Dynamics And Strategies Of Influencers In Maintaining Career Success In Saturated Industries

Abstract

In a highly competitive digital era, the influencer industry experiences a fairly high level of saturation This study aims to analyze and examine the strategies used by influencers in maintaining career success in the midst of increasing competition in the increasingly competitive social media industry. With the increasing internet access and use of social media in Indonesia, the influencer phenomenon has become an important force in marketing and communication. The study identifies two main focuses: first, how influencers face competition in the saturated industry, and second, the strategies implemented to maintain credibility and relevance. Through a qualitative approach with phenomenological methods, data was obtained through in-depth interviews with a number of influencers from various niche categories, such as beauty, culinary, and entertainment. This study explores how influencers shape their identities and create authentic and creative content to build inflant trust with audiences. The results show that authenticity, consistency, and meaningful, ongoing interaction are key to long-term success. These findings are expected to contribute to the development of communication theory as well as practical insights for professionals in the field of marketing and brand management. This research also provides a framework to understand the dynamics of the influencer industry and its relevance in the context of digital marketing that continues to evolve. These findings were analyzed using the theoretical approaches of Strategic Differentiation (Porter) and Identity Communication (Hecht).