Author(s): Sayantan Mukherjee, Ajay Verma and Shromona Neogi
Influencers on social media (SMIs) are becoming a powerful tool for connecting with a specific audience. Businesses must choose and employ online influencers to engage with their followers to promote their products on social media, which is termed influencer marketing. This study presents the Normative Theory of Social Behavior as an enhanced communication theory, serving as a valuable foundation for creating social media influence campaigns. It is also suggested that the theory be expanded to include indirect and direct media effects. The research gap lies in the insufficiency of methodology where the social norms have been exploited to understand the adaptability of Influencer marketing among Indian consumers. The study examines how the sender (the Influencer), receiver (the Influencer's fans), and message (the Influencer's postings) affect the outcome of influencer marketing. The theory of normative social behaviour is improvised by explicitly adding media impacts to understand better how the context of normative influence and communication campaigns based on norms, internal (cognitive), and external (media) mechanisms interact. A self-administered online survey with 988 respondents was used to gather the information. Most of the time, the survey results agree with the findings in the literature. According to research, perceived behavioural control was substantially more potent than attitudes and arbitrary standards. The data was coded using observations of recurring themes and responses that expressed either favourable or unfavourable opinions toward influencers. To clarify the planned behaviour hypothesis, SPSS-AMOS for Structural Equation Model (SEM) was utilised in the datasets to reveal attitude strategies, arbitrary standards, alleged behavioural control, and intention. This study advances our knowledge of the critical background of credibility in social media-based management and influence strategies. Thus, research will increase the theory's applicability in the real world, allowing social marketers to better use it as a framework for creating persuading normative messages. Businesses should conduct a thorough credibility assessment of potential influencers before collaboration, focusing on their perceived authenticity, audience trust, and alignment with the brand's values. Implementing a systematic influencer audit framework can ensure that influencers selected for campaigns drive engagement and positively reinforce normative behaviours and attitudes that align with the campaign's objectives.