Influencer marketing, as we recognize it today, has its roots in the age-old strategy of celebrity endorsement. Because of that, coupled with its rise on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, many associate the practice with B2C brands looking to leverage the growing popularity of online personalities.
A notable early example is when beauty brands like Glossier and Fashion Nova used Instagram influencers to build their brands from the ground up. By sending products to influencers who shared authentic reviews with their followers, these companies rapidly grew their customer base and brand recognition without relying on traditional advertising.
The effectiveness of influencer marketing in the B2C space naturally led marketers to consider its potential in B2B contexts. Although B2B marketing traditionally relied more on direct sales and relationships than on broad public influence, the rise of digital marketing and social media changed the landscape.
Businesses began to see the value in using industry experts, thought leaders and even micro-influencers to build credibility, reach targeted audiences, and generate leads.
Over the past decade, B2B influencer marketing has transitioned from a novel idea to a mainstream strategy, with many companies now recognizing its ability to drive measurable business outcomes. 94% of marketers say it’s a successful B2B strategy, while 61% of B2B marketers have said its use increases sales revenue.
This only makes sense: B2B influencer marketing is about more than just visibility—it’s about leveraging trust and expertise to influence complex purchasing decisions. Moreso than with B2C, relationships are a driving force behind business success, and trust goes a long way toward solidifying a relationship.
Here, then, are some strategies to keep in mind for effective B2B campaigns.
1. Develop Niche Expert Partnerships
In B2B marketing, it's crucial to partner with influencers who are not just popular but are true experts in your specific niche. This depth of knowledge and industry credibility is essential.
IBM is a prime example of a company that has successfully partnered with niche influencers in fields like AI and cloud computing. Instead of focusing on influencers with millions of followers, IBM collaborates with those who have deep technical knowledge and a strong reputation within the AI community.
These influencers engage in activities such as webinars, technical blog posts, and sharing insights on IBM’s platforms, delivering high-quality content that resonates with a targeted audience of IT professionals and decision-makers.
IBM’s first foray with influencers coincided with its Think conference in 2018, where they employed influencers in a significant capacity to amplify their messaging on AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
At the conference, the influencers were brought into a video booth to answer questions about the conference’s topics. The video they shot was used as social content later on, but IBM was also able to use images from these recordings on a billboard in the middle of the Las Vegas strip, where the conference was going on.
This generated excitement and visibility for both IBM and the influencers involved.
2. Nurture Long-Term Relationships
Given the longer and more complex sales cycles in B2B, influencer marketing strategies should focus on building long-term relationships rather than one-off campaigns. Long-term partnerships allow influencers to deeply understand the company’s products, services, and value propositions, leading to more authentic and effective content.
Adobe exemplifies this strategy with its partnerships in the design and creative industries. Adobe collaborates with key influencers who regularly share their experiences with Adobe products, participate in events like Adobe MAX, and create tutorials.
This consistent advocacy has built trust and reinforced Adobe’s position as a leader in creative software; the company goes out of its way to make sure these relationships last.
Adobe treats their influencers as real partners rather than just marketing assets. They celebrate personal milestones such as birthdays and holidays, which helps to build a sense of community and personal connection.
Adobe didn’t even let the pandemic get in the way of this, moving their community to virtual channels, organizing online happy hours and keeping an active Twitter DM group. This consistent interaction ensures that influencers feel valued and connected to the brand, even when in-person events aren't possible.
Furthermore, Adobe emphasizes a two-way relationship by supporting the influencers' own projects and initiatives, which strengthens the partnership and promotes mutual growth.
3. Collaborate on Content
Co-creating content with influencers allows brands to leverage the influencer’s expertise while ensuring that the content aligns with brand goals. This can take many forms, including blog posts, white papers, webinars, or even product development.
Software giant SAP, for instance, collaborated with LinkedIn influencers to create various types of content, such as white papers, and case studies, which are designed to showcase how SAP’s technology solutions can be applied in real-world business scenarios.
This co-creation not only helps SAP build credibility but also strengthens their position as a leader in the enterprise software industry by providing valuable insights and thought leadership to their target audience. Through these efforts, SAP effectively engages with its audience while reinforcing its brand as a forward-thinking and innovative company.
4. Host Webinars and Workshops
Influencer-led webinars and workshops are highly effective tools in B2B marketing, particularly for lead generation. These events offer a unique blend of credibility and engagement that traditional marketing channels often struggle to achieve.
By partnering with recognized industry experts, companies can present content that doesn’t just resonate deeply with their target audience, it involves them. It’s a great way to foster trust and authority. This credibility is crucial in the B2B space, where purchasing decisions are often made by teams of decision-makers who rely heavily on expert opinions and detailed insights.
