The Rise of the B2B Influencer

B2B companies are increasingly turning to social media influencers as a powerful tool to boost brand awareness, drive engagement and generate leads. While influencer marketing has long been associated with consumer-focused brands, it now makes a significant impact in B2B.

Utilizing B2B influencers in your business

Here are some steps you can follow to successfully harness the power of B2B social media influencers:

1. Set clear objectives and KPIs

Successful B2B influencer marketing starts with a clear understanding of your objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs). Whether your goal is to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic or generate leads, your objectives should align with your overall marketing strategy and be shared with any influencers you work with.

Adobe, who use influencer marketing for a range of goals, saw a 16% increase in their Creative Cloud subscriptions when they partnered with creative and design influencers

2. Understand your target audience

To decide which channels to use and content that you need, its’ essential to understand which channels, groups, topics and thought leaders are important to your audience. By using influencers, you aren’t limited to a single social media platform as they are likely to be leveraging multiple channels. Consider LinkedIn, X (Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and industry-specific forums. Diversifying your approach ensures that you connect with your audience where they are most active.

For example, Cisco collaborated with B2B influencers using blogging, vlogging and podcasting in their Champions campaign, using the reputation expertise of IT leader to raise the profile and reputation of their business.

3. Identify relevant B2B influencers

Choosing the right influencers is paramount to the success of your B2B influencer marketing campaign. Look for those who have a strong presence in your industry, a genuine connection with your target audience and a track record of creating valuable content. Social media platform tools can assist you in identifying suitable candidates. Remember that influencers can be internal or external to your organization and range from colleagues and customers to journalists and Key Opinion Leaders. In general, the closer their values and expertise is to your own, the higher your engagement and conversion rates will be.

Here is a guide to help you map B2B Influencers by type:

4. Build authentic relationships

Building authentic relationships with influencers will ensure your brand's credibility and trustworthiness. Try engaging with their content, sharing their insights and showing appreciation for their expertise.

Salesforce, a global leader in customer relationship management (CRM) software, understood the importance of authenticity. They collaborated with B2B influencers who were existing customers of Salesforce CRM. These influencers shared their real experiences and success stories, resulting in a 22% increase in CRM software subscriptions and a 38% growth in online engagement.

5. Create valuable, educational content

Influencers should not just endorse your product; they should also create valuable and educational content that resonates with your target audience. Useful content has a longer life than the inspirational type, and can resurface in social feeds long after it is originated if it is still relevant to the audience. Informative blog posts, webinars and video tutorials are effective ways to convey your influencer’s message. Think about including collaborations, guest blogs and shared events to maximize your impact and reduce costs. Increase reach and value further by giving your audience multiple opportunities and formats to engage.

At a recent event in Florida, SAP invited 11 influencers to talk about IoT, machine learning and data analytics. They live-streamed the event and then re-used content in their blog and social channels to continue the impact.

6. Ensure you are compliant and legal

Follow the relevant influencer marketing legislation and be transparent about the relationships and commercial terms you have with your influencers. Create formal contracts and outline the agreed terms expectations and deliverables to ensure clarity and a mutually beneficial partnership.

7. Measure and optimize

Measuring the impact of your B2B influencer marketing efforts is crucial for ongoing success. Use analytics tools to track key metrics such as website traffic, lead generation and social media engagement. Use unique codes and links for each influencer to validate performance.

8. Take advantage of technology

Use AI content creation tools such as ChatGPT, Google Colab, Replit, OpenAI and Stable Diffusion to innovate and streamline production. Integrate your influencer marketing into your wider strategy with resources such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Check follower numbers, brand fit and manage relationships with platforms such as HypeAuditor. Use the social media platforms to find and connect with influencers who are active in your area.

9. Manage reputational risk

As with all social media activity, ensure you have assessed the reputational risk and have a crisis management action plan and process ready to be implemented if needed. For example, if you have identified an issue and decide to pull your own social media advertising while it is resolved, do you have a process in place to alert your influencers and advise them on how to act?

Conclusion

In 2023, B2B social media influencers firmly established themselves as a vital component of successful marketing strategies that can lead to significant brand growth, increased engagement and higher ROI. Now, it’s time to build on this growth for the years to come.