News and Insights
How relevant are influencers in B2B marketing?
May 18, 2021
This topic is explored in a new white paper, which is available to download. It considers the influencer marketing landscape, where B2B buyers get their information and how influencers can make an impact. It suggests that the most effective influencers for your B2B programme may be closer at hand than you think, and that authors, analysts, thought leaders and consultants can all have roles to play.
Like its B2C counterpart, B2B influencer marketing relies on building a profile and establishing audience engagement. Buyers and decision-makers access a range of potentially niche media and use a broad spectrum of channels. While influencers should undoubtedly have a strong social media presence, they will also most likely publish blogs, be quoted in the media, speak at events, be recognised members of respected industry bodies and more.
The B2B influencer
Trust, credibility, relevance and visibility are shared influencer qualities, whether B2B or B2C. Whatever their day job may be, influencers should be selected for their credibility and their expertise. They are likely to have operated in the industry for some time, during which they will have built up a high level of knowledge. It’s important they communicate well and have the capacity to engage directly with followers on the issues that concern them.
Influencer marketing will not be successful if it is approached as a series of one-off promotional tweets. Engagement is best achieved when the influencer has opinions to share and can offer real insight into the industry’s hot topics. From this standpoint, long-lasting, fruitful relationships can be built with decision-makers within the influencer’s audience.
Our paper explores how to draw on the subject matter experts within your own organisation for your influencer campaign. This approach offers the opportunity to own a topic, define an issue and establish a relationship in which your audience views your organisation as an expert voice in the market.
Making it count
The paper concludes with a dive into the all-important topic of measurement. It is notoriously difficult to measure the value of relationships – and to track earned revenue back to those relationships – but it is important to ensure that outcomes help meet business objectives. This requires an understanding of the output a campaign delivers.
Influencer marketing will most likely continue to evolve. The digital age has given a platform to effective communicators, people who are passionate about their particular topics of interest and who are adept at engaging – and influencing – similarly like-minded audiences. For further insight into the relevance of influencers in B2B marketing, take a look at our white paper.
POSTED BY: Richard Scarlett
