The use of social media as a marketing tool has been common for just about as long as social media has existed. Often, this type of marketing is based on messaging that promotes a business’ goods or services while also trying to foster a deeper connection with a target market by coming, or seeming to come, from an individual whose persona is attractive to that audience.

In many cases, this means that even if a business has a whole social marketing team to develop content, the messages are posted on that specific person’s social media accounts as if it were their own off-the-cuff thoughts and experiences; their persona and that of the business become inextricably—and indistinguishably—intertwined.