The key advantage here is that such webinars and workshops allow for real-time interaction, enabling businesses to directly address the pain points and questions of potential clients, and speeding them further down the sales funnel.
Moreover, these events are not just about immediate lead generation; they also play a significant role in long-term brand positioning. By consistently offering valuable insights through influencer-led events, companies can establish themselves as thought leaders in their respective industries, making them the go-to resource when decision-makers are ready to make purchasing decisions.
5. Influencer-Led Research and Surveys
Social media provides brands easier—and two-way—access to their target audience, making it the perfect tool to find out more about the consumers they’re trying to entice. Except, people don’t always want to share information with or answer questions for a brand doing market research. They will, however, take that same engagement bait from the creators they follow.
Partnering with social media influencers to conduct research or surveys leverages the credibility and reach of influencers who are trusted voices within specific industries. Companies can gather more authentic and relevant data from key decision-makers this way.
This approach not only increases response rates but also ensures that the insights collected are more aligned with the actual needs and preferences of the target audience. Furthermore, the involvement of influencers can enhance the perceived value of the survey, encouraging deeper engagement from participants.
Ultimately, this strategy helps companies make informed decisions based on real-world data, improving the effectiveness of their marketing and product development efforts.
6. Employee Advocacy as Influencer Marketing
Employee advocacy is a powerful B2B marketing strategy where companies encourage their employees to promote the company's brand, products, or services through their personal social media networks.
This approach leverages the inherent trust and authenticity employees have within their own networks, making the brand’s messaging more credible and far-reaching. By empowering employees to share content, companies can significantly enhance their visibility, drive engagement, and improve their brand reputation.
Additionally, employee advocacy fosters a sense of ownership and pride among employees, which can lead to increased morale and loyalty.
Dell has successfully implemented an employee advocacy program through its "Social Media University" initiative. This program trains employees to be effective brand advocates on social media, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to share content and engage with audiences authentically.
Dell’s program has resulted in over 150,000 content shares and 45,000 additional website clicks within the first year alone, demonstrating the significant impact of employee advocacy on brand visibility and engagement.
This initiative also involves certifications and ongoing support to ensure employees are confident in representing the brand online, making Dell a leader in leveraging employee advocacy for B2B marketing success.
7. UCG for B2B
B2C marketers know that user-generated content (UGC) is king. But it’s becoming an increasingly powerful tool in B2B marketing, for a lot of the same reasons. It adds authenticity, social proof, and credibility to brand messaging.
In the B2B space, UGC comes in the form of customer testimonials, case studies, reviews, or even social media posts from both influencers and satisfied clients. This type of content is highly valuable because it is perceived as more genuine and trustworthy compared to traditional marketing materials created by the brand itself.
When potential clients see real-world examples of how a product or service has benefited businesses similar to theirs, they are more likely to consider the brand as a reliable partner.
Incorporating UGC into B2B marketing strategies can also enhance engagement and foster a sense of community among customers.
By encouraging clients to share their experiences and successes with your products or services, you not only generate fresh content but also build a network of brand advocates. This can be particularly effective when combined with social proof strategies, where UGC is showcased on websites, in email campaigns, or across social media platforms.
Ultimately, leveraging UGC helps to humanize your brand, making it more relatable and appealing to potential clients who value peer insights and real-world applications of your offerings.
8. Account-Based Marketing (ABM) with Influencers
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a focused business strategy that aligns marketing and sales efforts to target specific, high-value accounts. Optimizing an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy is a lot like researching your audience for any B2C campaign but on a much narrower scale.
The first step is to gain a deep understanding of your target accounts, which includes researching their needs, challenges, and buying behavior. This research helps in creating highly personalized content and campaigns that resonate with each account.
The strategy also emphasizes the importance of aligning marketing and sales teams to work collaboratively, ensuring that both are focused on the same goals and that their efforts are complementary. Additionally, it’s crucial to use data and analytics to continuously measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and make adjustments as needed.
Incorporating influencers into your ABM strategy can further enhance its effectiveness by adding a layer of credibility and trust. Influencers can create content that is not only personalized for the target accounts but also resonates more deeply because it comes from a trusted source within the industry.
This approach can help in building stronger relationships with key decision-makers within the target accounts, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and a more successful ABM strategy. To optimize this approach, it's essential to choose influencers whose audience aligns with your target accounts—popularity isn’t as important as relevance.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, B2B influencer marketing has evolved from a novel concept into a multifaceted, sometimes complex, approach. Because of this, it’s increasingly seen as a vital strategy that drives measurable outcomes for businesses.
By leveraging the strategies outlined here, companies can effectively build trust and credibility with their target audiences while strengthening existing relationships. Enhancing brand visibility and authority in the market should be the priority—leave the flashy TikTok dances to the beauty brands.
