Influencer Marketing News and Tips

How the Most Successful B2B Marketers Work with Influencer Marketing Agencies

Lee Odden on May 2nd, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

As B2B companies look to create more authentic and meaningful experiences for digital first customers, content marketing co-created with industry and internal influencers has enabled many organizations to deliver information that is more empathetic, useful and inspiring.

Growth B2B brands are seeing the influence piece of the puzzle as an opportunity to better attract and engage increasingly distracted and distrustful customers. Many of those ambitious B2B marketers are looking for ways to accelerate their use of influence both internally and externally.

Since our first paid B2B influencer engagement in 2012 with a Fortune 500 brand that is still our client today, we’ve seen an acceleration in B2B marketers seeking expertise, technology and best practices for engaging influencers. In 2022 those solutions come in many forms ranging from independent B2B influencer marketing consultants, to software platforms that also sell services to specialist agencies with teams dedicated to the strategy, tactics, technology, measurement and scale of B2B influencer marketing programs.

How the Most Successful B2B Marketers Work with Influencer Marketing Agencies

Optimize for B2B Marketing Success with an Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist

Lee Odden on Apr 11th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

B2B Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist

Did you know? 48% of B2B marketers say their top challenge with influencer marketing is a lack of a documented strategy. And no wonder: 53% of B2B marketers either do not have an influencer marketing strategy or it’s not documented. (2022 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report)

While influencer marketing for B2B brands has gained momentum and popularity, a lack of strategy is recipe for disaster. Of course no company can have all the answers right away, but working with influencers in a way that creates a positive impact on the business requires a unique approach.

If there is an expectation that partnering with influencers will advance marketing and business goals, key questions need to be answered.

Who are the right influencers?

Optimize for B2B Marketing Success with an Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist

Does B2B Influencer Marketing REALLY Work?

Joshua Nite on Apr 4th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Online Marketing

Does B2B influencer marketing really work image

B2B marketers are always being told to borrow tactics from B2C. But imagine if B2B companies practiced influencer marketing the way B2C brands do. You pick a star with a huge following on social media, pay them to promote your product, and get a ton of reach…

Spoof ad with Taylor Swift promoting cloud storage solutions

…and I’ll write your name.

It’s easy to see why this tactic wouldn’t work. No offense to Ms. Swift, but only a sliver of her followers are likely to be in the market for a new SaaS solution. More to the point, Taylor’s audience doesn’t come to her for business suggestions. She has the reach, but not the relevance.

So, can influencer marketing work for B2B?

Does B2B Influencer Marketing REALLY Work?

Who Is the New B2B Buyer and How Do You Connect with Them?

Joshua Nite on Jan 11th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

We all know that Millennials are out-of-control college kids doing shots on Spring Break. And Gen Z are the 10-year-olds currently being raised by TikTok, right?

Hold onto your hats: The youngest Millennials are in their late-twenties. The oldest Gen Zs are 25 — that means they’re out of school and in the workforce. These two demographics are the fastest-growing cohort of B2B buyers.

And they don’t think like Boomers or Gen Xers.

So how do B2B marketers reach these mysterious digital natives? Here are a few pointers.

How to Connect with the New B2B Buyer

You don’t need the latest slang to speak authentically to younger audiences (though I find the new slang totes yeet). Just keep in mind these preferences.

Who Is the New B2B Buyer and How Do You Connect with Them?

Why There’s a Need for Creative Storytelling in B2B Tech and How Influencer Marketing Can Accelerate Results

Debbie Friez on Dec 21st, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Today’s B2B marketers have more challenges than ever, making it hard to cut through the noise and deliver results for their companies. In all of their efforts they must maintain a focus on connecting with new audiences, expanding their reach, and building relationships founded on a sense of mutual trust.

Here are a few examples of some of the biggest challenges today’s B2B marketers are facing:

Finding ways to boost marketing efficiency: Marketers are often expected to achieve greater results with fewer resources, so finding ways to maximize efficiency is critical to achieve success within budgetary parameters.
Increasing marketing impact: Marketers are expected to deliver a higher return on investment (ROI) on their marketing efforts.

Why There’s a Need for Creative Storytelling in B2B Tech and How Influencer Marketing Can Accelerate Results

Persistent Power: Accelerate B2B Marketing Results by Working With Influencers in 2022

Lane Ellis on Dec 7th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

The power of collaborative B2B influence is poised to revolutionize marketing in exciting and expansive new ways in 2022, but what’s the best way for your company to get started?

