Since the beginning of influencer marketing, brands have leveraged the creativity and reach of influencers and celebrities to endorse their products and services directly to creator audiences. It’s no wonder then that, up until now, the industry has mainly been thought of as a B2C practice (business-to-consumer)… but things are changing.
Often overlooked in the discussion of the creator economy, B2B influencers are carving out a niche as powerful as powerful players in driving scroll-stopping attention for brands. As we step further into the age of B2B influence, brands are realising the value they can have in helping to shout about their products and services. So let’s take a closer look at B2B influencer marketing, and why you really shouldn’t ignore it.
B2B influencer marketing is a collaboration between businesses and subject specialist creators to promote the brand’s product or service through the creator’s expertise.
The shift in the creator economy to favour smaller-scale creators has made a huge impact on the influencer marketing landscape, resulting in a sharp rise in B2B influencer marketing. Unlike their B2C counterparts, B2B creators are not just social media personalities; they are industry experts, thought leaders, and trusted voices within their respective industries, allowing their content to come across incredibly authentically and very credible.
Employee advocacy has emerged as an effective form of B2B influencer marketing, being utilised by some of the biggest brand names on the planet. When employees advocate for their brand’s products or services, they leverage their expertise and credibility to reach and influence other brands within their network. This can be a super valuable and outside-of-the-box approach to B2B influencer marketing, effectively enhancing brand visibility and trust when done right.
So, B2B influencers are on the up. But why? As we’ve mentioned brands are starting to value the impact smaller creators and their genuine and dedicated audiences can have. But something we think is worth noting is Gen-Z. Often thought of as being the young generation, they’re growing up. They are now a big part of the workforce meaning the way B2B brands promote themselves has had to adapt to appeal to a younger generation of professionals. Gen-Z are a demographic who live on TikTok, and whose purchasing decisions are influenced by authentic creator content, and B2B influencers align perfectly with this.
On a podcast with The Drum last year, our Managing Director, Stevie Johnson, was asked “What has sparked the boom of B2B influencers?” He said:
“Ultimately, we’re entering into the age of reputation. There’s no real hiding place for businesses anymore, especially with the growth of social media and the conversations and communities that are out there. So, businesses need to understand whether their products offer good customer service, and now’s the time to find out. Reputation, trust, all of these things are vital and can be built through the use of influencers. Any research over the last ten years, even before B2B was a thing, confirms that influencer credibility, measured by expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness, has a positive impact on purchase intention. B2B businesses are now recognising the importance of this and are trying to catch up with the B2C space.”
Stevie Johnson ‘B2B influencer marketing: Who’s leading the pack?’ (The Drum Network)
While B2B influencer marketing doesn’t quite provoke the sexiness of your traditional influencer marketing campaign, the benefits for B2B brands are undeniable. Through a strategic approach that allows brands to speak directly to their target audience, through the voices of entertaining, highly-trusted and relatable influencers, the results can be truly impressive.
Here are the benefits you can expect from a well-executed B2B influencer marketing campaign:
The tech vertical remains a significant focus for B2B influencer marketing, as these creators effectively communicate the benefits of new technologies, educate businesses on their applications, and even conduct hands-on demonstrations, but this is rapidly expanding.
The role of a B2B influencer can extend beyond traditional online social media creators. B2B creators are able to offer ‘in-person’ influencing, which can be in the form of company introductions, talks and webinars, and even participation in product development processes. These personalised interactions enhance engagement and build deeper connections.
Last year, we partnered with Toolstation, to increase awareness of their ‘Click and Collect’ service within the trade industry by leveraging influencers. Despite initial concerns about whether this strategy would align with brand image, our knowledge of the B2B niche enabled us to identify influencers who were authentic tradesmen, precisely targeting Toolstation’s desired demographic. By using influencers across IG reels and TikTok, and by staggering the content over a few weeks, we successfully built interest in the brand’s service. Toolstation was incredibly happy with the results delivered, achieving 1.2m organic impressions, amplified to 4.9m through a combined organic and paid social media approach. With over 1.3k+ purchases resulting in a remarkable 13:1 ROI and a huge increase in traffic to their website, the client was extremely happy with the B2B influencer marketing strategy.
