You probably associate influencer marketing with well-known B2C tactics. Engaging social media personalities to co-create content and promote products to their massive follower base is a proven way to spread the word about user-friendly products and services.
Technology plays an equally important role on the B2B side. A 2023 Ogilvy report reveals that 75% of B2B companies use influencer marketing and more than half of the remaining 25% plan to do so.
However, the professional audience may be less likely to turn to Instagram or TikTok for reliable product advice. And as B2B sales cycles are longer and more complex, campaigns targeting bottom-of-funnel informational needs could have a more significant impact.
B2B marketers need to follow a different game plan when working with influencers. It starts with making informed decisions about who to collaborate with and how to position your efforts for optimal success. Use these expert recommendations to guide you.
Choose your influencers wisely
B2B influencers come in two types: internal and external. Often, B2B marketers use a combination, but each has a role to play, says Pam DidnerB2B marketer, author and speaker.
“Internal influencers should be subject matter experts“, says Pam. “An external influencer is a thought leader in your space: someone you want to collaborate with.”
Collaborations with thought leaders This can be tricky, however, as thought leaders need to consider their own business needs. This is why B2B marketers need to pay a lot of attention to the selection and preparation of the influencer for their campaigns.
“With [external] thought leaders, you really want to understand their expertise, where they shine, and how your brand can leverage their expertise to amplify your message,” says Pam. “You need to have a very in-depth conversation.”
Audience size matters – but not what you might think
Working with an influencer with millions of followers may not be essential for effective B2B engagement. According to Tim DavidsonB2B content creator and Founder and VP of Marketing at B2B Rizz, the size of an influencer’s audience should correlate to the size of the total addressable market.
Wendy CoveyCEO and co-founder of TREW Marketing, agrees. Wendy emphasizes that it is much more important to have the right audience, likely the one who informs or drives purchasing decisions later in the buying cycle.
Tim also notes that a massive audience could be a big red flag: “It’s pretty easy to game the algorithms with broad content, engagement modules, and buying followers. »
This means you may not get the reach you expect from your chosen influencer partner(s) – a compelling reason to consider building your strategy on in-house expertise.
Support the success of your internal evangelists
On the other end of the spectrum, developing influencers in-house makes it easier to scale campaign cadence and align their efforts with your brand goals. However, companies must inspire and support employees who agree to be influencers.
“People care more [how being an influencer] has a bigger impact on their career than on the company,” says Tim. “[You have to] show how being known as an expert impacts them and their opportunities.
While content creation and external roles come naturally to internal influencers, it pays to invest in education and training. This can mean hire a ghostwriter to improve the copy of their articles and opinion pieces and provide technical specialists to help internal influencers produce professional quality podcasts and videos. Just as important, leaders must recognize that influencing is work.
“Give people time to post and create,” says Tim. “If you expect them to do it on top of everything else, they just won’t have enough time and it will always lose priority.”
Weigh Your Compensation Options
It is impossible to talk about influencer selection without discussing remuneration, financial or otherwise.
Even though employee influencers are generally not paid more, be prepared to encourage their brand defense by other means. Discuss how this opportunity can help them advance their career or personal goals. Offer media training or partner with specialists to help them refine the quality of their content. Tim also recommends adjusting their workloads so their influencing tasks don’t end up on the back burner.
On the other hand, if you pay external influencers, don’t expect a standard rate. “It’s the Wild West right now in B2B,” says Tim. “Everything is negotiable, so payment will differ from influencer to influencer.”
Remember: there’s a big difference between paying an influencer and treating it like a transaction. After all, payment is an integral part of any business. However, transactional engagements are unlikely to feel organic or authentic to the audience.
“A lot [B2B influencers] are motivated by the benefits of your business that help them grow their business rather than a generic transactional relationship,” says Wendy. “These benefits may include early access to products, behind-the-scenes tours, a demonstration at your booth, or increased support. Ask lots of questions to uncover areas of synergy, then think outside the box about how they will support your brand, and vice versa.
Align influencer efforts with priority goals
While smart staffing and payment decisions are essential, influencer success often depends on strategically aligning your efforts with your marketing goals.
One school of thought believes that B2B influencer campaigns should focus on building awareness at the top of the funnel.
For example, Wendy Covey says the B2B influencer’s ultimate goal is to ensure their brand is top of mind when a prospect is ready to speak to sales rather than conducting a transaction at the moment. “B2B influencers are thought leaders: buyers look to them for insights into the history and trajectory of their industry, answers to tough problems, and ideas on how to stay ahead of the curve. ahead of trends.
Yet, Tim Davidson argues that B2B influencers can do more than increase brand awareness. “Think about influencers [as a value-add] at each stage of the funnel. What changes is how you use the influencer.
For example, in the middle of the funnel, Tim sees customers talking about their experience with the brand’s product as an influence play that helps draw prospects into higher-level conversations.
Tim also notes a viable approach to fueling bottom-of-funnel goals: “Assuming the person you’re working with is a subject matter expert [and they’re open to it]try inviting them on sales calls or making presentations to help move potential deals forward.
Activate on actionable B2B channels
B2B influencer marketing doesn’t necessarily rely as much on social media as its B2C counterpart. However, LinkedIn is a notable exceptionbecause it is the preferred social platform for developing professional relationships.
To leverage relevant conversations on LinkedIn, Allison Championformer senior director and head of marketing communications at e-commerce fulfillment platform Flowspace, treats influential industry voices like traditional media by inviting them to briefings and suggest story ideas. “B2B influencers are more accessible than the press because they are eager to grow their networks,” explains Allison.
Pam Didner has a name for this tactic – influencing the influencer – and suggests providing them with first scoops, inside information, research and access to your thought leaders: “This will help position them as avant-garde expert in the sector and to bring your brand. with me for the ride.
Diversify your engagement destinations
Although influencer influence often involves LinkedIn, the reality is that the platform does not capture the entire audience. This is partly due to media fragmentation. Another factor is the way B2B spaces are evolving, thanks to digital tools, new platforms and remote working.
Allison recently started hosting a Flowspace podcast, Stories from the setto reach customer personas that might not appear in traditional spaces.
“We want to be a forum for conversations in the fulfillment space,” says Allison. “Our guests are influencers, and we invite logistics and operations leaders to tell stories about how brands grow, evolve and move things forward. »
Allison’s experience is not unique. Wendy Covey notes that in an episode of her Content marketing, engineering podcast, Heatcraft Refrigeration Products’ marketing team told him their YouTube influencer helped them resolve quality issues, improve products, and close the loop between product, manufacturing, and customers.
Let influential voices speak about your brand experience
Even if your relationships with influencers don’t directly impact your products, they can improve the value of your content. Cultivate beneficial partnerships and properly position their expertise, and you will both have a significant impact on your content goals.
A version of this article originally appeared in the May/June 2024 issue of Chief Content Officer.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
