For brands, the road to relevant video content can feel full of wrong turns and dead ends. Every time you think you’ve finally got the algorithm on your side, the organic social media content you’ve been churning out falls flat again.
Gavin Guidry, a video creator and creative director at Spotify, digs into what it means to support creators and their communities and how that partnership can transform a brand’s social media campaigns.
“When you prioritize community and build authentic partnerships, you can create relevant video content.”
In his Outside the Frame session, Gavin shows us a step-by-step roadmap to getting brands and creators on the same page — telling great stories that support and inspire communities.
Step 1: The road to relevance has to go through real people
Let’s be honest: people trust people. And Gavin warns that, increasingly, so do social media algorithms.
And while influencer is a term that carries a lot of baggage, there is a specific creator class speaking to niche audiences on social media. Unlike traditional influencers, these creators shun the transactional, and their devotion to building community drives video views.
“Working with real people who have real followings can help you sell your stuff — but in a more authentic and human way.”
Step 2: Real collaboration should focus on cultivating community
Marketers care about brand perception, ROI, and other metrics that measure the success of their messaging. Creators care about authenticity and connection.
But Gavin insists that these don’t have to be conflicting priorities. Brands should focus on finding influencer partnerships where monetizing feels less like buying a creator and more like supporting a community.
How do brands find creators who can help build credibility within a community? Gavin offers these tips:
- Find the right niche
- Look for an engaged audience
- Focus on an authentic user
- Embrace a strong style and point of view
- Seek out professionalism
- Support someone passionate about their craft
Step 3: Relevance means taking video content from you-centered to community-centered
Video is an excellent format to educate and engage with audiences. But Gavin believes that for video campaigns to be successful on social media, they have to center the community the content is designed to serve.
Brands can foster a following by understanding the creator’s motivation and what the community genuinely cares about. And in order to be human, Gavin says brands have to be prepared to get vulnerable.
What does vulnerability look like for a brand? It means embracing risk, talking like a real human, and meeting the community where they are, both figuratively and literally. Then, and only then, can brands forge genuine relationships with creators and create video content that benefits them both.
“It’s not about chasing cultural relevance. It’s about earning community relevance.”
Watch innovative marketers and creators share more insights from Outside the Frame →
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