This may come as a shock, but influencer marketing is for more than just consumer brands. Australian b2b businesses are increasingly tapping into the power of influencers to reach their target audience, build trust, and drive business growth. In fact, three-quarters of businesses in the b2b space are already using b2b influencer marketing and 93% plan to significantly increase their spending in this area in 2024, according to a report from Ogilvy.
With decision-makers relying more on peer recommendations and industry experts for guidance, engaging the right influencers for your marketing can amplify your brand’s message and create substantial results.
How to identify the right b2b influencers for your brand
Finding the right influencers is the first step of a successful b2b influencer marketing campaign. Unlike b2c, where popularity often takes precedence, b2b influencers must possess domain expertise, industry credibility and a strong network within your target market.
Before you reach out to your dream influencer, first clearly define the goals and KPIs you want to achieve from your influencer strategy. This might be brand awareness, lead generation or thought leadership.
Now, with a solid idea of your objectives, it’s time to look for a quality collaborator. You can start your search close to home, among people who are already fans of yours. These may be existing customers, business partners, or even employees who love to sing your praises.
Looking further abroad, consider industry experts, thought leaders and consultants who have a strong online presence and are respected in your field. Their trust and authority with your target audience can be extremely powerful when leveraged to mention your brand.
Don’t dismiss the cut-through of micro-influencers. Though smaller, their audiences can be highly engaged and more effective than those with larger, less engaged followings. In fact, HubSpot reports that 61% of b2b marketers saw the most success when they worked with micro influencers with between 10K-100K followers.
You may want to use tools such as Tagger from Sprout Social or Vamp to help you select through thousands of vetted creators and influencers. Having said that, whichever influencer you consider, conduct a thorough evaluation of their content yourself. Review for quality, their engagement rates and how well their style aligns with your brand.
How to craft a compelling b2b influencer marketing campaign
The opportunities created by b2b influencer marketing are huge, but only some will tick the boxes you need to generate your desired benefits. To ensure your message resonates with your target audience, work closely with your influencer. A strong collaboration not only provides more value to your audience but makes it more likely that the endorsement will feel genuine and will be perceived positively by your audience.
It's also important to remember that although you’re trying to appeal to b2b priorities such as financial incentives and long-term solutions, you’re also trying to connect with people. Therefore, innovative campaign ideas can make your b2b influencer marketing efforts stand out. Keep your business goals firmly in mind and connect them to creative campaign ideas, such as:
- Expert roundtable discussions featuring influencers to share insights on industry trends and challenges.
- Case study collaborations with influencers to develop in-depth narratives that highlight the successful implementation of your products or services.
- Live Q&A sessions with your influencers to engage your audience in real-time discussions about relevant topics.
- Allow your (trusted!) influencer to do a takeover of your company’s key social account with your audience and share creative, authentic, and relevant content.
Strategies to amplify b2b influencer marketing content across channels
Maximising the reach of your influencer content requires a multi-channel approach. Here’s how you can amplify your influencer campaign visibility:
- Share influencer content across your social media platforms and encourage your audience to engage with it.
- Include influencer content in your email marketing to provide valuable insights and drive engagement.
- Feature influencer-generated content on your website to build credibility and showcase expert endorsements.
- Use paid social ads to boost the visibility of influencer content to a broader audience.
We mentioned that your ideal influencers could be employees who are already hyping up your brand – take advantage of your amazing internal leaders! Employee brand advocacy usually occurs via LinkedIn, but is increasingly playing out on Instagram and TikTok. These internal ‘rising stars’ can be powerful micro-influencers who know your company better than anyone and lend significant authenticity to your brand voice. Encourage them to share their expertise and insights to build your brand’s authority.
Similarly, long-term partnerships with industry experts as brand ambassadors can lead to consistent and credible promotion of your products and services. Authentic endorsements from employees and brand ambassadors can foster trust and loyalty among your audience.
How do you measure the success of b2b influencer marketing campaigns?
While the novelty of partnering with an influencer can be exciting, ultimately, it must show success in your data. Here are ideas for tracking your KPIs and metrics to ensure your campaign aligns with your goals:
- Monitor engagement such as likes, shares, comments and overall interaction with the influencer content.
- Measure the reach and impressions your campaign achieved.
- Track the number of leads generated through influencer campaigns using tracking links and dedicated landing pages.
- Analyse the tone and brand sentiment of comments and discussions around the influencer content to gauge audience perception.
- Track the number of conversions attributed to the influencer campaign, whether it’s demo requests, sign-ups or purchases.
- Consider A/B testing to determine which platforms are giving you the best ROI on your influencer campaigns.
Whichever strategies you use to track ROI, ensure you embed and test your tracking before you begin. Also, be prepared to adapt your campaign as you progress to make sure it aligns with your goals.
The ultimate word-of-mouth recommendation
Successful b2b influencer marketing is captivating and memorable. Monday.com and Adobe partnered with influencers who created excellent product demonstrations that also highlighted benefits. Logistics tech company, Flock Freight, even won a Cannes Lion award (rightly so) for this entertaining piece featuring Steve Burns of Blue’s Clues fame to elevate their brand awareness.
Innovative campaign ideas can make your b2b influencer marketing efforts stand out. By focusing on brand alignment, creativity and KPIs, you can achieve your marketing objectives and drive substantial business growth.
Brand chemistry is a b2b content marketing agency that specialises in content creation. We can help you unlock the power of content, to attract your target buyers and develop a consistent pipeline of high-quality leads.