Social Media Influencers In Strategic Communication

This book seeks to draw a comprehensive picture of influencer collaborations from a strategic communication perspective. The contributors tackle strategic influencer communication from multidisciplinary perspectives, from varying actor foci, and from different methodological frameworks and methods. Influencers cross traditional boundaries in many ways and oscillate between intimacy and publicity, authenticity and commercialization, ingratiation and critical distance. From a strategic communication perspective, this variability makes influencers hard to capture: organizations can cooperate with influencers to achieve both marketing and PR objectives. Influencers can act as cooperation partners, integrating commercial content into organic narratives, or as independent critics. Influencers also combine different roles that have traditionally been occupied by separate actors such as intermediary, content distributor, creative content producer, community manager, testimonial, strategic counsellor, and event host. The combination of these roles in just one actor opens new opportunities for strategic communication and can produce appreciated synergy effects. It is therefore hardly surprising that influencer collaborations have become a firmly established instrument in the toolbox of strategic communicators. The chapters in this book were originally published in the International Journal of Advertising and the International Journal of Strategic Communication.

In an era of social media, influencers wield unprecedented power over global consumer decisions. As digital natives increasingly turn to influencers for guidance, the need for comprehensive research on their impact becomes paramount. Brands, aiming to connect with a precisely targeted audience, must grapple with ethical considerations in this rapidly evolving sphere. Global Perspectives on Social Media Influencers and Strategic Business Communication delves into influencer research and practices, exploring their impact on various industries and sectors. This book dissects the motives and characteristics of social media influencers and navigates the terrain of ethical considerations surrounding their collaboration with businesses and organizations. This book covers influencers' effect on brand loyalty, cultural norms, community building, and their role in business management, advertising, and strategic communication. The book dissects the impacts of social media influencers on audience behavior, exploring areas such as brand attitudes, purchase intentions, and the dynamics of parasocial relationships. It examines the nuances of engagement, differentiating between paid endorsements, sponsored content, and pure electronic word-of-mouth while also spotlighting the influence of live streaming on consumer behaviors. This book is a valuable resource for businesses, strategic communicators, marketers, scholars, and anyone seeking a profound understanding of the dynamic world of social media influencers.

Social Media for Strategic Communication: Creative Strategies and Research-Based Applications Second Edition teaches students the skills and principles needed to use social media in persuasive communication campaigns. This book combines cutting edge research with practical, on-the-ground instruction to prepare students for the real-world challenges they’ll face in the workplace. By focusing on strategic thinking and awareness, this book gives students the tools they need to adapt what they learn to new platforms and technologies that may emerge in the future. A broad focus on strategic communication – from PR, advertising, and marketing, to non-profit advocacy—gives students a broad base of knowledge that will serve them wherever their careers may lead. The Second Edition features new case studies and exercises and increased coverage of diversity and inclusion issues and influencer marketing trends.

"At last, a book that covers social media strategy in a practical, timely way that will help guide our students as they transition to the professional world." —Gina Baleria, San Francisco State University Social Media for Strategic Communication: Creative Strategies and Research-Based Applications teaches students the skills and principles needed to use social media in persuasive communication campaigns. The book combines cutting-edge research with practical, on-the-ground instruction to prepare students for the real-world challenges they’ll face in the workplace. The text addresses the influence of social media technologies, strategies, actions, and the strategic mindset needed by social media professionals today. By focusing on strategic thinking and awareness, it gives students the tools they need to adapt what they learn to new platforms and technologies that may emerge in the future. A broad focus on strategic communication—from PR, advertising, and marketing, to non-profit advocacy—gives students a broad base of knowledge that will serve them wherever their careers may lead. Visit the author’s blog at http://karenfreberg.com/blog/ to get tips for teaching the course, industry related news, & more! The free, open-access Student Study site at study.sagepub.com/freberg features carefully selected video links, flashcards, social media accounts to follow, and more! Instructors, sign in at study.sagepub.com/freberg for additional resources!

Social Media for Strategic Communication: Creative Strategies and Research-Based Applications Second Edition teaches students the skills and principles needed to use social media in persuasive communication campaigns. This book combines cutting edge research with practical, on-the-ground instruction to prepare students for the real-world challenges they’ll face in the workplace. By focusing on strategic thinking and awareness, this book gives students the tools they need to adapt what they learn to new platforms and technologies that may emerge in the future. A broad focus on strategic communication – from PR, advertising, and marketing, to non-profit advocacy—gives students a broad base of knowledge that will serve them wherever their careers may lead. The Second Edition features new case studies and exercises and increased coverage of diversity and inclusion issues and influencer marketing trends.

Research Perspectives on Social Media Influencers and Brand Communication examines the myriad ways in which social media and the unique characteristics of the internet have changed brand communication for both brands and consumers, focusing on the social media influencer as a brand communicator. As brands have noticed the rise of social media influencers as tastemakers and leaders in public opinion, they have increasingly begun to incorporate social media influencers into their brand communication strategies. Each chapter of this book represents a unique theoretical and methodological approach to examining the emergence and growing legitimacy of the social media influencer as a brand communicator from a variety of perspectives and contexts, discussing challenges and opportunities afforded to brands by social media influencers and providing an overview of the current research on the use of these branding approaches. Scholars of media studies, communication, and marketing will find this book particularly useful.

Social Media and Strategic Communications provides truly comprehensive and original scholarly research that exhibits the strategic implementation of social media in both advertising and public relations.

This new edition continues to give students a foundation in the principles of digital audience engagement and data metrics across platforms, preparing them to adapt to the quickly evolving world of digital media. It takes students through the processes of social listening, strategic design, creative engagement, and evaluation, with expert insights from social media professionals. Thoroughly updated, this second edition includes: • new strategies to guide students in the initial campaign planning phase • added content on influencers, social care teams, and newsjacking • coverage of research evaluation, the implications of findings, and articulating the ROI • expanded discussion of ethical considerations in campaign design and data collection and analysis. The book is suited to both undergraduate and post-graduate students as a primary text for courses in social/digital media marketing and public relations or a secondary text in broader public relations and marketing campaign planning and writing courses. Accompanying online resources include chapter reviews with suggestions for further resources; instructor guides; in-class exercises; a sample syllabus, assignments, and exams; and lecture slides. Visit www.routledge.com/9780367896201

As media continues to evolve, social media has become even more integral to public relations activities, presenting new opportunities and challenges for practitioners. Relationships between publics and organizations continue to be first and foremost, but the process and possibilities for mutually beneficial relationships are being rewritten in situ. This volume aims to explore and understand highly engaged publics in a variety of social media contexts and across networks. The hope is the expansion and extension of public relations theories and models in this book helps move the discipline forward to keep up with the practice and the media environment. Contributors analyzed a range of organizations and industries, including corporate, entertainment, government, and political movements, to consider how public relations practitioners can facilitate ethical and effective communication between parties. A consistent thread was the need for organizations and practitioners to better understand the diverse backgrounds of publics, including age, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, beyond surface-level demographic stereotypes and assumptions. This book will be of interest to researchers, academics, and students in the field of public relations and communication, especially those with a particular interest in online engagement and social media as a PR tool.

Strategic Corporate Communication in the Digital Age explores how contemporary communication approaches are crossing boundaries as innovative media formats and digital transformations offer new challenges and opportunities to academia and practitioners.