A report in August found that 86% of brands successfully used influencer marketing to advertise their brand. For most marketers, the strategy is working, and B2B brands achieve the desired results by boosting brand awareness and augmenting reputation to increase sales directly. It is predicted that the revenue generation for influencer marketing by the end of 2022 will be around $11.7 billion. Apparently, influencer marketing skyrocketed in popularity during the pandemic, forcing most marketers to adjust their go-to-market strategy.
Read more about influencer marketing here: https://www.sustainablemindz.net/influencer-marketing/.
Here are some statistics to show that B2B influencer marketing can be successful:
Very successful – 86%
Improved brand reputation – 72%
Generated new leads – 56%
Direct revenue generation – 33%
How does the B2B influencer make a difference?
You can apply influencer marketing techniques across various business sizes and sectors. For instance, GE provided six influencers with a tour of its R&D centre and allowed them to share this unique insider information with their 3.5 million Instagram followers. It was a huge success, and #GEInstaWalk garnered more than 200,000 engagements in just 48 hours.
In another example of influencer marketing, Bloomberg profiled Bernard Marr discussing business strategies and the future of technology. Incidentally, the videos won him over 2 million followers and caught the attention of major corporations such as Google and Microsoft.
B2B influencer marketing is precisely what it is – highly influential people with built-in audiences and credibility across certain areas speak or write about another company’s expertise so that the people following them pay attention.
Importance of B2B influencers beyond 2022
During the pandemic, digital was a big stage, where B2B became pivotal for sales and marketing. In 2020, digital B2B ad spending in the United States climbed by 33.1%, and in 2021 it was about 39.1%, hitting $12.12 billion, accounting for around 42% of total B2B ad spend. Clearly, business goals shifted as market landscapes changed post-COVID. Yet, the trend is still upward. Influencer marketing is actually providing a solution to unsurprising and unprecedented content proliferation without any consequences across social media.
If returns are diminishing, get a B2B influencer marketing strategy to spread your brand’s awareness across platforms to compete in overcrowded feeds. For every dollar spent, businesses earned anywhere between $5.78 to $18 in potential publicity (stats from Influencer Marketing Hub’s 2020 Benchmark Report), and according to the Global Nielsen Marketing Report of 2022, influencer marketing drives more than 70% of brand recall against traditional media. In B2B influencer marketing, content starkly stands out in a swarming feed and fetches high ROIs when promoted in the influencer’s network.
Benefits of B2B influencer marketing-
Among many are the top 5 advantages of the B2B marketing strategy.
Social Evidence
As a concept, social proof facilitates customer decisions based on what other people are doing. This makes influencers powerful leaders who affect the choices of others. Thus, an influential spokesperson can boost a brand’s social proof.
Renewed Audience
With B2B influencer marketing campaigns, brands can access previously untapped potentials – these are the followers. The shareability of internet material plays a significant role here.
Knowledgeable Collaboration
Connecting with experienced and prominent people in the market gives your brand a fresh voice. It is true, especially for B2B influencer marketing.
Boost Customer Loyalty
Influencers don’t just discuss the product; they also give their opinions and invite constructive criticism. Dedicated followers build a certain amount of trust, which augments loyalty.
Reusable Content
User-generated content is an excellent marketing approach. When you collaborate with an influencer, they will produce material you can graciously promote on other social media networks.
