Influencer marketing has been a common practice in direct-to-consumer spaces for years, with the rise in popularity of platforms like TikTok driving revenue for brands, individuals and social media sites alike. In fact, since 2020, the global influencer marketing market value has more than tripled, and is expected to hit a record $33B in 2025. In terms of B2B influencer marketing, the practice has emerged as an effective tactic for brand exposure. Paired with a shrinking media landscape and reporters taking on more beats than ever before, businesses need different tactics to engage with their desired audiences. However, succeeding in creating a B2B influencer marketing campaign requires a deep understanding of the new model.

What is B2B Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing leverages the authority, trust and reach of influential figures to spread the word about products or services. We’ve seen this play out consistently online in B2C scenarios, with influencers like TikTok star and self-proclaimed Dunkin’ lover Charli D’Amelio partnering with the brand to release her own menu item, “The Charli.”

These partnerships are often with thought leaders, industry experts, academics and other relevant professionals with strong followings in a target sector or vertical, designed to share insights and educate peers, rather than promoting a specific product. One successful example of this is the Cisco Champion campaign, where Cisco enabled IT industry experts to appear on their podcast, radio, or video to share industry insights. In exchange, experts received early access to new products and the opportunity to test and provide feedback.

These campaigns don’t just take place online. Inviting influencers to company-owned tradeshows and events can be a key driver for influencer engagement and a critical tool for creating content that can be used for months to come. Even better, these programs can be organic or paid – or a combination of the two – depending on budget considerations and the type of impact you want to make in the market, meaning organizations of any size can engage in a B2B influencer campaign.

Why Your Business Needs a B2B Influencer Program

In addition to other top-of-funnel marketing tactics like contributed content in industry publications, social media marketing, and paid advertising, influencer marketing can play a key role in driving brand awareness. These programs help businesses:

• Build trust and credibility. By partnering with established and respected influencers, businesses can leverage this built-in trust to increase credibility among new audiences who may be unfamiliar with their brand.
• Reach the right audience. Influencers often have a built-in audience, which can range from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand. This audience is typically made up of professionals in their sector who act as decision-makers within their organizations. By working with influencers, businesses can benefit from an already established target audience.
• Mitigate long technology sales cycles. The sales decision-making process is getting longer as decision-makers deal with increased complexity of processes, products and services. By sharing valuable, educational content that appeals to specific industry pain points, influencers can help businesses nurture leads over time.

How to Approach B2B Influencer Marketing

When considering if a B2B influencer marketing campaign is right for your business, it’s important to evaluate these programs holistically. While not every program will – or should! – look the same, there are a few key components to keep in mind:

• Find the Right Influencers: Unlike B2C influencers, the best B2B influencers won’t necessarily be those with the highest number of followers or the most engagement on a platform. The right influencer should be hyper-targeted and have authority in your sector. Consider the below factors when vetting potential candidates:
  • Are they already sharing content that resonates with your target audience?
  • Do they post unique content and engage regularly on platforms like LinkedIn?
  • Are they active on the right platform(s) for your business?
  • Do they have an interest or natural tie in to your business, product, or service?
• Focus on the Long-Term: Rather than a one-and-done campaign that won’t necessarily make a lasting impact on your audience, find opportunities to re-engage with influencers regularly. This could include bringing them onto a podcast, creating case studies, and cross-sharing content on LinkedIn or another platform. Think about it as a long-term investment; this will help establish a consistent brand presence over time while ensuring authentic campaigns that resonate.
• Value over Virality: B2Bdecision-makers are seeking educational and informative content rather than being fed your company’s product or messaging. Lean on B2B influencers as partners for sharing valuable content in the form of research, webinars, blog posts, and more, and ensure each post or touchpoint addresses a specific challenge.
• Tracking Performance: Like any campaign, tracking the success of a B2B influencer campaign is crucial. Some key performance indicators (KPIs) to think about include engagement rates, content impressions, and lead generation.

 The Bottom Line

The technology media landscape is changing fast, and businesses are looking for new and creative ways to get in front of their desired audience. Aside from Substack and email newsletters — which are valuable tools — B2B organizations are more often turning to influencer marketing to reach potential customers.

Through earned influencer marketing programs, we’ve been able to increase impressions – that’s eyes on the brand via influencer posts – by over 1K. Through strategic tracking links, brands have also been able to increase website page views and experience user conversion rates on par with broad paid campaigns. These programs can play a key role in fostering credibility and increasing brand visibility in the market. By partnering with industry thought leaders, businesses can nurture lasting relationships that can move the needle and help them reach their brand awareness goals.

To learn more, contact us today.