Besides the usual marketing tactics, influencer marketing allowed many brands to acquire new clients and strengthen customer trust. In the past, advertisements could be found on TV, in newspapers, and on billboards which made brands quite unattainable. Now they can be found on many different channels. With the emergence of social media, influencers have provided a bridge between brands and consumers. The result was twofold: on the one hand, they brought the brand closer to people, and on the other hand, they made it possible for the average user to join the discourse about companies and products.
When you think of companies that work with influencers, you'll likely think of B2C brands. Businesses in the fashion and accessories industry, as well as beauty and sports brands, have long capitalized on influencers' names. But what about business-to-business ventures? Couldn't they leverage influencers' charisma or intellectual capital? Can B2B companies use influencers as part of their marketing strategy? These are exactly the questions we will answer in this blog post backed up by Ogilvy’s relevant report on influencer marketing for B2Bs.
What Is B2B Influencer Marketing?
B2B influencer marketing is a practice where brands collaborate with subject matter experts, business directors, and thought leaders to create content and thus promote products and services that target other businesses. In the early days of influencer marketing, mostly B2C companies cooperated with famous public figures. In other words, brands that market directly to end consumers. Over time, however, it became clear that influencer marketing is equally effective for B2C and B2B firms. Ogilvy’s study found that 75% of B2B businesses use influencers in their marketing mix, and 67% of those influencer collaborations improved their marketing performance.
Since business owners are also people, authenticity and trust are just as important to them as they are to direct customers. Hence, trust and credibility are critical in both cases, but the two marketing strategies differ in some ways. Let’s see how!
What Is the Difference Between Influencer Marketing for B2B and B2C?
Until recently, marketing specialists and business owners believed influencer marketing only worked in B2C. The evolution of B2B influencer marketing has been slower than that of B2C, and this can also be seen in the differences between the two marketing types. In the following, we compare influencer marketing for B2B with B2C so you can better understand its specifics.
Influencer selection
Consumer-focused creator promotions typically emphasize aesthetics and visuality, while business-to-business content seeks to educate and share information. B2B requires more than a few well-composed pictures; here you have to convince decision-makers who themselves have expertise or experience in a topic. That's why you need industry and niche specialists.
The best way to find experts is to listen to conversations about your industry on social media and find key opinion leaders who share your business values and know your target audience's pain points. They can help you establish your authority within your industry, even within very narrow niches, putting you in an advantageous position when businesses and owners you target make decisions.
You can also benefit from the assistance of your employees in reaching potential clients. They are the driving force behind your business. They are knowledgeable of your industry, and many of them are emotionally invested in your company's success. Through an employee advocate program, you can easily recruit workers who are highly knowledgeable and influential on social media.
Objectives of the collaboration
Business-to-business and business-to-consumer influencer marketing campaigns can serve all three stages of the funnel. All of them can be used to promote brand awareness and recognition, generate leads, and increase sales. However, marketers interviewed by Ogilvy's team believe that influencers can be most useful to B2B companies in the middle and the lower part of the funnel.
According to the study, 50% of respondents believed that influencers were most effective at the mid-funnel, while the other 50% voted for the bottom. 40% of the surveyed marketers mentioned that influencers were particularly efficacious at generating and increasing quality leads and building relationships with clients. 49% of marketing professionals agreed that they could increase their brand's credibility by working with influential experts.
Target audience
Influencer marketing for B2C targets consumers, who can be people interested in a service or members of a group with a common interest or hobby. In contrast, B2B companies target other businesses, decision-makers, stakeholders, specialized audiences, or individuals with some understanding of the topic but are eager to learn more.
Campaign length
For B2C campaigns, brands can either collaborate on a short-term or a long-term basis, and they even work with different faces each time. Yet, business-to-business influencers must find their way to companies' management - who are professionals themselves. Hence, it requires far more time and effort than persuading a single user to buy for example a cosmetic product.
To succeed in B2B, it is crucial that the brand gain the trust of the target audience by demonstrating that it understands their problem and can solve it. B2B companies need to recruit individuals with similar experiences who can articulate their message in an engaging manner. In this way, the company strengthens its expertise and starts building trust with its authentic content. It takes time to accomplish all this, which is why B2B influencer marketing campaigns are typically long-term.
Content type and depth
Influencer marketing for B2C brands is dominated by high-quality photos and short videos. The goal is to make the content as attractive and tasteful as possible, thus evoking emotions such as envy, longing, or instant gratification. Meanwhile, brands can offer B2B customers a broad range of educational and informative content, such as infographics, blogs, case studies, guides, long-form videos, podcasts, etc. Customer-centric content is brief, fast-paced, and colorful, but in B2B, long, thorough, and insightful content is preferred.
Channels used for influencer marketing
Consumer influencer marketing campaigns are largely conducted on Instagram, although TikTok and YouTube are also popular platforms. But LinkedIn is the leading channel for B2B influence. A close second is YouTube, followed by Facebook. In addition to being able to establish contact with B2B influencers and their target audience on LinkedIn, companies can also leverage the platform's features and tools to build relationships with them.
