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To effectively integrate creator marketing, brands must treat it as a distinct strategy requiring its own budget. Jill Kramer advises starting with a 'clean sheet of paper' rather than incrementally shifting funds from traditional media, which leads to half-measures.
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Don't just pay influencers for a single post. Instead, view them as skilled content creators. Hire them to produce a library of authentic, vlog-style videos that you can then use in your own ad campaigns. This leverages their creative talent for scalable assets, not just a one-off audience blast.
Instead of spending small, inconsistent amounts on influencers, food startups should allocate a significant, planned budget (e.g., $20,000 over a year) to a few carefully selected micro-influencers. This allows for deeper partnerships and more impactful content that demonstrates the product effectively.
Don't guess at influencer costs or assume a secret industry rate sheet exists. The most straightforward way to build a realistic budget is to simply reach out to a handful of target creators and ask them for their rates for different deliverables, providing real data to present to leadership.
Effective creator marketing has matured beyond single posts. Instead, engage niche creators who align with your ideal customer in long-term (e.g., quarterly) partnerships across all their channels—newsletter, podcast, and social—to build deep brand affinity and recognition.
Stop planning creative and media buys simultaneously. Instead, post creative organically first. Then, exclusively allocate media spend to amplify the content that has already demonstrated strong consumer engagement, forcing creative to be effective on its own merit before receiving paid support.
Brands mistakenly buy single posts from influencers, which yields poor results. The effective approach is to form long-term, integrated partnerships with creators who have built a network (events, newsletters, social), treating it as a strategic investment rather than a one-time transaction.
Instead of allocating a small percentage of a media budget to creative, flip the model. First, budget for a robust creative content engine (UGC, creators, etc.). Then, treat paid media as the amplification layer for that content, which could lead to a 50/50 split instead of the typical 80/20.
In B2B marketing, one-off influencer posts for launches are ineffective and a waste of money. Brands should instead pursue long-term, integrated partnerships with creators who have built entire networks (events, newsletters, social). This approach treats the collaboration as a strategic investment in 'world building' rather than a tactical play.
To become truly social-first, companies must shift 20% of their total marketing budget—not just a portion of the creative budget—to producing a high volume of organic content. This content then feeds a more effective paid media strategy.
Contrary to its reputation, zero-based budgeting frees marketers from historical spending patterns. It forces a fundamental re-evaluation of tactics against objectives, often leading to smarter, more effective plans that may even require increased investment.
