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By Aurelie Sauthier

The boundaries betwee and content marketing are becoming less distinct for experts in our industry, prompting an important question: Is content marketing the future of influencer marketing? Central to this discussion are the strategic interplay between earned and paid influence, and the innovative approach of turning authentic, earned content into digital assets for paid advertising.

The Dynamics Of Earned Vs. Paid Influence

Influencer marketing fundamentally relies on two forms of influence:

• Earned influence consists of organic endorsements from influencers who genuinely support a brand or product. It is characterized by authenticity and trust, as influencers freely share their unfiltered experiences with their followers. This form of influence is highly valued for its credibility and deeper engagement.

• Paid influence involves compensating influencers for promoting a brand or product. While this provides brands with more control over messaging and reach, paid content can appear less genuine to some audiences. However, when executed thoughtfully, paid influence effectively amplifies a brand’s presence.

Content Marketing: The Bridge Between Earned And Paid Influence

Content marketing, which focuses on creating valuable, relevant and engaging content, is becoming a key strategy to bridge the gap between earned and paid influence. To deepen connections with audiences, brands are increasingly repurposing authentic, earned content into digital assets for paid ads.

This offers several advantages:

• Authenticity at scale: Repurposing genuine earned content for paid ads maintains the trust and credibility that come from organic endorsements, even in a paid context.

• Broader reach: Turning earned content into digital assets helps reach audiences beyond the influencer’s community, maximizing content impact.

• Cost efficiency: Repurposing existing content can be more cost-effective than producing new content, optimizing return on investment.

• Extended usability: You can use the content you’ve transformed into digital assets across multiple platforms and campaigns, enhancing its longevity and adaptability.

How My Agency Merges Earned And Paid Influence

In our always-on influencer programs, we try to always combine earned and paid influence to maximize impact for our clients. For the earned portion, we focus on securing as much in-feed video content as possible rather than ephemeral stories. This tactic ensures broader visibility and sustained engagement, as in-feed videos enjoy longer life spans and usually greater organic reach.

Once we have collected a range of earned videos, we carefully scrutinize each piece, identifying which content aligns most effectively with the brand’s messaging and objectives. We then obtain listing rights for the most compelling videos, allowing us to repurpose them as paid ads.

How To Turn Your Earned Influence Into Digital Assets

Transforming your earned influencer content into digital assets involves several strategic steps:

• Identify high-performing content: Select influencer posts that resonate strongly with the influencer’s audience and align with the brand’s values and messaging.

• Secure permissions: Obtain the necessary rights from influencers to repurpose their content for paid advertising, ensuring transparency and maintaining trust.

• Learn to let go of control: You must encourage internal teams—marketing, legal and compliance—to embrace the authenticity that makes influencer content powerful. This means relaxing some of the typical requirements in influencer briefs and trusting influencers to create content that genuinely connects with their audience.

• Repurpose content: Adapt the selected influencer content into various digital formats, such as video ads, banner ads or social media promotions, while preserving the original tone and authenticity.

• Amplify reach: Use paid channels to introduce earned influencer content to new audiences, extending its life span and impact far beyond the influencer’s immediate followers.

By embracing authenticity and giving influencers creative freedom, you can effectively turn earned content into valuable digital assets that resonate with a broader audience.

The Future: Unified Content And Influencer Strategies

Influencer marketing is moving toward a unified approach that leverages both earned and paid influence within a strategic content marketing framework. By converting authentic earned content into digital assets for paid ads, brands can harness the full potential of influencer marketing, significantly expanding reach and engagement.

Ultimately, the merging of influencer marketing and content marketing, supported by the strategic use of earned and paid influence, is redefining how brands connect with audiences. The brands that will thrive are those that can seamlessly integrate these approaches, creating content that resonates authentically while delivering measurable business outcomes. The future of influencer marketing is indeed entwined with content marketing—particularly in the smart use of earned influence as a foundational asset for paid advertising.

Feature Image Credit: getty

By Aurelie Sauthier

Aurelie Sauthier, President & Co-Founder of Made in, Canada 1st Influencer Marketing Agency, est. 2012 with a second office in Paris. Read Aurelie Sauthier’s full executive profile here.

Sourced from Forbes

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