Picture this: You’re scrolling through Instagram or TikTok. Suddenly, you realize that not only have you landed on a product page but also added items to your cart. Ever wonder how this happens?
Well, maybe it’s an influencer you like who effortlessly nudges you toward your next purchase.
Welcome to the creator economy.
A few years back, social media platforms took the world by storm and gave rise to the creator economy. And now, with social media marketing becoming a separate entity, tapping into unconventional ways like user-generated content (UGC), TikTok lives, and creator marketing is more crucial than ever. For both B2B and B2C brands, exploring these areas of marketing is important because this helps build long-term relationships with their customers.
"People want to connect with you by experiencing the story behind your product,” says Christopher Cox, Co-Founder of Nebula Social. In this chat, he delves into the expanding creator economy, offering insights on how businesses can harness its potential for maximum impact.
This interview is part of G2’s Professional Spotlight series. For more content like this, subscribe to G2 Tea, a newsletter with SaaS-y news and entertainment.
What’s your favorite beverage?
My favorite beverage is an iced oat lavender latte. I know it sounds fancy, but I need a latte every day. I love experimenting with different flavors in my coffee, and if it tastes good, I'm willing to spend 9 or 10 dollars on it.
What was your first job?
My first paid job was working for my mom, who owned a small business. I was still very young and assisted with data entry tasks, which I found particularly enjoyable. I was passionate about entering information and used this opportunity to enhance my typing speed significantly.
What's your favorite software or favorite software category in your current tech stack?
My favorite tool currently, and the one I rely on the most to manage my business, is Notion. It's incredibly versatile, allowing me to easily create systems for companies that may not have their own. Whether it's setting up content calendars, outreach lists, data reporting, or drafting documents, Notion is the perfect platform for organizing any workspace efficiently.
What problems at work make you want to throw your laptop out the window?
There are times when a piece of content requires several revisions after being published, and you have to edit, remove, or repost repeatedly. That is really frustrating for me as once these tasks are done, I feel the need to step away from my laptop to recharge.
This kind of situation tends to occur more with social media content where you upload something that doesn’t look like how it looked in preview. That's the worst because sometimes there's nothing you can do besides deleting it.
Can you share how Nebula Social was founded and what inspired its focus on organic social media?
Growing up, I was early on many social media platforms. I was engaged with them sometimes within a few days of a platform launching. From the excitement of Britney Spears following me on X (formerly known as Twitter) to managing Tumblr pages, memes, and blogging, I immersed myself in the exciting world of online communities.
My passion for social media continued through high school and college, leading me to study media studies, digital communities, and social media marketing at UC Berkeley. I became interested in journalism because it was a way to share information with people on social media. Consequently, this interest guided my internships and, after college, helped shape my career path, which included dynamic roles in both tech and journalism.
Throughout my career, organic social media has remained at the core of my work. Whether connecting users with a product or keeping journalistic communities informed, organic social media marketing became my area of passion and expertise. Although I understood the value of paid media, I thrived on building audiences organically.
With social media evolving, I embraced its shift towards a creator-driven space. This led to my last role, where I became the face of a brand’s TikTok, blending my on-camera skills with my social media acumen. However, I felt the need to differentiate my personal brand from a company’s branding, especially as more opportunities began coming my way.
I was later laid off from my role alongside my co-founder, which led to the birth of Nebula Social. We began growing our community, and it started taking on a life of its own. We now assist brands in discovering their unique star power through talent pairings. We also try and create strategies to help them strengthen their organic social media presence. Staying ahead of social media’s rapid evolution is truly exciting for us.
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You have built a strong social media community personally and professionally. What are some key strategies you've found effective in building an engaged organic social media following?
One thing that stands out to me is brands building relationships with multiple creators. Usually, companies invest a lot in a single full-time creator, which isn't sustainable, according to me. This approach places the brand at risk, and if that creator leaves, the brand's engagement may suffer significantly.
I've seen instances where brands struggle because their audience is tied closely to just one person.
