The phrase “influencer marketing” often brings images of fitness, fashion food and lifestyle influencers – those with many thousands of Instagram followers as well as major brand collaborations. In terms of the definition, you will immediately picture B2C companies that wish to market their products and services directly to customers.
But this perception is changing rapidly in 2022. In reality, B2B companies across a range of industries that appear to be unconventional are increasingly relying on influencer marketing to promote the products or services they offer. The majority of purchasing decisions in the B2B market are driven by demos of products or user testimonials.
In a recent webinar on influencer marketing Still by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) the Cleveland-based Moen explained that it relies on influencers to promote its line of bath and kitchen faucets, as well as other accessories.
In the field of marketing, influencers are now more crucial than ever before in almost every field. In the HubSpot 2022 industry trends report influencer-based marketing is the leading trend in the field of marketing for the year. In actuality, 61% of people are influenced by what influencers have to say about brands more than what a company can say about itself.
For a variety of B2B businesses, Influencer marketing can help in increasing brand awareness as well as fostering trust with consumers and increasing the loyalty of customers to brands.
How to Use Influencer Marketing in the B2B Space
Every day, users are overwhelmed by information from the internet, blogs of companies emails search engines, and many more. Influencer marketing is where it could be a factor.
The opinion of peers is more than any other source when making the purchase decision. This type of validation from a third party is much superior to a company boasting about its good qualities. Influencers can develop their brand’s reputation and credibility to influence and influence their followers’ purchasing choices.
The principal objective for B2B influencer-based marketing is to bring your brand’s name into the eyes of an influencer’s current audience and establish confidence over time. It’s a method of building credibility and establishing social proof that the brand’s products and services are effective, genuine and meet the promises they make. In other words, it’s a highly effective way of using word-of-mouth promotion–digitally.
When properly executed When implemented properly, influencer marketing can provide a huge ROI to B2B firms with the following outcomes:
- Engagement with the audience
- Lead generation
- Acquisition of customers
- Advocacy and brand loyalty
“That’s the most appealing aspect about influencers. Everyone has a brand story to share and our primary points of reference however, when they come from a creator or a person whom you follow, people connect the person to what they’re recommending,” explained Sara Jensen, social media and influencer manager at Moen.
Who are B2B Influencers?
If you are considering an influencer marketing strategy you should first know the potential customers and what their particular influencers are.
Influencers in B2B industries are those whom clients trust to advise and support them in their decision-making process. They can range from opinion B2B lead generation and analysts from the industry as well as experts within the industry or just customers who can share their knowledge. Over time the B2B influencers have earned their name based on the experience, knowledge, and authority they have gained within the field.
How to Implement an Influencer Marketing Strategy
1. Set Your Goals & KPIs
Before you begin any project, it’s important to establish your short-term and long-term goals and what you’re hoping to achieve through your influencer marketing campaign. These goals will influence every aspect of your strategy, and ultimately, you can evaluate the success of your campaign.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are determined by the overall goals of an influencer-based marketing strategy. Keeping your objectives at the top of your list during its development is vital.
Here are some KPIs to help assess the effectiveness of your influencer marketing program:
- Brand is mentioned
- Brand recognition
- Engagement rate
- Conversions
2. Determine Your Content Strategy
Based on your objectives Based on your goals, you’ll need to decide on the type of content you’d like influencers to be involved in, create or contribute to. The main benefit of engaging influencers is that they can provide your company with a boost in manpower to support the creation of content.
“We don’t want to use influencers just because it’s cool or because other companies are using them,” Jensen said. Jensen. “Working with [influencers], we can get some great value.”
“There are moments when they’re able to highlight our product with a cool video that we never would have been able to make in our own four walls,” said Amanda Keiber, director of corporate communications at Oatey.
A few examples of marketing initiatives that influencers can be part of are panels, videos, or event announcements, an increase in the quality of content already available and much more.
3. Stay True to Your Audience
It is essential to select influential people who are knowledgeable in your particular field, but it’s crucial to select those that your target audience is aware of, trusts and cares about. When you partner with an influencer you’re getting access to their followers. So select wisely the ones who can effectively convey your brand’s story to the most relevant people. This will enable your influencers to interact in an effective way which will ultimately increase the benefits of your collaboration.
4. Think Long Term
When designing the B2B influencer marketing strategy, it is crucial to think in the long run. Influencer marketing programs for B2B which run for an extended period and utilize the same group of influencers have a greater success over intermittent campaigns. In the ideal scenario, you’ll want to build a long-term relationship with these influencers. This allows your company to maximize the reach of its followers to achieve the most effective outcomes.
Where B2B Influencer Marketing is Headed in 2022 & Beyond
In the B2B sector, the digital transformation has increased in recent years due to the spread of the. In a recent report, Gartner reported that 80 percent of sales in the B2B market are being done digitally. This has an impact on both the buyer and business behavior as a vast majority of the market model is conducted digitally too.
With the major shift in online behavior in B2B buying decisions the significance of using influencer marketing has increased in the field. Buyers depend on these trusted sources to help inform and influence their purchasing decision-making.
In the next few years over the next few years, the next few years, B2B marketing industry will be more focused on engagement with digital media, experience, and growth. Content continues to play a significant role in this space, but influence and experience will become more common than ever. In light of this, B2B marketers will need to leverage relationships with influencers create content experiences that draw buyers, and engage and convert them with a strategy that creates long-term trust and brand loyalty.
Read more:
