The Art of B2B Influencer Marketing

Key Takeaways 

• Effective influencer selection: Focus on industry thought leaders with expertise and relevance, not just follower counts, to ensure alignment with your target audience. 

• Authentic relationship building: Engage genuinely with influencers by sharing insights and co-creating valuable content, fostering long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. 

• Diverse content and channels: Utilize a mix of LinkedIn, YouTube videos, blog posts, webinars, and podcasts to amplify your reach, ensuring your influencer collaborations have maximum impact. 

Welcome to the wild world of B2B influencer marketing, where the stakes are high, the jargon is thick, and the rewards are sweeter than a double-shot espresso on a Monday morning. 

While B2C influencer campaigns might grab the headlines with glamorous Reels and TikToks, B2B influencer marketing is quietly making waves in the boardroom. 

Nearly three-quarters of B2B marketers say that influencer marketing improves the customer experience and prospect engagement. That means the right influencer could mean the difference between a closed deal and a missed opportunity. 

To capitalize on influencer marketing, you first need a solid strategy in place. Here are a few steps you can take to get started: 

1. Identify the right influencers.When you’re considering B2B influencers, look beyond follower count to evaluate expertise, relevance, and engagement with posts. Look for thought leaders who are respected in your industry and have a track record of influencing your target audience and spurring them to interact with their content. LinkedIn is your best friend here, with its vast network of professionals and influencers. 

2. Build authentic relationships.Influencers are people, not billboards. Foster genuine relationships by engaging with their content, sharing insights, and offering value. Ideally, this will be a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Brands and influencers alike benefit from longer-term relationships and repeat messaging. 

3. Create valuable content together.Co-create content that provides real value to your audience. Whether it’s a webinar, a Reel, a TikTok, a whitepaper, or a joint blog post, make sure it’s something that showcases the influencer’s expertise and aligns with your brand message. 

4. Leverage multiple channels.Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Use a mix of LinkedIn, YouTube, social media channels, industry blogs, webinars, and podcasts to reach your audience. Diversifying your channels increases your visibility and maximizes the potential impact of your influencer partnerships. 

5. Measure and optimize.Track your campaigns meticulously. Look at engagement rates, lead generation, and brand sentiment. Use this data to tweak your strategy and ensure you’re getting the best ROI. 

Not sure what B2B influencer marketing might look like in the wild? Let’s take a look at a couple examples. 

• SAP
  SAP, a global leader in enterprise software, leveraged influencers to humanize its brand and drive engagement. SAP’s team invited 11 influencers to attend its annual user conference, Sapphire Now, and conducted interviews and live-streamed them throughout the event. The influencers generated 17% of online chatter around the event. Then, a few months later at its IoT Launch event, SAP tapped into the power of influencers to “go viral,” which led to its event hashtag trending on Twitter (now X).

• Monday.com
  Monday.com is a work operating system that caters to the diverse needs of businesses across industries and sizes. In an influencer marketing collaboration, Janell Roberts did an excellent job demonstrating what Monday.com can do for budding entrepreneurs. In the video, she navigates her to-do list seamlessly as a young CEO — all while checking off every item on her to-do list within Monday.com’s mobile app.

@janell.roberts ad | Being a CEO is not for the faint of heart, using @mondaydotcom helps me stay balanced as the first in my family to do it #mondaypartner #femaleentrepreneur #femalebusinessowner #dayinmylife ♬ original sound – Janell

B2B influencer marketing might not always be as flashy as its B2C counterpart, but it’s a powerhouse strategy that can deliver impressive results. By focusing on earned media and building genuine relationships with the right influencers, you can elevate your brand, engage your audience, and drive serious business growth. So roll up your sleeves, get out there, and start turning those industry connections into your brand’s biggest advocates.