Influence propagation

This is a technical method discussed in Social Media Analysis 10-802 in Spring 2010.

Influencer marketing, (also Influence Marketing) is a form of marketing that has emerged from a variety of recent practices and studies, in which focus is placed on specific key individuals (or types of individual) rather than the target market as a whole. It identifies the individuals that have influence over potential buyers, and orients marketing activities around these influencers.

Influencers may be potential buyers themselves, or they may be third parties. These third parties exist either in the supply chain (retailers, manufacturers, etc) or may be so-called value-added influencers (such as journalists, academics, industry analysts, professional advisers, and so on).