Many companies lack effective strategies for leveraging creators. By working with multiple creators and fostering long-term partnerships, brands can unlock greater potential.
Relying solely on one-off partnerships means that their first round of creative, which will never be the best, gets put out there. That becomes the focal point, and the audience moves on without forming a connection. If you can bring multiple people in, you can build something more sustainable and create better content by experimenting with them. This makes the content more authentic and true to your brand.
“By engaging multiple creators, brands can develop a more sustainable strategy, enhancing content quality through collaboration and experimentation.”
Christopher Cox
Co-Founder and CEO of Nebula Social
That is a great strategy, and many brands can relate to it. Coming to my next question, can you discuss a recent project or campaign where an innovative social strategy led to significant results for a client?
We have a client in the cleaning industry — a B2C company — that has served as a model for applying successful strategies to our B2B clients. But when we started out with them, they had no organic social presence, and now we've partnered with them for over a year at this point, and have grown their account 10 times with working with smaller creators.
Initially, we considered focusing on testimonials and service benefits, but those posts did not perform well. Instead, content featuring cleaning hacks — concise, value-packed tips using everyday household items — proved highly successful. These posts resonated with audiences who might not clean their entire home but appreciated quick, effective solutions for specific tasks. Such content went viral across platforms.
“Prioritize creativity by generating engaging, valuable, and timely content. ”
Christopher Cox
Co-Founder and CEO of Nebula Social
Key lesson? Even a single piece of compelling creative can reach millions of views on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok: one video can get up to 5 million views on Instagram, 6 million views on Facebook, and a million views on TikTok. We've seen this with just one piece of creative that isn't really costly to make and can transform the way people engage with your brand.
You’ve talked about organic social media being an overlooked jewel. In your experience, what are the most common challenges companies face when developing an organic social media strategy, and how do you help overcome them?
I think many companies place a heavy burden on a single individual when it comes to managing social media. Most of the time, teams are composed of just one person, and during most of my positions, that was me, and it is a difficult place to be. It means that you're putting all the responsibilities of strategy, measurement, community management, influencer partnerships, content creation, and getting on camera yourself onto one person. It's challenging to find someone who can excel in all these areas, and even for those who can, the risk of burnout is high. This is where the creator economy has seen the boost.
When the brand's performance hinges entirely on one person, any disruption — like a personal illness — can cause significant drops in metrics. To combat this, companies should consider hiring additional staff or getting creative with how they build their social presence. This could include utilizing UGC, contracting specialists for specific roles, or expanding the team with multiple contributors. It's unrealistic and unsustainable to expect one person to manage everything.
You mentioned about the creator economy and its rise. Could you elaborate on how the creator economy is influencing marketing strategies for both small and large businesses today?
UGC has always been around since the inception of social media and has evolved significantly over the years.
In the past, UGC primarily consisted of testimonials or user interviews that demonstrated product use through demos or sales pitches. However, today, UGC is increasingly led by creators who build an authentic brand around how people are using your product and how they interface with your business.
Whether you're a small or large business, UGC is incredibly important to give social proof that people are gaining value from what you offer and spreading your message and your story out there.
“People want to see, hear, and experience the story behind your product, and that’s how they connect.”
Christopher Cox
Co-Founder and CEO of Nebula Social
Today, UGC is creator-focused and heavily video-driven. This trend is reshaping how businesses, from B2C to B2B, leverage UGC to influence buyers further along the purchasing journey. We're seeing the creator economy completely influence how companies are marketing.
Whether it’s a small business enlisting local creators to promote a restaurant or a large enterprise developing creator programs to showcase products, the impact of the creator economy on marketing strategies is profound. It’s exciting to witness brands transition from traditional corporate content to authentic, creator-led video content that truly resonates with audiences.
You mentioned the B2B and B2C spaces, which brings me to my next question. How do you think influencer marketing strategies differ between B2B and B2C companies, and can similar strategies be effectively applied to both?
I think there are lessons that can be implemented across both.
In B2B, the approach is a little more technical in terms of the talent that you need to find. You might need to pay higher rates to work with these creators because they're more specialized.
