Citing an estimate from the venture capital firm SignalFire, Forbes states that as many as 50 million people consider themselves influencers and content creators on social media. Despite such a large number, there is clearly room for everyone who wants to earn from influence and create their own content. Specifically, Influencer Marketing Hub reports that this industry was worth $1.7 billion globally seven years ago, and last year it reached a value of $16.4 billion. The value is clearly growing regardless of economic difficulties in the world, and brands will certainly continue to count on influencers and content creators in their business plans. However, there are also challenges in that world.
Croatia also has its well-known influencers, among them is Saša Vukić, whose video recipes are followed by about 1.5 million people on social media in Croatia and neighboring countries. Vukić collaborates with a large number of renowned brands through ‘Sašina kuhinja’, which is also the name of his company, and he establishes cooperation directly with the brand’s marketing department or through an agency with which the brand collaborates.
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– This means that I do not find sponsors; they contact me. I do not gain followers, and it has never been my goal to acquire many of them. My way of working has been very simple from the beginning. Namely, I wanted to take as little time as possible from the viewer with the video recipe while quickly providing as much information as possible so that the recipe turns out just like mine. I do not deviate from that approach because I view my recipes from the viewer’s perspective, so if something is boring to me, I do not publish it. With this way of working, I have reached over 492,000 followers on YouTube, 775,000 on Facebook, 167,000 on Instagram, and up to 46,000 on TikTok. It seems to me that I am even the individual with the largest number of followers in Croatia, excluding football players, but I am not completely sure about that data. The only platform where I earn from ads is the YouTube channel ‘Sašina kuhinja’. I use other social media as marketing platforms to direct viewers to my YouTube channel or my website – describes Vukić.
Unfair Symbiosis
Vukić’s content is free, so he is not familiar with the workings of platforms for follower payments like Patreon, Fanfix, and similar. Nevertheless, his advice to anyone who wants to engage in influencing is not to expect anything from anyone, as there is no major media, newspaper, or TV station that will provide them with that initial boost or wind in their sails.
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Reguliranje društvenih mreža mnoge je kreatore digitalnih sadržaja potaknulo da sponzore i pratitelje traže malo drukčije. Svjetski su se usmjerili na platforme poput Fanfixa, Patreona…, domaćima baš i nisu zanimljive
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– Free advertising does not exist. Today, not only are all media competitors to each other, but even the big ones will not talk or write about you if they do not get anything in return. Only when the inevitable success you have achieved independently occurs, only when the media (editors, journalists) realize that it is impossible to escape the fact that you have succeeded without their help, completely on your own, will they mention you, possibly invite you for an interview, and gain additional viewership on your name. Again, an unfair symbiosis, if I may say so. Only premium (quality) content is what you must insist on and work on; everything else will come by itself, but very, very slowly. I have been doing this job for about seven years, and in the first few years, I earned nothing, but I worked on my own education in all segments. I also produced a lot of digital content (recipes) and maintained social media. Today, I am satisfied with my earnings, which is public information and easily found on the internet. Of course, earnings could be much higher, but I do not want to charge subscriptions and the like; I simply want my content to always be available for free to everyone at any time – believes Vukić.
Sašina kuhinja, according to the submitted annual financial report for 2021, achieved a revenue of €58,900 and a net profit of €11,600.
He added that he would not call himself an influencer even though it is a popular term here and in the world. He would rather say that he is a chef and a creator of digital content. He also emphasized that it would be better for him to do this job in another country.
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Profitirati na internetu može se na mnoge načine, ali želi li se unovčiti digitalni sadržaj treba se usmjeriti na kvalitetu sadržaja i izgradnju kvalitetne zajednice oko svojeg rada
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– Over the last ten years, we have gradually forgotten patriotism, except when the national football team plays. Croatia is beautiful; I love my country along with its shortcomings and good sides. We need to look for some middle ground and weigh business moves carefully… The internal policy of the company Sašina kuhinja is to first settle all obligations to the state, and regarding the future of Sašina kuhinja, I believe it is bright with many opportunities for progress in all segments. We need to listen to followers, track their desires, and follow instincts – Vukić is convinced.
For Different Followers
Persistence in creating and publishing content has led to collaboration with clients of Dario Marčac, founder of the Crew community, TikTok creator, and mentor. With eight million followers, the Crew community is the largest community of TikTok creators in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro. Marčac has over 540,000 followers on TikTok, 100,000 on Instagram, and 16,000 on LinkedIn.
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– It is important to know how to differentiate the type and format of content, which should also be content-wise directed towards different audiences on those networks. People go to different social networks with different goals and expectations, so with that in mind, one should create their content: do we want to entertain, inspire, motivate, or educate people? Although I have not used platforms like Fanfix or Patreon, I am familiar with them and their concept. They allow content creators to generate income from their audience through monthly subscriptions or one-time payments for specific projects. Regarding their popularity in Croatia, I think such platforms could work for content creators who offer valuable and attractive material. I am sure there are Croatian brands and influencers who have a loyal audience that appreciates their work and would be willing to support them financially. Just as some media and portals have premium content that requires a subscription, there are creators who could redirect their audience to such platforms. The success of such platforms in Croatia depends on the quality of content and the engagement of creators, but also on educating the audience about what kind of content they can expect to financially support those creators. Ultimately, platforms like Fanfix or Patreon, in addition to monetization, provide an additional opportunity for the sustainability of the work of individual creators – claims Marčac.
Logical Monetization
According to his experience, when monetizing digital content, it is crucial to approach content creation with the idea of providing value to the audience, but not with the primary goal of profit. Whether the goal is to motivate, educate, or entertain, such an approach, according to Marčac, helps attract attention and build loyal followers.
– If we have quality content, we can count on a higher number of views, which can be monetized on some platforms. Additionally, we can monetize media space and audience attention by collaborating with various brands that want to promote their products or services. There are many ways to profit on the internet, but if we are talking about monetizing digital content, we need to focus on the quality of content and building a quality community around our work. Once that is achieved, monetization becomes a logical and natural continuation of the story, as brands and sponsors recognize the value we offer to our audience. I advise creators not to focus solely on one platform but to build their brand on as many platforms as possible that suit their type of content. It is important to get to know your audience and understand what kind of content is useful and relevant to them – Marčac is convinced.
