Consumer marketing may have started the trend, but B2B is showing the real value of influencer marketing

When we think about influencers, our minds often go to social media personalities promoting fashion, beauty products, or lifestyle brands. However, in B2B marketing influencers can play a crucial role in driving lower funnel activity for specialised industries. 

In B2B an influencer could come in the form of thought leaders, industry analysts, consultants, authors, or even niche content creators. More often than not they focus on sharing knowledge, insights, and professional opinions rather than showcasing products – that’s not to say they can’t of course!

Their audience often consists of decision-makers, buyers, and other professionals seeking expertise and solutions – essentially your key decision making audience. This is what makes B2B influencers so powerful, their direct line to a specialised, senior audience. 

Why use influencers in B2B?

Influencers in B2B deliver on both top of the funnel, and lower funnel marketing activity. They can establish credibility, change or level up perceptions, expand your businesses reach to new and important audiences but crucially they can deliver leads right to your door.

1. Establish Credibility:
   Partnering with a trusted influencer allows your business to gain credibility by association. Their endorsement signals to their audience that your brand or product is worth considering. In B2B and comms, nothing is more important than 3rd party, objective endorsement.
   
2. Expand Reach:
   Influencers have built loyal followings within your target market. By collaborating with them, you can reach a larger and more engaged audience that may be difficult to access through traditional marketing channels.
   
3. Drive Engagement and Leads:
   Influencers create relatable, authentic content that resonates with their audience, increasing engagement rates and driving qualified leads to your business. In some cases, the influencer may have strong relationships with key targets for your business and can facilitate conversations. Check out our case study with Pollinate to discover how we delivered key leads for FinTech Pollinate.
   

How to look for industry leaders

Identifying the right influencer is key to the success of your campaign. Here’s how to get started:

1. The search:
   Research thought leaders and subject matter experts in your niche. LinkedIn is one of the best platforms to find your influencers. Use keyword searches on LinkedIn, or use a social media monitoring tool to find the biggest voices in your industry or on your key topic. 
2. Evaluate Metrics:
   Don’t just look at follower count. Analyse the influencer’s engagement rate, audience demographics, and the quality of their interactions. High engagement with your target audience is more important than sheer numbers. 
3. Check for Alignment:
   Ensure the influencer’s values, tone, and expertise align with your brand. Authenticity is crucial, if the partnership feels forced, it will turn off their audience and negatively impact the perception of your brand. 

The key to any influencer activation is understanding what success looks like

Like any marketing effort, it’s important to track the performance of your influencer campaigns. 

• Engagement: Monitor likes, shares, comments, and clicks on influencer content.
• Website Traffic: Track referral traffic from influencer-driven campaigns using UTM parameters.
• Leads and Conversions: Measure how many leads or sales resulted from the campaign.
• Brand Awareness: Use tools like social listening to gauge increases in brand mentions and sentiment.

Influencers are a powerful asset in B2B marketing, offering an authentic and effective way to connect with decision-makers and build credibility in your industry. By identifying the right influencers, creating valuable content, and measuring performance, you can elevate your marketing efforts and achieve measurable results.

Why not take a look at our IFA Berlin case study where we used influencers and earned media to deliver a huge national impact in the UK and Europe.