Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Associate Professor of Department of Business Management, Islamic Azad University of Zanjan
2 ph.d student of Business Administration - Marketing Management, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran
Abstract
Nowadays, in the digital world, social media has become a suitable platform for communication and wide influence on the users of these media. On the other hand, the influencers of these media, due to the content they produce, in addition to gaining popularity, have been able to attract many followers, which has provided them with a superior position to influence their followers. The increasing number of social media users has also caused companies and marketers to pay special attention to attract customers from these media. The importance of the powerful influence of influencers is no secret for marketers, and many of them depend on social media influencers to promote their products. On the other hand, knowing the types of characteristics of influencers and their impact on users, as well as the correct understanding of how to manage social media influencer marketing can improve the effectiveness of product promotion and prevent waste of time and money. Today, despite the tendency of people, especially young people, to social media such as Instagram, the importance of conducting a complete research that includes all the characteristics of influencers in order to influence the purchase intention of users, doubles, and if the existing gap not resolved, the best marketing opportunities in These media will be lost. In case, by closing the existing gap and using influencer marketing strategies, the budget can be used in a targeted and optimal way for marketing in the community of Iranian users of social media such as Instagram, which is possible by knowing the characteristics of influencers. Instagram, as one of these media, is a free photo and video sharing platform and has gained a very high popularity in Iran, so much so that nowadays most Iranian influencers are constantly advertising and influencing the purchase intention of their followers. are themselves On the other hand, many users are not familiar with the different dimensions of personality traits that affect the behavioral intentions of users, so that they can make the best decision to improve their business, such as advertising or selling products, through this knowledge and the degree of influence of the desired characteristics. The implementation of influencer marketing strategy in media such as Instagram is expanding for several reasons, such as the possibility of two-way interaction, access to consumer needs, receiving audience feedback, the possibility of developing the base of followers and consumers and turning them into stable customers, etc. On the other hand, considering that the users of these media follow their favorite influencer according to the personality characteristics of the influencers and the different areas in which they produce content, in order to implement the influencer marketing strategy in social media, it is necessary to identify which characteristics of the influencer influence the intention. Buying an audience is very important. In this study, we considered the characteristics of influencers (attitude homophily, physical attractiveness, social attractiveness, influencer credibility, familiarity, compatibility, trustworthiness, perceived expertise, para social relationships, brand attitude, advertising attitude, and hedonistic attitude) as a preliminary to purchase intention. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the factors influencing the purchase intention of users in social media influencer marketing due to personality characteristics in Iran. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical, with a survey research method and a causal approach. The statistical population of this research is Instagram social media users in Iran in 1401, whose number is uncountable. The data collection tool is a combination of standard questionnaires and valid scientific articles, and 400 questionnaires were distributed among available users. The test of the hypotheses of the current research was carried out using the structural equation modeling method based on the partial least squares method (SEM-PLS). SPSS and SmartPLS3 software were also used in data analysis. The findings of the research indicated that all the characteristics of influencers have a significant effect on the purchase intention of users and social media influencer marketing strategies should be adjusted based on the characteristics of various types of influencers. Finally, this research determines the effect and relationship between the types of personality traits of influencers and the type of influencers in social media influencer marketing, which affects the purchase intention of users, and at the end provides practical suggestions.
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