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66% of B2B companies now use generative AI in their marketing efforts.
It’s no wonder; AI is cost-effective, fast and scalable. Ideal for producing endless streams of content.
Our B2B Social & Influencer Forecast found that 1 in 2 UK workers researching business products or services unfollowed a B2B business because of its content.
Why? Screen fatigue, scepticism and a real hunger for authenticity. Buyers want valuable information they can trust, with over 1/3 of UK workers trusting information from individual reviews on comparison sites the most.
So, connecting with buyers doesn’t demand visibility. It demands credibility.
Connection, intimacy, trust.
Those are the building blocks of influence, and the key to gaining credibility and standing out in today’s market.
Our data shows that 34% of UK workers trust recommendations from real people in business content. LinkedIn echoes this: 87% of B2B buyers prefer credible content from trusted industry influencers.
That means buyers value advice from real people who share their experiences and interests above everything else.
If you want connection, intimacy and trust with your audience, you need to lean on real people. You need to work with influencers.
The logic is simple. Your audience is far more likely to trust content when it comes from an influencer in their space. Someone they feel a real connection with. And, through your association with said influencer, that trust can pass to your brand.
Now let’s get stuck into the execution. It’s all well and good leveraging influencers, but you need to work with people your audience trusts to guide them. Not just any old Joe with a million followers.
We recommend using the following factors to evaluate an influencer’s suitability:
We see the greatest success when influencers are really embedded in a brand. 41% of UK workers trust influencer content more if it’s created by a genuine advocate and regular user of the product or service.
These influencers don’t just broadcast your brand’s message. They shape your culture, products and services from the inside. It’s a trend we’re seeing across the B2B world: SMEs popping up more and more in product cycles as beta testers, advisory board members or even fractional CMOs.
When you focus on the ‘IN’, influence isn’t manufactured; it’s earned. An influencer’s recommendations feel genuinely credible because of their lived experience with your product or service. It’s one reason why we recommend choosing long-term partnerships over one-off sponsorships.
A great example of leveraging the ‘IN’ of influencers is our work with LinkedIn for the brand’s marketing solutions portfolio. We set out to identify, build relationships with and leverage B2B influencers who were already using LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. Why? Because they knew the products inside and out (and buyers knew that too).
We did everything from providing ongoing data-driven content support to placing influencers in key speaking roles at events and sharing regular newsletters to maintain engagement with the influencer network. The result? 38 monthly brand mentions, 534,298 average monthly reach and much, much more. All contributing to our goal of exposing audiences to consistent brand messaging through authentic voices they trust.
Perhaps the most valuable B2B influencers at your disposal are your own employees. They can shape perception, build credibility and connect in ways that traditional sales tactics can’t.
To make your employees real influencers, you should empower them and listen to their insights. After all, they’re exposed to your prospects every single day. Who better to reveal their true needs and pain points?
But if employees just reshare brand messaging, they’re not going to stand out. They need their own unique perspective, with 43% of UK workers trusting business content more when it has a clear opinion or point of view.
Think of it this way: every employee is now part of your sales team. And given everything we’ve talked about, sellers need to show up as creators, not closers. By providing helpful content, sharing real perspectives and getting involved in communities where buyers are communicating, like Reddit, your employees avoid a catch-all sales approach. They show up with real authenticity and knowledge that helps them (and you) connect with prospects.
Our work with Autodesk is a great example of how B2B brands can stand out when they work with influencers. The global 3D design and make software leader launched a new brand identity, and called on us to find the perfect B2B influencer partnerships. The vision? Show off what they can do to design and software experts everywhere. And it’s fair to say they got what they wanted: 375k+ organic social impressions and an average engagement rate of 6.98% – well above industry average.
Buyers don’t trust AI-generated content. They don’t trust the information it provides, and its lack of originality just doesn’t sell. In today’s world, where buyers are flooded with content, B2B influencers offer a real way to stand out from the noise and connect with decision-makers.
Want to see how B2B influencer marketing can give your brand a competitive edge? Get in touch with our team of experts at [email protected] or on +44 (0) 20 7592 1200.
A B2B influencer is a trusted expert, thought leader or credible industry insider who professionals listen to for advice and information they can trust.
B2B influencers, through their connections with potential decision-makers, bring measurable influence to the buying process, making them a valuable resource for B2B brands.
Trust is everything in B2B, and buyers are tired of content they can’t trust. Content that isn’t authentic or doesn’t deliver real value. Influencers are uniquely positioned to build trust and credibility as they have their own authentic, personal and expert voice.
By leveraging B2B influencers, brands can “borrow trust,” boost brand credibility and influence purchasing decisions.
Content that provides real value has the biggest impact in B2B influencer marketing.
Formats like technical explainers, webinars, podcasts, expert interviews or thought-leading pieces work well. Above all, content needs to genuinely come from the influencer. It can’t feel manufactured or unauthentic.
Focus on the ‘In’ of influencers: thought leaders and experts who have lived experience with your product or service. This way, their voice isn’t manufactured, it’s earned. That’s the sort of authenticity that connects with decision-makers.
And don’t just focus on influencers with a broad audience. Tapping into micro-influencers; specialists with smaller but highly engaged audiences, can be a rewarding tactic.
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