Influencer-brand relationship
Relationships between companies and influencers depend on the campaign's objective and the type of collaboration. Promotions aimed at consumers can be part of short-term cooperation because in that case, average customers need to be convinced, not industry players. A B2B campaign requires a strategic approach, where the company must form long-term partnerships with industry experts and thought leaders in order to succeed.
Purchase decision making
Influencer marketing campaigns require businesses to choose authentic influencers who understand the particularities of their industry. In business-to-consumer marketing, the target audience is individuals who make decisions depending on their personal preferences. They usually buy small amounts of products and they - or their families - are the sole beneficiaries of them. In B2C, decision-making is faster, smoother, and often more emotional.
In contrast, B2B buyers do extensive research before making a purchase, and their decision-making is influenced by several parties or different departments within an organization. Since businesses buy in large quantities, they need to make sure the product or service is compatible with their current system and tools, and that it will be profitable in the long run.
Regional markets
It is common for B2C brands to collaborate with international stars. Think about the sports brands that collaborate with footballers and tennis players. Their names guarantee the quality of the advertised product on any continent because they are known and admired around the world. The study, however, suggests that B2B companies should work with local influencers when entering new markets or locations. Besides speaking the language, local influencers are connected with other respected experts and thinkers who can be potential partners in a campaign, as well as knowing the local buying audience, i.e. the companies they can target.
Building a Successful B2B Influencer Marketing Strategy
Being an indispensable and reliable authority in your field is crucial for ensuring the success of your campaign and the growth of your business.
Define your goals
Defining goals is the first step in developing a strategy. A B2B influencer can help you achieve many ToFu, MoFu, and BoFu goals, but the most common ones are lead generation and nurturing, increasing conversion rates, establishing thought leadership, and raising brand visibility.
Identify your target audience
Defining the ideal customer requires an understanding of their market and business environment. It is important to identify the size and location of the target companies and estimate their spending capacity. Your message should be addressed to the right person in the organization. Additionally, you should determine pain points, because your content strategy can provide solutions to them.
Search for relevant B2B influencers
Find influencers with solid knowledge or experience in your industry. Influencers in B2B can be business owners, journalists, academics, opinion makers, and thinkers. Additionally, your own employees can create B2B content if they have enough influence and good storytelling and networking skills. The bottom line is that you need people who are trustworthy and are masters of their fields.
Analyze your selected creators
The selection of influencers should not be limited to the validation of proficiency. Content from the chosen creator must engage the target audience and at the same time reflect the image and values of your company. Keeping in mind that the goal is to strengthen your position as an authoritative source in your industry, the content should be insightful and backed up by data that proves your expertise and competence.
Develop relationships with influencers
There are many ways to build relationships, and the method will depend on whether the given person knows your organization. You may invite them to your headquarters and show them around. They can assist you with developing an employee advocacy program and training employees. They can be involved in product development or asked for their opinions before new products are introduced, for example. The more they understand your product or service, the more authentic the collaboration and the more likely it is that the campaign will succeed.
Measure ROI
As 84% of the respondents agreed that a good ROI guarantees the budget for future initiatives. Thus, it is essential to monitor the return as well as other KPIs related to the brand's marketing efforts. In the B2B realm - where contracts are long-term - quality and quantity both matter. Companies should generally also consider the quality of leads generated by influencers during campaigns. Valued customers stay customers for a long time and can even bring you more business. 43% of the surveyed marketers stated that influencers’ roles contributed to a significant growth in ROI and sales.
Don’t forget about transparency
Clearly disclosing paid promotions on social media or other platforms enhances your brand's credibility. It is imperative that the published content adheres to all local, regional, and national legal requirements.
Brands that Ace B2B Influencer Marketing
A number of brands create content with experts in their fields or topics that complement theirs. Companies in the tech, telecommunications, and marketing industries realized the power of B2B influence early on, and they continue to partner with specialists to position themselves as a reliable source of information.
A well-known marketing, CRM, sales, and customer service software, Hubspot provides a wide variety of features and tools and offers resources, like free e-books and templates. Furthermore, the brand was supported by many respected and well-known professionals in their fields through guest blogs, videos, and podcasts.
Many companies have seen that their own employees can enhance their revenue or public perception. It is for this reason that companies like Adobe, IBM, Dell, and Salesforce have developed employee advocacy programs, that can increase brand awareness, deepen trust and increase engagement.
Key Takeaways to Keep in Mind
In summary, influencer marketing for B2B companies has many differences from B2C marketing, but by implementing the right tactics, it can be highly effective for reaching a wide range of objectives. Here's a quick rundown of key ideas about B2B influence.
B2B influencers can help you create authority and credibility in your niche.
Look for key opinion leaders, well-established individuals, professionals, and experts with a huge influence in your industry.
Build long-term relationships with your creators to ensure the success of the collaboration.
Recruit your employees to enhance authenticity.
Embrace creators’ unique points of view and cooperate with them on content.
Provide your audience with educative content backed up with data.