The talent pool in B2C is a bit more saturated. B2C brands can partner with top influencers or leverage the abundance of UGC creators already using consumer products.
Applying successful B2C strategies to B2B involves adapting and humanizing technical products to make them relatable. One of the main challenges for B2B is moving away from outdated marketing techniques and understanding what modern influencer partnerships look like. Companies must avoid being overly advertorial, as such content doesn't perform well on social platforms and risks being suppressed by algorithms.
While B2C companies often engage in viral marketing, B2B companies can encourage content sharing among peers and decision-makers. The content doesn't necessarily need to be viral but informative enough for people in the B2B niche to want to share it around. The goal would be for the post to reach the decision-makers and potentially influence their decision.
So, I think that's what we’re trying to translate at Nebula Social. Our work focuses on helping B2B brands modernize their strategies and make their content more engaging and shareable, and we're pleased to assist in this transformation.
What advice would you give to marketers looking to form meaningful partnerships within the creator economy?
One common misconception in influencer or creator marketing is that only those with a massive following are valuable creators. The term creators is broad and includes everyone who shares content online, whether they have 500 followers or 50,000.
“When it comes to UGC, especially for long-term success, never underestimate the power of smaller creators.”
Christopher Cox
Co-Founder and CEO of Nebula Social
A lot of creators that don't have 20k or 30k plus followers still know how to create really good content that can elevate your brand. With the right guidance and strategy, similar to what my co-founder and I provide, even creators with modest followings can achieve remarkable reach, garnering millions of views and brand awareness.
Brands should move past the "influencer-or-bust" model, where they pour $10,000 into a single post that they then share on an Instagram story. Okay, you'll get some followers and traction, but if you want to build a long-lasting community and really grow your audience sustainably, you need to post frequently. Current data shows brands are significantly increasing their video output compared to a year ago, necessitating a diverse range of content to identify what resonates best.
Engaging with smaller creators not only provides authentic partnerships but also leads to longer-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. Thus, working with these smaller creators is more valuable and can set your brand apart.
Looking ahead, what social media trends do you believe marketers should prepare for in the next year?
I think that brands severely underutilize lives, specifically TikTok lives. Many brands rarely use this feature, missing the opportunity for real-time interaction with their audience beyond physical events. TikTok and Instagram Live allow for both one-on-one and one-to-many conversations, enabling direct engagement in a digital format.
Platforms, especially TikTok, are increasingly promoting live content as a key strategy for account growth. While viral videos are beneficial, leveraging lives can exponentially boost your reach and engagement.
If you have videos that go viral, the way to actually 10x your growth is to get on TikTok live. It also pushes all your content more. It allows people to interact with you, ask questions, and potentially purchase your product. If you've cultivated them correctly and they have an affinity with you, you can build live experiences that move the needle.
Last but not the least, is there something you want to say to the marketers to help them up their social media game for both B2B and B2C companies?
Marketers need to get more nimble with how they partner with people. Not every task requires a full-time role or bureaucratic processes, nor should one person be burdened with multiple jobs.
How can brands efficiently produce videos in-house, especially with remote workers who might film at home or in the office? This standard approach can quickly become stale. Instead, consider diverse creative partnerships to produce content. By collaborating with external creators, brands can access diverse settings and perspectives, elevating their content. This strategy enhances creativity and extends the reach and impact of their video content.
Build strong connections. For video production, tapping into freelancers and creators can provide the flexibility needed to enhance your content's reach. Even with capable creators, understanding how to direct, review, and leverage trending content is crucial. Your strategy shouldn't rely solely on a single social media manager to handle everything.
Today's audience wants engaging, relatable content, not mundane advertisements. They want to solve problems and add to their carts or tech stacks, but without being overtly targeted. So that's the biggest advice I'll give to marketers: just have fun, get creative, and find the right people to bring that creativity out of you and your messaging. That's what's going to push you forward on social in 2025 because it's going to be very competitive.
Follow Christopher Cox on LinkedIn to keep tabs on organic social media and content creation.
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