The Authenticity Imperative - Towards Building Long-Term Relationships with Social Media Influencers in the Digital Age

Abstract: Capturing how organizations build and maintain long-term and mutual beneficial relationships with influencers is an urgent quest by both, communication practitioners and scholars. In the ever-evolving context of digitalization, navigating influencer communication remains to be a major challenge, as the concept of an authentic partnership is constantly adapting in the fast-paced social media realm. Simultaneously, the role of influencers as key stakeholders in strategic communication is characterized by a multiplicity of meanings and objectives. This paper explores the complex sensemaking process of influencers as strategic partners and the relationship management practices of communication professionals across diverse industries. As a result of a qualitative research design including 19 semi-structured in-depth interviews, this study uncovered that communication professionals manage and understand relationships with influencers across four different dimensions, labelled as unique selling points of influencers, sustainable relationship management, navigating the world of influencers and trial and error versus strategic approach. Thus, influencer relations encompass a multifaceted phenomenon in both communication practice as well as academia, demanding a focus on the influencer’s unique match to the brand and a perpetually adapting approach to social media influencer communication.