Shaping Digital Influence: IBSS Seminar Delves into Social Media Content Strategy

International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University hosted a research seminar titled Social Media Influencer Content Strategy in the Digital Era on 19 May 2026. The event welcomed Professor Chen Xingyu, Associate Dean and Distinguished Professor at the School of Management, Shenzhen University, as the keynote speaker, bringing together academic staff, PhD students and early-career researchers for an engaging and insightful session.

Professor Chen earned her Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and served as a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. A leading scholar in social media marketing and big data marketing, she has published extensively in top-tier journals including UTD24, FT50 and ABS4* journals, with cases featured in the Ivey Business School Library and national excellent management case collections. She has been honored with the Chang Jiang Young Scholars, Shenzhen Peacock Plan and other distinguished titles, and leads multiple key projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. She currently serves as Associate Editor of Industrial Management & Data Systems (SSCI Q1) and editorial board member for Journal of Business Research.

During the seminar, Professor Chen delivered a comprehensive analysis of social media influencer content strategy in the digital era. She highlighted the pivotal role of influencers in connecting brands and audiences, and shared evidence-based insights into authentic storytelling, data-driven audience engagement, cross-cultural content adaptation and sustainable content creation models. Drawing on rigorous research and industry best practices, she explained how to use data analytics to measure viewer retention, optimize content structure and reduce audience decay, while addressing practical challenges including content consistency, cross-market adaptation and ethical marketing.

She also offered clear guidance on academic publishing in top journals, encouraging researchers to build solid theoretical foundations, conduct robust empirical analysis and focus on high-impact themes such as AI-enabled content creation, cross-border influencer cooperation and data-driven marketing models.

The seminar concluded with a Q&A session. Dr Nicholas Yeo from the Department of Intelligent Operations and Marketing raised questions regarding large‑scale comparison studies between social media influencer marketing and traditional marketing, as well as budget allocation strategies for advertisers to maximize outcomes based on product type and influencer selection. Professor Chen responded with detailed insights on budget planning, audience targeting, and the complementary roles of social media influencer marketing and traditional marketing.

This seminar offered cutting-edge academic insights and actionable strategies for digital marketing research and practice, especially valuable for early-career researchers and doctoral students. It further enhanced academic exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration in digital marketing and social media research at IBSS.

By Yifei Wu

Eidted by Rhonwyn Vaudrey