Social Media and Brand Credibility: Qualitative Content Analysis of Instagram Influencers in Beauty Sector

Öz

Influencer marketing has become a crucial branding strategy as social media evolves within the digital landscape. In the beauty sector, it holds particular significance due to product demonstrations, where influencers lead and shape consumer behavior to establish brand credibility. This research examines the relationship between social media influencers and brand credibility on Instagram within the beauty industry by analyzing selected influencers' posts, videos and view patterns. The study aims to explore how influencers convey brand messages to build brand credibility and investigates factors that influence followers' perceptions, such as trustworthiness, loyalty and awareness. To this end, the top four female influencers, ranked by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce based on interaction rate, number of followers, content quality and brand collaborations, were selected through purposive sampling and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis method. The findings indicate that influencers benefit from market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and digital marketing methods in maintaining brand credibility. This study aims to contribute to the growing body of literature on influencer marketing and provide insights for marketers and brand managers leveraging social media to enhance brand credibility.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• social media
• brand credibility
• brand equity
• influencer marketing
• Instagram

Sosyal Medya ve Marka Kredibilitesi: Güzellik Sektöründeki Instagram Fenomenlerinin İçerik Analizi

Öz

Sosyal medyanın dijitalleşme ile beraber hızla büyümesi, fenomen pazarlamasının önemli bir marka stratejisine dönüşmesine neden oldu. Marka kredibilitesi yaratmak amacıyla güzellik sektöründeki fenomenlerin sosyal medya hesapları üzerinden ürün tanıtımı gerçekleştirmesi, tüketici davranışlarını önemli ölçüde yönlendirmekte ve şekillendirmektedir. Bu çalışma, güzellik sektöründeki sosyal medya fenomenleri ile marka kredibilitesi arasındaki ilişkiyi, araştırma örneklemindeki fenomenlerin Instagram'daki gönderi, video ve görüntülenmelerinin incelenmesi yoluyla araştırmaktadır. Çalışma, fenomenlerin marka güvenirliliğini oluşturmak için marka mesajlarını iletme yaklaşımlarını da gözlem altına almıştır. Ayrıca takipçilerin algılarını etkileyen güvenirlik, sadakat ve farkındalık gibi faktörleri de incelemektedir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda Amerika Birleşik Devletleri Ticaret Odası raporunda, etkileşim oranı, takipçi sayısı, içerik kalitesi ve marka iş birliklerine dayanarak sıralanan ilk dört kadın fenomen, amaçlı örneklem yöntemi ile seçilmiş ve içerik analizi tekniğiyle incelenmiştir. Bulgular, marka kredibilitesi sağlayan fenomenlerin pazar odaklılık, girişimsel pazarlama, dijital pazarlama yöntemlerinden faydalandığını ortaya koyarken fenomen pazarlamasıyla ilgili gelişen literatüre katkı sunmaktadır. Aynı zamanda marka kredibilitesi için sosyal medyadan faydalanan pazarlama ve marka yöneticileri için de çıkarımlar sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• sosyal medya
• marka kredibilitesi
• marka değeri
• fenomen pazarlaması
• Instagram

Kaynakça

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