BY Kathy Crosett
B2B influencer marketing is a growing trend. If your accounts aren’t using this tactic, it’s time to start. New research from TopRank Marketing and Ascend2 focuses on B2B businesses with 100+ employees. In this post, we’ll discuss how businesses are using influencers and how your accounts can benefit from properly managing these valuable resources.
What to Expect from B2B Influencer Marketing
B2B operators are turning to a tactic that has long been used by B2C operators: influencer marketing. These businesses have specific goals for their social media influencers this year.
They want to:
- Improve audience targeting/segmentation 37%
- Accurately measure performance/ROI 36%
- Identify the right influencers for their business 32%
To make these valuable connections, a B2B operator must have the right influencers working for them. Nearly half, 48%, of surveyed B2B operators say it’s a challenge to identify good influencers.
Not only that, businesses must establish a plan for exactly what influencers will do. 35% of businesses say it is a challenge to manage this process. To improve efficiency and reduce redundancy, businesses need to collaborate with influencers and agree on what constitutes acceptable content.
How to Help Accounts Find Influencers
If you’re preparing to pitch a B2B account with your influencer sourcing and management services, learn what they are looking for. Beyond professionalism, most businesses are looking for authenticity (33%) and brand alignment (33%) from the B2B influencer marketing investment.
Right now, 39% of B2B operators who are looking for influencers are using agencies to vet their options. But they will also do some research on their own, including social media searches (52%), personal recommendations (50%) and web searches (49%). You can increase your visibility by showing up in these places.
Businesses also want to work with an influencer who understands what their competitors are doing in this arena. With 74% of surveyed businesses having this opinion, you can increase your chances of winning contracts by staying up to date with competitive intelligence.
Creative Content From Influencers is a Must
Nearly 42% of surveyed B2B marketers claim they need to invest more in research and audience analysis. This makes sense in the context of B2B influencer marketing. As your accounts’ work in this area grows, they should learn about which audiences respond to this type of marketing. With a subscription to B2B BuyerSCAN from AdMall, you can share this type of data with your accounts.
One proven way to attract audience attention is to produce creative content. The creative nature of the content produced by an influencer can help a brand hone its image and stand out from the competition. 64% of B2B operators want their influencers to produce unique content.
For example, TopMarketer analysts describe how one business explored an unusual format to boost interest. They produced influencer content in the form of a master class designed to educate prospects. Our research shows that B2B buyers are particularly interested in talking with sales professionals who they feel can teach them something they don’t know.
Influencers do not create content in a vacuum. They often work with business leaders (44%) or interview the leaders (33%) to generate ideas. From those meetings, the best B2B influencer marketing content is produced.
Influencer Content Distribution
Like their B2C counterparts, B2B businesses use influencers to distribute content in several ways. Social media remains the top way to communicate with prospects and customers when influencers are on board (56%). However, in-person events (39%) and webinars (34%) are not far behind.
These multiple distribution streams make it challenging to manage the relationship and monitor the quality of the content. For this reason, 44% of B2B marketers will use AI to “optimize influencer content.” Businesses are also leaning on the technology to help them create content (57%) and track performance (54%).
Summary
B2C operators may have pioneered the concept of influencer marketing, but B2B businesses are catching up. Many B2B businesses need help finding and managing the individuals who serve as their influencers. To help your accounts excel at the task of B2B influencer marketing, pitch them with your services.
