IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v186y2025ics0148296324004958.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Predictors of social media influencer marketing effectiveness: A comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Spörl-Wang, Katja
  • Krause, Franziska
  • Henkel, Sven

Abstract

Following an increased research focus on influencer marketing and social media influencers (SMIs) in recent years, marketers continue to face the critical challenge of selecting effective SMIs for their campaigns. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that much empirical research is based on single-theory approaches, offering limited predictors and hindering the development of broad practical and theoretical insights. To address this gap, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive and structured overview of predictors of SMI marketing effectiveness through both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Based on a review of 93 articles, covering 108 studies, 56 predictors, and seven dependent measures of SMI marketing effectiveness, this paper introduces a generalized framework for SMI marketing effectiveness and confirms 11 predictors of customer engagement and seven of purchase intention, which are both key measures of effectiveness, clarifying previously inconsistent findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Spörl-Wang, Katja & Krause, Franziska & Henkel, Sven, 2025. "Predictors of social media influencer marketing effectiveness: A comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:186:y:2025:i:c:s0148296324004958
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114991
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296324004958
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114991?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peng, Yi & Lu, Liling, 2024. "Untangling influence: The effect of follower-followee comparison on social media engagement," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    2. Snyder, Hannah, 2019. "Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 333-339.
    3. Audrezet, Alice & de Kerviler, Gwarlann & Guidry Moulard, Julie, 2020. "Authenticity under threat: When social media influencers need to go beyond self-presentation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 557-569.
    4. Giovanni Luca Cascio Rizzo & Jonah Berger & Matteo De Angelis & Rumen Pozharliev & Andrew T Stephen & Jacob Goldenberg, 2023. "How Sensory Language Shapes Influencer’s Impact," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 50(4), pages 810-825.
    5. Fernandes, Teresa & Nettleship, Heather & Pinto, Luísa Helena, 2022. "Judging a book by its cover? The role of unconventional appearance on social media influencers effectiveness," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    6. Friestad, Marian & Wright, Peter, 1994. "The Persuasion Knowledge Model: How People Cope with Persuasion Attempts," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 21(1), pages 1-31, June.
    7. Paul, Justin & Criado, Alex Rialp, 2020. "The art of writing literature review: What do we know and what do we need to know?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4).
    8. Marina Alexandra Gomes & Susana Marques & Álvaro Dias, 2022. "The impact of digital influencers’ characteristics on purchase intention of fashion products," Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(3), pages 187-204, July.
    9. Sokolova, Karina & Kefi, Hajer, 2020. "Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    10. Fernando Santini & Wagner Junior Ladeira & Diego Costa Pinto & Márcia Maurer Herter & Claudio Hoffmann Sampaio & Barry J. Babin, 2020. "Customer engagement in social media: a framework and meta-analysis," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 1211-1228, November.
    11. Labrecque, Lauren I., 2014. "Fostering Consumer–Brand Relationships in Social Media Environments: The Role of Parasocial Interaction," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 134-148.
    12. Qingliang Wang & Fred Miao & Giri Kumar Tayi & En Xie, 2019. "What makes online content viral? The contingent effects of hub users versus non–hub users on social media platforms," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(6), pages 1005-1026, November.
    13. Argyris, Young Anna & Muqaddam, Aziz & Miller, Steven, 2021. "The effects of the visual presentation of an Influencer's Extroversion on perceived credibility and purchase intentions—moderated by personality matching with the audience," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    14. Weismueller, Jason & Harrigan, Paul & Wang, Shasha & Soutar, Geoffrey N., 2020. "Influencer endorsements: How advertising disclosure and source credibility affect consumer purchase intention on social media," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 160-170.
    15. Arun T. M. & Puneet Kaur & Alberto Ferraris & Amandeep Dhir, 2021. "What motivates the adoption of green restaurant products and services? A systematic review and future research agenda," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 2224-2240, May.
    16. Jörgen Sandberg & Mats Alvesson, 2021. "Meanings of Theory: Clarifying Theory through Typification," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(2), pages 487-516, March.
    17. Zofia Saternus & Patrick Weber & Oliver Hinz, 2022. "The effects of advertisement disclosure on heavy and light Instagram users," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(3), pages 1351-1372, September.
    18. Christian Homburg & Danijel Jozić & Christina Kuehnl, 2017. "Customer experience management: toward implementing an evolving marketing concept," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 377-401, May.
