Influencer marketing is the action of paying people to personally promote a product, usually through social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. A 2017 survey by the Association of National Advertisers External found that 75% of marketers use influencer marketing in their promotion strategy.¹ As the influencer marketing industry grows, some universities are offering courses in influencer strategies and influencer-related public relations.² Influencers are those who can reach and resonate with a large audience, but the size of that audience can vary:

• Mega-influencers are celebrities famous from acting or other highly public work with more than a million followers;
• Macro-influencers are typically "internet famous," and are generally what people refer to when talking about "influencers" and have between 100,000 and a million followers;
• Micro-influencers are more niche, known in their industry, and can have follower counts between 1,000 and 100,000; and
• Nano-influencers, who have a more immediate relationship with their followers, either because of their content or geographic focus, and usually have less than 1,000 followers.^{3, 4}

This guide provides an overview for individuals interested in researching social media influencers, businesses that use influencer marketing, and current issues in influencer marketing.

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Useful keywords for searching this topic include: Influence marketing, influencer marketing, social media influencer, brand marketing, endorsements, digital marketing, social media marketing

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