User influence and microblog marketing: a case study of Sina Weibo in China
| Date | 13 June 2023 |
| Pages | 1796-1809 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-04-2022-0193 |
| Published date | 13 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information user studies,Metadata,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
| Author | Xiaoguang Wang,Yijun Gao,Zhuoyao Lu |
User influence and microblog
marketing: a case study of Sina
Weibo in China
Xiaoguang Wang
School of Mathematics and Information Engineering, Lianyungang Normal College,
Lianyungang, China and
School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology,
Xuzhou, China
Yijun Gao
School of Information Studies, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, USA, and
Zhuoyao Lu
School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
Abstract
Purpose –Microblogs are communication platforms for companies and consumers that challenge companies’
brand marketing strategies. This paper provides a theoretical basis for expanding microblog applications and
a practical basis for improving the effectiveness of brand marketing.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors use factor analysis to extract the factors of microblog user
influence and construct a structural equation model to reveal the interaction mechanism of the influencing
factors. Additionally, the authors clarify the promotion and enhancement effects of these factors.
Findings –Microbloguser influence canbe converted into richness,interactionand value factors. The richness
factor significantlyaffects the latter two,whereas the interactionfactor does not affectthe value factor.
Research limitations/implications –First, the sample used is limited to media industry practitioners. To
increase generalizability, diverse groups should be included in future studies. Second, this model’s theoretical
explanatory ability can be further developed by adding other meaningful factors beyond the existing ones.
Originality/value –This study analyzes the factors of microblog user influence in China and validates the
relevant elements. As a result, it improves the influence research on social media users and benefits the practice
of information recommendation and microblog marketing.
Keywords Microblog, Influence, Influence indicator, Factor analysis, Social media, Microblog marketing
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Social media has significantly changed our culture and business rules (Aral et al., 2013).
Among them, microblogs offer real-time responses, voluntary readership and interaction
with peers, making them different from other social media services (Kim and Yang, 2017;
Wang and Yang, 2020). Therefore, microblogs, such as Twitter and Sina Weibo, have become
popular sources of information and effective communication channels for billions of users
worldwide (Toubia and Stephen, 2013;Shi et al., 2014).
A microblogging platform is characterized by a high degree of user interaction and user
activity. The convergence of contents and views enables microblog users to acquire influence,
which measures the impact of each user on the overall information propagation within the
LHT
42,6
1796
Funding: This research was funded by Lianyungang “521”Project(Grant No. 2022), Haiyan Project of
Lianyungang City (Grant No. 2020), High-level Research Project of Lianyungang Normal College (Grant
No. LSZGJB202004), and Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education (Grant
No. 2022SJYB1896).
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0737-8831.htm
Received 14 April 2022
Revised 7 July 2022
31 August 2022
16 March 2023
Accepted 5 April 2023
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 42 No. 6, 2024
pp. 1796-1809
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/LHT-04-2022-0193
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