Influencer Marketing in B2B: Playing the Long Game Brings Big Gains

Ubiquitous in B2C marketing, influencer marketing in B2B spaces has been slow to catch on. But that could be changing. B2B Influencer marketing is gaining some street cred – it’s been written about in Forbes and highlighted in SEM Rush’s Social Media Trends Report as well as Ogilvy’s Influencing Business Report. Still, for many B2B marketers or brands, influencer marketing seems quite a stretch – it’s a tactic for B2C marketers. Not anymore!

Not convinced? Let’s check the numbers.

• 90% of the industry sees social media as an essential source of business information
• 75% of B2B businesses are already leveraging influencers, and 93% plan to increase their use
• 92% of survey respondents agree that influencer marketing can be used across the funnel to drive awareness to consideration
• 67% of B2B influencer campaigns had more impact on a brand’s marketing performance than brand-only campaigns
• LinkedIn leads the market in B2B influencer marketing, but YouTube and Meta are not far behind, with almost 50% usage each

Source: Business Insider

Why Is Interest in B2B Marketing Surging?

The B2B buying process can be long and arduous. It often involves multiple rounds of intense internal scrutiny, making its sales funnel longer than that of B2C purchases, sometimes lasting up to 18 months. This makes nurturing relationships between buyers and sellers is crucial for success.

B2B influencers are already recognized and trusted in their respective fields. Because of these built-in relationships, they play a vital role in explaining complex concepts, offering valuable insights, and educating potential buyers. These contributions can help significantly shorten the decision-making process.

What Is B2B Influencer Marketing?

Before we go any further, let’s take a look at what influencer marketing is and what it means in the B2B space. B2B influencer marketing works in much the same way as B2C influencer marketing. The influencer has a relationship based on trust with their audience. For example, beauty influencers are considered experts by their audience, and B2B influencers are considered experts within their industry by their audience. This gives their opinions and insight weight when they recommend services or products.

Businesses leverage aligned influencers’ credibility to drive brand awareness and loyalty and connect with new audiences. The communication is interactive and authentic, not staged and filled with obvious brand talking points.

How Does B2B Influencer Marketing Work?

Business purchasing decisions can be complex, so they often rely heavily on industry insights and recommendations from trustworthy sources. B2B influencers offer authentic opinions that can tip the scales in favor of the businesses they endorse. Decision-makers like to get a sense of how something works, so they usually do a lot of research. They are increasingly considering the insight and information these influencers provide.

When businesses partner with B2B influencers in their industry, they can reach a receptive and engaged audience. Social media’s informal environment allows B2B influencers to share industry insights in a way that is natural and engaging—like talking to a trusted colleague or peer. Recommendations from influencers customers trust increase the likelihood that they will be interested in learning more about recommended products or services.

With marketing strategies constantly evolving in the digital environment, being agile and flexible is critical. This makes access to B2B influencers’ reach even more appealing. Collaborating with them helps businesses remain relevant by connecting with the influencer’s audience through meaningful content. Businesses can boost engagement across social media platforms by partnering with influencers and gain significant benefits.

Benefits of B2B Influencer Marketing

• B2B influencers are often considered authorities and thought leaders with unique insight and expertise in their industries or verticals. Their recommendations build highly valued trust and credibility in the products and brands they highlight.
• Brands can tap into established networks and reach a highly targeted and engaged audience, expanding their visibility to buyers they may not be able to get through traditional marketing channels.
• Influencers engage their audiences with unique perspectives and diverse content formats, such as webinars, podcasts, or in-depth articles. Marketers can use this content to enrich their content strategy.
• An influencer endorsement can drive qualified leads for products or services from audiences interested in their expertise.
• B2B influencers often share valuable insights, industry trends, and thought leadership content.
• Influencer marketing can be implemented across various channels and platforms, allowing businesses to develop an agile marketing approach and pivot strategies according to changing market dynamics.
• B2B influencer marketing offers improved ROI with remarkable returns for every dollar spent compared to some traditional marketing methods.

B2C influencers cast a wide net to a broad audience and are considered mainly transactional. B2B influencers speak to a focused, targeted audience that aligns with their expertise. They rarely consider themselves influencers. They are often journalists or analysts who build trust over time, making them authentic voices in the B2B space.

The approach gradually gains momentum, making it a long-term tactic suitable for all phases of the B2B buying journey. As B2B marketers increasingly realize the impact and possibilities of partnering with influencers, it will become a technique among the array of marketing methods accessible in the B2B realm.