    19. Belanche, Daniel & Casaló, Luis V. & Flavián, Marta & Ibáñez-Sánchez, Sergio, 2021. "Understanding influencer marketing: The role of congruence between influencers, products and consumers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 186-195.
    20. Fine F. Leung & Flora F. Gu & Robert W. Palmatier, 2022. "Online influencer marketing," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 226-251, March.
    21. Lee, Michael T. & Theokary, Carol, 2021. "The superstar social media influencer: Exploiting linguistic style and emotional contagion over content?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 860-871.
    22. Hinz, Oliver & Skiera, Bernd & Barrot, Christian & Becker, Jan, 2011. "Seeding Strategies for Viral Marketing: An Empirical Comparison," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 56543, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    23. Billore, Soniya & Anisimova, Tatiana & Vrontis, Demetris, 2023. "Self-regulation and goal-directed behavior: A systematic literature review, public policy recommendations, and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    24. Kim, Do Yuon & Kim, Hye-Young, 2021. "Influencer advertising on social media: The multiple inference model on influencer-product congruence and sponsorship disclosure," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 405-415.
    25. Li, Wenting & Zhao, Fang & Lee, Ji Min & Park, Jiwoon & Septianto, Felix & Seo, Yuri, 2024. "How micro- (vs. mega-) influencers generate word of mouth in the digital economy age: The moderating role of mindset," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    26. Uribe, Rodrigo & Buzeta, Cristian & Velásquez, Milenka, 2016. "Sidedness, commercial intent and expertise in blog advertising," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 4403-4410.
    27. Bu, Yi & Parkinson, Joy & Thaichon, Park, 2022. "Influencer marketing: Homophily, customer value co-creation behaviour and purchase intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    28. Tafesse, Wondwesen & Wood, Bronwyn P., 2021. "Followers' engagement with instagram influencers: The role of influencers’ content and engagement strategy," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    29. Lie Ao & Rohit Bansal & Nishita Pruthi & Muhammad Bilawal Khaskheli, 2023. "Impact of Social Media Influencers on Customer Engagement and Purchase Intention: A Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-15, February.
    30. Pittman, Matthew & Abell, Annika, 2021. "More Trust in Fewer Followers: Diverging Effects of Popularity Metrics and Green Orientation Social Media Influencers," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 70-82.
    31. Verma, Deepak & Prakash Dewani, Prem & Behl, Abhishek & Pereira, Vijay & Dwivedi, Yogesh & Del Giudice, Manilo, 2023. "A meta-analysis of antecedents and consequences of eWOM credibility: Investigation of moderating role of culture and platform type," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    32. Frantz Rowe, 2014. "What literature review is not: diversity, boundaries and recommendations," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(3), pages 241-255, May.
    33. Eun Ah Ryu & EunKyoung Han, 2021. "Social Media Influencer’s Reputation: Developing and Validating a Multidimensional Scale," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-18, January.
    34. Jung Ah Han & Elea McDonnell Feit & Shuba Srinivasan, 2020. "Can negative buzz increase awareness and purchase intent?," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 89-104, March.
    35. Casaló, Luis V. & Flavián, Carlos & Ibáñez-Sánchez, Sergio, 2020. "Influencers on Instagram: Antecedents and consequences of opinion leadership," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 510-519.
    36. Anita Pansari & V. Kumar, 2017. "Customer engagement: the construct, antecedents, and consequences," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 294-311, May.
    37. Wolfgang Ulaga & Werner Reinartz, 2011. "Hybrid Offerings: How Manufacturing Firms Combine Goods and Services Successfully," Post-Print hal-00642039, HAL.
    38. Helen Inseng Duh & Thabile Thabethe, 2021. "Attributes of Instagram influencers impacting consumer brand engagement," International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 15(5/6), pages 477-497.
    39. Aleti, Torgeir & Pallant, Jason I. & Tuan, Annamaria & van Laer, Tom, 2019. "Tweeting with the Stars: Automated Text Analysis of the Effect of Celebrity Social Media Communications on Consumer Word of Mouth," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 17-32.
