Recently, the team and I attended the CONTENT MADE event hosted by the new CT Content Creator Collaborative at Saybrook Point Resort, where a number of content creators and influencers shared their perspectives on the work they do and how it impacts their partner businesses and organizations.  

Mimi Gonzalez, a B2B content creator, opened my eyes to the creator economy and why creator communities’ matter so much to the way modern marketing actually works. Francesca Fontanez, a social media editor at CT Public, shared her perspective on building a personal brand. Hearing how they approach their work gave me a foundation to build on as I dug into the research. 

So, Should Your Business Partner with Content Creators for Marketing?

The short answer, based on everything I found: yes, and the data backs it up. Influencer and creator marketing has gone fully mainstream. Creator marketing hit $32.55 billion in 2025, and it’s expected to climb past $40 billion this year, the result of about 30% growth every year since 2020. It’s no longer an experiment on the side. It’s a core part of how brands reach people. 1

First, a distinction I had to wrap my head around: an influencer and a content creator aren’t always the same thing.  

Influencers build their platforms for themselves, growing an audience around their own personality and point of view, and they may partner with brands along the way.  

Content creators are focused on the craft itself, producing the photos, videos, and stories a business needs, often as a straightforward professional service.  

Plenty of people are both, but knowing the difference helps you figure out what you actually need: someone’s audience and influence, polished content for your own channels, or a mix of both.  

What makes creators work comes down to trust.  

According to one study, 61% of consumers trust influencer recommendations, compared to 38% who trust branded social media content. And it shows up in behavior, not just opinions. Influencer content drives almost half of consumers’ daily, weekly, or monthly purchases, and 86% of consumers make a purchase inspired by an influencer at least once a year. 2

As someone going into marketing, this feels like exactly the kind of shift worth understanding now. The old playbook was about buying attention. The new one is about earning it through people audiences already believe. 

The Big Shift: Smaller Creators are Winning

Here’s the part that surprised me most, and the part that feels most exciting for businesses right here in Northeast Connecticut: bigger isn’t better anymore. 

Micro-influencers (10,000 to 100,000 followers) generate an average engagement rate of 3.86% compared to 1.21% for mega-influencers, while costing about 60% less per post. And according to Influencer Marketing Hub’s Benchmark Report, marketers reported more success with micro-influencers than any other creator tier, not because they’re cheaper, but because their audiences actually believe them. 3

That’s a real opening for our region. There may not be a ton of huge, celebrity-level names based in northeastern Connecticut, but there are a lot of talented, capable smaller creators here who know their communities and have earned their audiences’ trust. For a local business, that’s a win-win. You don’t need a massive budget or a famous face. You need the right voice speaking authentically to the right people. 

A Few Things the Creators Taught Me: How to Work With Creators (And Get It Right)

Listening to people who do this work, a handful of ideas stuck with me, and the more I researched, the more they held up: 

Give creators creative freedom. The instinct to hand someone a script and a shot list is understandable, but it backfires. Creators know their audience better than you do. The content that lands feels native, not like an ad, and that only happens when you trust the person to translate your message into something their followers actually care about. 

Think long-term, not one-off. A single sponsored post from a creator your audience has never seen can feel like, well, an ad. But when that same creator genuinely works your product into their content over time, it starts to feel like a real recommendation. The relationship is where the value compounds. 

Make it an honest transaction. This one stuck with me most. The creator is running a business too, just like you are. Approaching the partnership with respect, and not trying to lowball someone for their time and skill, sets the foundation for the kind of authentic, lasting collaboration that actually delivers results. 

And the good news for local businesses wondering where to even find these creators: there’s now a Connecticut-based resource built for exactly that. Connecticut Content Creator Collaborative is helping connect businesses with local content creators, making it easier than ever to find the right partner close to home. 

What I’m Taking Away

The playbook is being rewritten right now, and there’s a real opportunity for businesses willing to build genuine partnerships with the creators in their own backyard, and Connecticut Content Creator Collaborative is a great place to start making those connections.  

What makes this moment exciting, from where I sit in marketing, is how much it rewards authenticity over budget. The brands that win won’t necessarily be the ones spending the most. They’ll be the ones willing to trust real people to tell their story. For businesses in the Quiet Corner and beyond, that’s a genuine opportunity, and Connecticut Content Creator Collaborative is a great place to start making those connections.  

At Dunn Marketing, our Empathy-Driven Brand Building™ approach is rooted in understanding people: what they care about, who they trust, and how they connect. If you’re wondering whether content creators belong in your marketing mix, we can help you think through the opportunity strategically and authentically. Reach out for a consultation and let’s talk about what’s possible.

*AI may have been utilized in researching and/or initial drafting of this content.