Influencers and their motivations to create content: A qualitative typology based on an international survey

Florian Haumer, Castulus Kolo, Alexander Roth and Rafael Schwarz
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Florian Haumer: Faculty of Culture, Germany
Castulus Kolo: Macromedia University, Germany
Alexander Roth: Doctoral Student and Research Assistant, University of Cologne, Germany
Rafael Schwarz: Territory Influence GmbH, Germany

Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, 2023, vol. 11, issue 2, 190-204

Abstract: Social media influencers (SMIs) have become an internet phenomenon with significant impact on public opinion. Although SMIs are becoming more professional and are differentiating themselves in terms of content and communication styles, quantitative indicators such as reach and engagement rates are still at the centre of marketers’ attention. This study identifies and tests five qualitative types of social media influencers (‘storyteller’, ‘rationalist’, ‘expert’, world-changer’ and ‘extravert’) based on four key motivational factors for content creation from a broad international sample. The authors find differences regarding the relative frequencies of the identified SMI types between the surveyed countries. This study provides substantial insights for researchers and brand managers seeking to better understand influencer types and manage influencer relations respectively.

Keywords: social media influencers; content creation; motivation-based typology; intercultural differences; factor analysis; cluster analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aza:jdsmm0:y:2023:v:11:i:2:p:190-204

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