    40. Ki, Chung-Wha (Chloe) & Cuevas, Leslie M. & Chong, Sze Man & Lim, Heejin, 2020. "Influencer marketing: Social media influencers as human brands attaching to followers and yielding positive marketing results by fulfilling needs," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Barta, Sergio & Belanche, Daniel & Fernández, Ana & Flavián, Marta, 2023. "Influencer marketing on TikTok: The effectiveness of humor and followers’ hedonic experience," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    2. Aswathi Kanaveedu & Jacob Joseph Kalapurackal, 2024. "Influencer Marketing and Consumer Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review," Vision, , vol. 28(5), pages 547-566, November.
    3. Cheung, Man Lai & Leung, Wilson K.S. & Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi & Koay, Kian Yeik, 2022. "“I follow what you post!†: The role of social media influencers’ content characteristics in consumers' online brand-related activities (COBRAs)," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. Wong, Amy & Wei, Joicey, 2023. "Persuasive cues and reciprocal behaviors in influencer-follower relationships: The mediating role of influencer defense," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    5. Li Chen & Yajie Yan & Andrew N. Smith, 2023. "What drives digital engagement with sponsored videos? An investigation of video influencers’ authenticity management strategies," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 198-221, January.
    6. Ren, Shengnan & Karimi, Sahar & Bravo Velázquez, Alberto & Cai, Jianfeng, 2023. "Endorsement effectiveness of different social media influencers: The moderating effect of brand competence and warmth," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    7. Alcántara-Pilar, Juan Miguel & Rodriguez-López, María Eugenia & Kalinić, Zoran & Liébana-Cabanillas, Francisco, 2024. "From likes to loyalty: Exploring the impact of influencer credibility on purchase intentions in TikTok," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    8. Anand Jhawar & Sanjeev Varshney & Prashant Kumar, 2024. "Sponsorship Disclosure on social media: literature review and future research agenda," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(3), pages 1589-1617, September.
    9. Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi & Chuah, Stephanie Hui-Wen, 2021. "“Stop the unattainable ideal for an ordinary me!” fostering parasocial relationships with social media influencers: The role of self-discrepancy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 146-157.
    10. Robert Zniva & Wolfgang J. Weitzl & Christina Lindmoser, 2023. "Be constantly different! How to manage influencer authenticity," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1485-1514, September.
    11. Sestino, Andrea & Nasta, Luigi & Bernando, Alessandro & Giannattasio, Alessandro, 2024. "Just the right push! Social Media as a Therapeutical catalyst: The impact of influencers’ motivational (vs. Neutral) communication on healthy consumption," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    12. Adrian Waltenrath, 2024. "Consumers’ ambiguous perceptions of advertising disclosures in influencer marketing: Disentangling the effects on current and future social media engagement," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 34(1), pages 1-24, December.
    13. Belanche, Daniel & Casaló, Luis V. & Flavián, Marta & Ibáñez-Sánchez, Sergio, 2021. "Building influencers' credibility on Instagram: Effects on followers’ attitudes and behavioral responses toward the influencer," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    14. Liao, Junyun & Chen, Jiada, 2024. "The authenticity advantage: How influencer authenticity management strategies shape digital engagement with sponsored videos," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    15. Tafesse, Wondwesen & Dayan, Mumin, 2023. "Content creators' participation in the creator economy: Examining the effect of creators’ content sharing frequency on user engagement behavior on digital platforms," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    16. Zhou, Qi & Li, Bin & Li, Huajun & Lei, Yueqiu, 2024. "Mere copycat? The effects of human versus human-like virtual influencers on brand endorsement effectiveness: A moderated serial-mediation model," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    17. Conde, Rita & Casais, Beatriz, 2023. "Micro, macro and mega-influencers on instagram: The power of persuasion via the parasocial relationship," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    18. Andonopoulos, Vasiliki & Lee, Jenny (Jiyeon) & Mathies, Christine, 2023. "Authentic isn't always best: When inauthentic social media influencers induce positive consumer purchase intention through inspiration," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    19. Li, Wenting & Zhao, Fang & Lee, Ji Min & Park, Jiwoon & Septianto, Felix & Seo, Yuri, 2024. "How micro- (vs. mega-) influencers generate word of mouth in the digital economy age: The moderating role of mindset," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    20. Sardar, Sainaz & Tata, Sai Vijay & Sarkar, Subhro, 2024. "Examining the influence of source factors and content characteristics of influencers' post on consumer engagement and purchase intention: A moderated analysis," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:186:y:2025:i:c:s0148296324004958. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.