

Great Communication Skills

Digital creators connect to their audiences through story-telling, so they must have strong communication skills. This could be in writing or speech, depending on their chosen medium. This is equally important to you as a business because it affects how you can collaborate to convey a similar message.

Marketing Strategy-Building Experience

Look for a digital creator that is experienced—one that knows the ins and outs of Instagram, specifically how to leverage its tools and algorithm to their advantage. Find someone who pays attention to statistics and data and uses these to guide their content creation decisions.

Unique Style And Voice

There are thousands of digital creators out there, and you wouldn’t want to drown in a sea of average ones. Look for an individual with a unique style and voice; they are crucial to attracting audiences.

Should I Work with A Digital Creator?

Working with a digital creator on Instagram is a powerful marketing tactic that any brand could use. A digital creator can connect a brand to a loyal audience, which by itself can be challenging to pull off in a saturated market like Instagram. They can also present the partnership in a way that isn’t too hard-sell; this helps build trust and exhibits social proof, which leads to more sales and conversions.