Abstract
The introduction of the internet and social media has had a disruptive impact on the traditional
marketing and communication sector. Influencers on social media have consequently emerged as
powerful means of promoting brands and their products and services. However, the ingenuity of
this mode of reaching out to consumers has been hampered by certain factors such as the
prevalence of bots on social media platforms. There are limited studies on the effectiveness of
Nigeria social media influencers. Moreover, the conventional means of rating the effectiveness of
influencers base on the number of likes seems insufficient. Therefore, this study investigated the
effectiveness of Nigerian social media influencers from multiple perspectives incorporating the
dual AISAS model (Attention, Interest, Search, Action and Share) and the perception of social
media users in Nigeria. Although Nigerians are faced with myriad challenges, they are avid users
of social media. The study employed a quantitative approach incorporating 205 social media users,
who were chosen through purposive sampling. Purposive sampling was used to ensure that the
users are representative of major social media platforms in Nigeria. The questionnaire used was
designed based on scales obtained from literature for measuring the variables involved, thus
ensuring construct validity. Content validity was achieved through a pilot study prior to the main
survey. Ethics was also considered through informed consent. Both descriptive and inferential
statistics were used to analyze the collected data. The results generally showed that Nigerian social
media influencers are not effective, based on the dual AISAS model used. From users’
perspectives, these influencers were also not credible. The implication for brands and influencers
is then summarized with limitations that create opportunities for future studies.
