The transformation of social media marketing through storytelling: Instagram mothers in Turkey

With the widespread use of social media, some evolutions are taking place in the consumption culture. Traditional marketing and sales techniques are changing direction to meet the expectations of the digital world. Some of the advertisements on social media are made by influencers, who are the opinion leaders of social media. Influencers are people whose ideas and opinions are given importance and whose advice is heeded by the audience they follow. Because influencers say that they usually experience the brand and product and recommend it with satisfaction. Instagram mothers, the subject of the study, are also Influencers, and while sharing their daily routines, they often include photos of their children and attract the attention of their followers who have children. Instagram mothers promote the products they use for both themselves and their children.We see that traditional storytelling has changed its form and adapted to social media today, and in the section of Instagram stories, Instagram mothers actually tell a whole day by telling stories. In the study, it is aimed to see how and how often digital marketing strategies are used on Instagram by examining the transformed consumption habits, through the collected data. Using the content analysis method, all the stories shared by the 10 most followed Instagram mothers in January and February of 2021 and January and February of 2022 in a total of 4 months were categorized and counted. By examining the data of the table created as a result of the thesis, it will be conveyed how much the Instagram mothers included product promotion in all the stories they shared during the specified period.