Elsewhere, some of the most well-known brands on the planet have utilised the power of B2B influencer marketing to drive awareness and performance:
Microsoft harnessed the influence of B2B partnerships to address the gender gap of women in STEM careers. Partnering with National Geographic, the #MakeWhatsNext campaign showcased female role models and promoted access to computer science education. By partnering with B2B influencers, Microsoft spoke directly to the next generation of female leaders, supporting inventors, and advocates for diversity. Microsoft aimed for change within its workforce and the tech industry. Through these efforts, Microsoft aimed to inspire and create a more inclusive future in STEM with the help of influential voices.
Something we’ve already mentioned is that a brand’s employees can be considered B2B influencers through well-executed and strategic advocacy. IBM is a great example of how this can be an effective way of marketing the brand through people. Being a titan that covers a wide set of industries, they knew that finding a particular influencer to cover the brand as a whole would be challenging, so instead they looked to their employees for promotion. Paula Glynn, Business Coach, and Director of Search Marketing & Digital Strategy for Pixel Storm says “The tech giant believes, and truly so, that there’s no one who knows your products better than the people who manufacture and sell them. So the company encouraged employees to tweet about their products on their social media to attract customers”.
So is there a particular B2B influencer marketing platform that is the standout best performer?
Like B2C, there are certain steps that need to be put in place before running your campaign in order to measure success at the end. That begins with establishing clear and concise goals and following up with a strategy that can allow you to achieve them.
The primary focus of a B2B platform is sales. Businesses want other businesses to buy from them (sorry for stating the obvious). Naturally, this doesn’t always happen overnight. Especially for an emerging product or service, so initially, the view of a B2B influencer marketing campaign is to build brand awareness and consideration among potential buyers.
Tracking awareness metrics is pretty simple, you can find our full breakdown of the numbers behind influencer marketing here.
But as we’ve mentioned, a B2B influencer marketing campaign is all about revenue which means driving lower-funnel performance activity and increasing sales is a must. Unlike B2C however, the purchasing journey for a B2B campaign can take a little longer. Consider the situations:
Ultimately, both awareness and performance metrics are vital to measuring success in your B2B influencer marketing campaign.
Where once there was a stigma attached to the term ‘influencer’ – that is the case no longer. As we enter the creator-led future, influencers and creators have a seat at the digital marketing table. And this evolution goes beyond B2C, making significant inroads into the B2B space.
As we continue to step forward into the age of influence, its vital brands are aware of the importance of reputation and trust. Building and maintaining a positive reputation hinges on authenticity and credibility and as personal branding continues to grow, and niche creators continue to build genuine audiences within their industries, tastemakers will play an increasingly pivotal role in shaping the way B2B businesses connect with their target audiences, driving innovation and growth.
We have established that B2B isn’t confined by social media. We think employee advocacy presents a unique opportunity for B2B brands and will present itself as a core part of the B2B influencer marketing sphere. Authenticity is paramount, and employee advocacy has the potential to bypass the challenges of brand control, offering a more genuine and effective approach.
While the execution may differ between B2C and B2B influencer marketing, the underlying principles are the same. Regardless of industry or audience, campaigns need to be underpinned by transparency and a genuine connection between creator and brand. Which needs to be supported by a well-executed strategy.
Looking ahead, we think the future of B2B is bright. The age of B2B influence holds a lot of potential for brands – With tangible results and measurable outcomes now increasingly attainable, they have the opportunity to drive sales, generate leads, and enhance brand sentiment in ways that were previously unimaginable.
At Disrupt, we’ve already built a proven track record of running effective B2B campaigns that garner attention and lead to big sales. So if you’re considering branching out into the influencer space, get in touch.