Influencer Marketing News and Tips

Standing Out From AI: Why Humanizing B2B Marketing Is Key In 2023

Lane Ellis on Jan 18th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

How can B2B marketers craft content that truly stands out from the growing volume of information that may be touched more by artificial intelligence (AI) than human hands?

Faced with increasing automation from ChatGPT and other AI-infused tools, B2B marketers are seeing human touch-points taking on greater importance, as they become a key differentiator in 2023.

When used as a tool that is only one part of a broad strategy, ChatGPT and other AI technology offer B2B marketers certain advantages — as we explored recently in “The Prompt Whisperer: ChatGPT’s Rising Reach In B2B Marketing & The AI Revolution,” however big questions and challenges arise when human elements are excluded.

Standing Out From AI: Why Humanizing B2B Marketing Is Key In 2023

The Sweet Spot for Getting to Know B2B Influencers

Debbie Friez on Jan 16th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Blind pitching rarely works. It sometimes works, but not to the level you need for a meaningful relationship. For real success in B2B influencer marketing, a real relationship is needed.

What motivates influencers to work with a B2B brand? Ann Handley, chief content officer at MarketingProfs, said in the TopRank Marketing 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report she has to “Feel rapport with the brand and with the people behind the brand,” and “Like the people I work directly with.”

Finding that sweet spot where you can have a meaningful conversation and rapport with top thought leaders is where you will find real success in B2B influencer marketing. It’s just like knowing that that one place your kitten will let you pet, the one he likes more than anything, so you can make him purr on demand. That’s when you have found the sweet spot.

The Sweet Spot for Getting to Know B2B Influencers

How Influencer Marketing Can Drive a Full Funnel Content Strategy

Joshua Nite on Jan 9th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

In case you’re new to the blog, our agency is pretty sold on B2B influencer marketing. Now, when we say influencer marketing, we’re not talking about tanned and toned Gen Z’ers sitting poolside, endorsing your SaaS solution. At least not for your first campaign.

No, influence in B2B is all about value and credibility:

Your brand lends credibility & new audience to influencers
Influencers lend credibility & new audience to your brand
Both audiences get trustworthy, valuable content

As our recent report shows, B2B marketers are steadily increasing their influencer marketing sophistication. But despite the progress, many still think of it as an exclusively upper-funnel tactic.

Just like content marketing, however, influencer marketing works better with a full-funnel approach.

How Influencer Marketing Can Drive a Full Funnel Content Strategy

25 Women Who Rocked as B2B Industry Influencers in 2022

Lee Odden on Dec 29th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Over the past few years aka “the Covid years” the role of influence in B2B marketing has grown significantly. Our 2022 research report, The State of B2B Influencer Marketing, reported that 85% of B2B marketers believe that interest in working with influencers in the coming 12 months will increase. On top of that, of the B2B marketers that do engage in influencer marketing programs, 86% consider their efforts successful.

There’s a lot to be optimistic about, especially in a business environment that requires B2B marketers to find every advantage they can to grow in a potentially down market.

25 Women Who Rocked as B2B Industry Influencers in 2022

Elevate B2B Influence: Strengthen Your 2023 With Our Top 10 B2B Influencer Marketing Posts

Lane Ellis on Dec 14th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

2022 has seen B2B marketers continuing to find creative new uses of influencer marketing, which has proven to be more recession-proof than other marketing tactics — and why 2023 is expected to see even more marketers and brands utilizing the power of B2B influence. We’ve been fortunate to feature many fine articles on our blog over the year that explore how B2B marketers are making the most of social media marketing to elevate and achieve new levels of success.

We’re also fortunate to have a wealth of talented B2B marketing professionals contributing to and reading the TopRank Marketing blog — which will celebrate its 20th year in 2023.

Elevate B2B Influence: Strengthen Your 2023 With Our Top 10 B2B Influencer Marketing Posts

20+ Reasons B2B Brands Are Increasingly Moving To Influencer Marketing

Lane Ellis on Dec 5th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Why are B2B brands increasingly turning to influencer marketing?

B2B influencer marketing is the business-oriented cousin to the B2C Instagram entertainment and lifestyle influencer. In B2B, some influencers go by creators, subject matter experts, industry experts, or other terms that disassociate them from the B2C influencer.

Whichever term is used, B2B influencer marketing provides an ideal way to combat disintegrating brand trust, so it’s no wonder that by the end of 2022 the B2B influencer marketing vertical is expected to reach $11.7 billion in revenue, with over 38 percent of B2B firms exploring influencer marketing for lead-generation and more, according to AdAge.

B2B influencer marketing is a many-faceted digital diamond that when done well shines brightly, however brands need to be wary of treating it like its vastly different B2C counterpart.

