CONCEPTUALIZING INFLUENCER MARKETING: A LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE STRATEGIC USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS

Abstract

A prominent, non-commercial source of information and influence on consumers has been opinion leaders. Modern-day influencers are opinion leaders having a substantial social base and following. Influencer marketing as a term and strategy gained prominence with the advent and growth of social media marketing. Influencers exert their influence on the citizens / netizens of social platforms. Two-thirds of consumers use ad blockers but are easily amenable to accepting advice from influencers1. An attempt has been made through this research work to gain and provide insights into existing research works exploring the strategic use of social media influencers. Many studies were empirical and used survey research, an experimental or observational design, content analysis or interview methodology.A few studies examined how the influencers lead to behavioural changes in customers and viewers. Most studies prominently addressed influencers as a part of commercial marketing strategy. Different domains of research such as types of influencers, content strategies, sponsorship disclosures related to influencers have been revealed and reported. The paper concludes with the summary of the various studies reviewed and recommending future scope of research in this domain.