Why influencers for B2B marketing?
Put simply, people trust people over brands. Business investments are frequently complex. Advice, recommendations and insights are sought from peers. B2B influencers are individuals who directly or indirectly influence the thoughts, behaviours and actions of buying decision makers, through their presence at events, their content and their digital and face to face conversations. A strategic, effective influencer collaboration can build brand trust, shift perception, support a demand-generation programme and more. There are, however, a great number of challenges in working with influencers:
A key outcome for B2B influencer programmes is to frame our context by the company we keep. The halo effect of working with liked, respected, authoritative and relevant influencers in our space will shift our perception amongst target audiences. Specificity with both your topics and your influencers is vital in ensuring you genuinely move the dial on whatever your brand objective.
Of course, we’re already all doing influencer marketing– working with consulting economists or academics on a piece of thought leadership, with customers on their stories and so on. What’s missing, however, is that dimension of digital influence, a critical component of future marketing success.