20+ Reasons B2B Brands Are Increasingly Moving To Influencer Marketing

Planning, Creation & Promotion: 5 Top Tactics For Creating Inspired B2B Content

Lane Ellis on Nov 16th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing

5 top tactics to create inspired B2B content group of marketers at table image

How can marketers create the kind of inspired B2B content and customer experiences that will overcome today’s challenges and surpass tomorrow’s higher expectations?

With the right planning, careful creation, and strategic promotion, there isn’t any need for a secret formula for successful B2B content, as our chief executive and co-founder Lee Odden recently shared with top B2B marketers at the 2022 Content Marketing Conference.

2023 is set to see more content than ever come into existence, as the 4.6 billion pieces of content that are produced every day in 2022 expands, through ever-increasing output from human hands as well as artificial intelligence-augmented or generated content.

With so much competition for limited attention, how can B2B marketers build content that stands out?

Planning, Creation & Promotion: 5 Top Tactics For Creating Inspired B2B Content

Community Influence: B2B Influencer Marketing & The Ascent of Digital Communities

Lane Ellis on Nov 2nd, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Just how important have digital communities become today, and why does the rising trust we place in them harmonize so well with B2B influencer marketing?

It’s no secret that the world has become digital-first during the pandemic, but one change that may surprise many is just how important online communities have become.

People have shifted to identifying the most closely with their online communities, for the first time surpassing traditional non-digital community groups, a change borne out by recent survey data.

A simultaneous pandemic change has seen trust in brands and marketers falling significantly, with 50 percent of U.S. consumers finding it difficult to trust brands since the pandemic began, according to report data from Salesforce.

Community Influence: B2B Influencer Marketing & The Ascent of Digital Communities

Your B2B Influencer Marketing Program Checklist

Katelyn Drake on Sep 22nd, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Ready to launch your B2B influencer strategy, but not sure where to start?

We’ve got you covered! Get started on the journey toward boosted brand awareness (and more!) with this quick guide detailing the first steps of initiating a B2B influencer marketing program.

First, identify your purpose.

Dive deeper into understanding your clients, their true objectives, and how your business serves them. Through client surveys and interviews, you’ll learn how your clients feel, gain new insight into their influences, and strengthen your overall relationship.

Next, it’s time to invest and execute.

Use your newfound understanding of your buyers to create a small pilot program. Start by collecting new data, testing overall program effectiveness, and identifying areas for improvement. A pilot program is a learning opportunity that prepares you for long term strategy. Kind of like an hors d’oeuvre before dinner.

Your B2B Influencer Marketing Program Checklist

Turn Influential Fans Into Brand Ambassadors With B2B Influencer Marketing

Joshua Nite on Aug 22nd, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

What turns an influencer into a brand ambassador?

One answer you might be hearing more often is, “A big ol’ wad of cash.”

But while it’s true that B2B influencers want to get paid (don’t we all?), there’s an enthusiasm and authenticity that money alone can’t buy. And once you have a group of true brand ambassadors on board, you’ve got something wonderful that your competition can’t duplicate.

At the heart of it, creating brand ambassadors means pulling your influencers into a purposeful community united in common interests and goals. It means making an ongoing effort to engage and delight these folks so they can engage and delight their audiences.

Turn Influential Fans Into Brand Ambassadors With B2B Influencer Marketing

How B2B Marketers Can Benefit From Working With More Diverse Influencers

Joshua Nite on Aug 1st, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

When was the last time you saw someone in a wheelchair in your day-to-day life? Someone just going about their daily routine, who also happened to be in a wheelchair?

Now, when was the last time you saw someone in a wheelchair as a main character in a movie — a movie that wasn’t entirely about being in a wheelchair?

You can apply that same thought experiment to any type of diversity: race, gender, sexuality, body size and shape are all underrepresented in the media.

If a cisgender, heterosexual white man like me can see this lack of representation, how does it look and feel to those who are in marginalized groups? What is the entertainment industry missing out on by ignoring these voices?

How B2B Marketers Can Benefit From Working With More Diverse Influencers

Triple Take: How to Make B2B Content Marketing More Influential, Authentic, and Credible

Nick Nelson on Jul 25th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing

When it comes to creating effective B2B marketing content, these three traits arguably rank as the most essential: credible, authentic, influential.

Credible: Does the content position its author or brand as a knowledgeable and authoritative expert in their space? Enough so that it aids in justifying a decision to invest in their solutions?
Authentic: Is the content reflective of what that person or brand is really about? Does it instill trust through truth and transparency?
Influential: Does the content actually shift perceptions and drive the reader or viewer toward some sort of action?

These three qualities, in a nutshell, differentiate marketing content from plain-old “content.” When all three are realized in the hearts and minds of your audience, a piece of content is almost guaranteed to achieve its objectives — provided you have the right promotion plan in place.

Triple Take: How to Make B2B Content Marketing More Influential, Authentic, and Credible