Influencers and UGC creators: contradictory or complementary in a marketing campaign?

We're not going to lie: these days, everyone wants more visibility on the networks. Whether you're a small brand, a jewelry designer or a start-up that's just launched your product, we all want to attract attention... but also trust.

And that's where we come across two profiles that we're seeing more and more: influencers, whom we know well, and UGC creators, who are still often misunderstood. One has a community, the other not so much. One shines in public, the other often works behind the scenes. But both have a role to play in a campaign.

And yet, they tend to be pitted against each other. So, are they really in competition? Or could they form a powerful, complementary and strategic duo for brands, particularly here in Africa?

That's exactly what we're going to break down together in this article.

1. Two different profiles, two complementary strengths

Before we go any further, let's get back to basics:
An influencer is someone who has an engaged community. He or she creates content, shares his or her universe, and above all influences the decisions of those who follow him or her. When a brand collaborates with an influencer, it's to reach a specific audience through a familiar, credible and sometimes admired face.

A UGC (User Generated Content) creator is a completely different role. Here, you don't need to have 10K subscribers. What counts is the ability to produce natural, authentic contentthat resembles that of an ordinary user, but with a real marketing intention behind it. Brands use this type of content for their ads, product sheets or websites. In short: the UGC creator isn't selling his audience, but his talent for storytelling and production.

2. What really sets them apart (and why that's a good thing)

- One influences, the other inspires trust. The influencer is a lever of reach. He gives visibility, creates a trend, launches an idea. The UGC creator is a conversion lever. They reassure. He shows. He proves.

- Influencers publish on their own networks, under their own name. The UGC creator, on the other hand, produces content that the brand will use on its own platforms: a testimonial video, a tutorial, a real-life situation.

- On the budget side, influencers are often more expensive (especially macros), but offer notoriety. UGC creators are more accessible, and their content can be used over the long term.

In short: these are two pieces of the same puzzle, not two competitors to be pitted against each other.

3. How about getting them to work together?

Imagine an Ivorian skincare brand that wants to launch a new natural range. It doesn't have the budget of the big multinationals, but it has a great story, a good product, and an active target audience on the networks. The question is: how do you reach your customers without blowing your communications budget?

That's where a platform like Trenderz comes in.
Designed to democratize influencer marketing in Africa, Trenderz connects local brands with influencers as well as African UGC creators. All via a simple, affordable interface designed for the field.

In concrete terms?

• The brand can select a local influencer to talk about the product on Instagram: this is the showcase effect, immediate visibility, notoriety boost.
• At the same time, she can order UGC content: a "morning routine" video, an unboxing, an authentic reaction, to be broadcast in her Meta ads or on her product page. All managed in just a few clicks on the same platform.

The result?
A complete, coherent and above all local and relevant campaign that really speaks to the target audience.

Trenderz doesn't choose between the two profiles. It intelligently combines them. And that's exactly the point: the right tool, for the right message, on the right channel.

4. Stop choosing, learn to combine (with the right tools)

It's not a war of egos, it's a question of strategy.
In a well thought-out marketing campaign, the influencer creates the desire, and the UGC creator makes the action happen. Together, they transform a simple idea into real impact: visibility, engagement, conversions.

But for this complementarity to work, we need tools adapted to the African context, its realities and its ambitions.

This is exactly what Trenderz offers. By connecting local brands with African influencers and UGC creators, the platform makes it possible to build campaigns that are more human, more targeted and, above all, more accessible.

Companies can launch their campaigns directly via:
The website: www.trenderz.io
The Trenderz Pro app (briefs, selection, management, performance)
And for designers: the Trenderz Influencer mobile app (available campaigns, briefs, collaborations)

Whether you're a brand looking for a new lease of life, or a designer looking for opportunity: you no longer have to choose between visibility and authenticity. You can have both, and you can start right now.

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