Purpose

The emergence of social media platforms has revolutionized how brands develop partnerships with social media influencers (SMIs). However, users are seeking more meaningful engagement with SMIs, and little is known about how brands can shift their focus from transient engagements to continued engagement that builds long-term brand–consumer relationships. Extant research has provided inconsistent findings regarding consumer engagement behavior. To address this knowledge deficit, we contribute to the consumer engagement literature by developing and testing a conceptual model that explores and explains the relationships between the factors that influence continued engagement intention (CEI), a form of behavioral intention.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted to identify gaps and develop a theoretically informed conceptual model and hypotheses. Survey data from 604 Instagram SMI followers were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 3.3.3 to assess the structural model relationships and conduct post hoc analysis.

Findings

The findings suggest that it is important to positively influence consumer responses to elicit CEI. Furthermore, homophily attitudes toward SMIs moderate the relationship between SMI experience and CEI.

Practical implications

Brands must work with SMIs to create positive SMI experiences and develop CEI. Furthermore, SMIs should focus on brands that fit their lifestyles to enhance homophily attitudes and forge CEI.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by combining social exchange and flow theories to develop and test a holistic framework for examining CEIs regarding SMIs and brands. The findings show that creating positive SMI experiences benefits brands seeking CEI.

中文翻译：

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与社交媒体影响者的持续互动意愿：体验的作用

 目的

社交媒体平台的出现彻底改变了品牌与社交媒体影响者 （SMI） 建立合作伙伴关系的方式。然而，用户正在寻求与 SMI 进行更有意义的互动，而对于品牌如何将重点从短暂的互动转移到建立长期品牌-消费者关系的持续互动，人们知之甚少。现有的研究提供了关于消费者参与行为的不一致结果。为了解决这一知识缺陷，我们通过开发和测试一个概念模型来探索和解释影响持续参与意愿 （CEI）（一种行为意图）的因素之间的关系，从而为消费者参与文献做出贡献。

设计/方法/方法

进行了文献综述以确定差距并开发以理论为基础的概念模型和假设。使用 SmartPLS 3.3.3 使用偏最小二乘结构方程模型分析来自 604 名 Instagram SMI 关注者的调查数据，以评估结构模型关系并进行事后分析。

 发现

研究结果表明，积极影响消费者的反应以引发 CEI 很重要。此外，对 SMI 的同质态度调节了 SMI 体验与 CEI 之间的关系。

 实际意义

品牌必须与 SMI 合作，创造积极的 SMI 体验并发展 CEI。此外，SMI 应专注于适合其生活方式的品牌，以增强同性恋态度并打造 CEI。

 原创性/价值

本研究通过结合社会交换和流动理论来开发和测试一个整体框架来研究 SMI 和品牌的 CEI，从而为文献做出贡献。研究结果表明，创造积极的 SMI 体验有利于寻求 CEI 的品牌。