Does Follower Count Really Matter? : An Investigation on Micro Influencers and Instagram Influencer Marketing

Abstract

Online social media such as Instagram has become a crucial part of marketing. This growth is fueled by the popularity of social influencers, who have substantial impact over consumption decision. Especially, Instagram is becoming the main platform for various influencer marketing strategies. Despite the importance of Instagram and influencer marketing, academic research lacks depth and breadth to address the reality of the social media landscape. The current research explores factors such as follower count and influencer marketing type and suggests an integrative model to understand influencer marketing. Through a series of four experiments, one lab experiments and three field experiments, I show that follower count does not have a significant directional impact on purchase intention when consumers are already following the influencer. Contrary to common belief, data shows that having less followers positively affect purchase decision due to influencer trust. I finalize with theoretical and practical implications.