Content marketing
allows marketers to deeply control the scope of messaging and product storytelling, as well as retain full ownership of all content so it can be used as the brand sees fit, such as across advertising, branded channels and in paid social.
As brands have accepted that influencers need product, experiences, and/or payments, they have sought to treat influencer work with the same exacting control as content marketing.
The whole point of influencer marketing is for influencers to engage their audiences, and the more brands insist on inclusion of “Branded language,” the more they eviscerate the power of influencers in driving consumer action such as purchasing decisions and changing consumer perceptions of a brand.
The very nature of exercising this control undermines what influencers do best – serve as passionate brand advocates, telling a brand’s story in their own voice and on their own terms in ways that will most resonate with their audience.
From the brand perspective, it starts to seem a lot like playing the game of “Telephone” – the brand tells influencers at the start of a campaign, “Here’s the brief; here’s my message.” But when it comes out the other end, the brand says, “Wait, that wasn’t my original message. It’s been morphed; it’s been changed. Change it back!” In that process, the influencers have taken the brand’s message and simply filtered it – overlaying their own perspective and personal storytelling, which is the overarching strategy behind Influencer Marketing.
The more brands push influencers away from authenticity, the less effective the brand’s outreach will be.
The real value of influencer-generated content centers on the fact that it was created by brand advocates, and not the brand itself.