There’s no arguing the social media scene is riddled with creators. From constant scandals in the beauty industry to disregarding pandemic guidelines in 2020, distrust towards influencers is steadily climbing.

These changes in perception and trust suggest we’re moving further and further away from the traditional influencer model and are focusing more on targeted, engaging approaches to capturing audiences. Many brands think this just means turning to micro-influencers instead, but when they do this, they are missing out on a critical audience of creators – their own customers.

Historically, many businesses started their content marketing programs because they believed it would help them rank higher for organic search results. When their target audiences would search for potential solutions to their needs and wants, they would find the brand’s vast array of content and believe that brand is the one that provides the most value.

Unfortunately, what many businesses discovered was that a foundation built on being “found” in search meant they had to focus on content that chased traffic. That created an inherent pressure to create content designed to rank rather than content intended to lead, entertain, or inform.