HubSpot recently named influencer marketing a top industry trend for 2022, and in the U.S. alone spending on influencer marketing is expected to top $4.1 billion in 2022 (eMarketer.)

In an increasingly competitive landscape, the critical question many B2B marketers are asking is how to use the power of influence to genuinely connect with new, larger audiences.

Discovering the biggest challenges B2B marketers face and how influencer marketing can address them and accelerate B2B marketing results is no small task. Developing effective strategies can be a daunting proposition.

Persistent Power: Accelerate B2B Marketing Results by Working With Influencers in 2022

Expand 2022 Marketing Success & Learn From Our Top 10 B2B Influencer Marketing Posts

Lane Ellis on Dec 1st, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

In 2021 B2B marketers have witnessed a continuing rise in the power of influence, expanding on the explosion of interest in the practice of B2B influencer marketing over the past several years. With more savvy practitioners than ever going all-in, B2B influencer marketing has continued to be a primary focus on our blog throughout the year.

We’re fortunate to have a wealth of talented B2B marketing professionals contributing to the TopRank Marketing blog — which will celebrate its 19th year in 2022, and as an industry topping $20 billion annually, influencer marketing has grown in sophistication. The insight and expertise our team has acquired helping some of the top brands in the world including 3M, Adobe, SAP, LinkedIn, and Oracle plan, implement and measure influencer programs has often made it here to our blog. To help our blog community grow their influencer marketing knowledge, we’re happy to offer this list of our most popular influencer marketing posts of 2021.

Expand 2022 Marketing Success & Learn From Our Top 10 B2B Influencer Marketing Posts

B2B Influencer Marketing Named Top Marketing Tactic for 2022: What You Need to Know

Lee Odden on Nov 29th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

B2B influencer marketing 2022

In HubSpot’s 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Report featuring insights from over 1,000 global marketers, influencer marketing was named the top marketing trend.

What is even more promising is that content formats ideal for engaging influencers including short form video and virtual events were also in the top 5 marketing tactics from the coming year.

As we bring 2021 to a close, Marketers all over the world are making decisions about how to come out of the pandemic era with trust, confidence and improved marketing results. More than ever, digital experiences, authenticity and the ability to connect with customers in meaningful ways are essential for success in the new year.

B2B Influencer Marketing Named Top Marketing Tactic for 2022: What You Need to Know

Amp It Up: What B2B Marketers Need to Know about Social Influencer Amplification

Joshua Nite on Nov 1st, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Allow me one more scary story, even though Halloween is over…

Once there was a marketer who created an eBook with content from ten respected influencers in their industry. The marketer released the eBook, sent an email to notify the contributors…

And not one of them shared the content. Without amplification, the content was dead on arrival, and some say it haunts the marketer’s office to this very day…

Whew! Spooky story, right? One of the big benefits of influencer marketing should be built-in amplification of the content.

But influencers don’t always hold up their end of the bargain. Fortunately, there are a few things that B2B content marketers can do throughout the content co-creation process to help influencers follow through on amplification.

Amp It Up: What B2B Marketers Need to Know about Social Influencer Amplification

One Simple Step to Elevate the Practice of B2B Influencer Marketing

Lane Ellis on Oct 4th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

The uncertainty of 2020 created an environment of rapid digital transformation for B2B brands that impacted every area of business including marketing. B2B brands pivoted pre-pandemic marketing strategies to new go to market models for a digital first customer that in many cases is less trusting of traditional sources of information and paying more attention to industry peers, experts and influencers.

So what do these changes mean for the rest of 2021 and into 2022? Will B2B marketers continue to rely on partnering with trusted voices in the industry to drive full funnel impact for their marketing? Answers to these questions and more are essential in order for B2B brands to continue in their efforts to innovate on marketing effectiveness, differentiate from the competition and accelerate the sales journey. B2B marketing has evolved over the past 18 months and will continue to evolve with your help.

One Simple Step to Elevate the Practice of B2B Influencer Marketing

Inside B2B Influence: Brian Solis of Salesforce on the Future of Influence in B2B Marketing

Lee Odden on Sep 19th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

If this is your first time, Inside B2B Influence is a podcast series that goes behind the scenes of B2B marketing and highlights insights with top business executives on influencer marketing for B2B companies. At TopRank Marketing we’re doing our best to connect readers and listeners with B2B marketing insiders on strategies, trends, tactics and the future to elevate the practice of growing influence within and outside of B2B brands.

In Episode 17 of Inside B2B Influence we have a returning guest who needs little introduction given his accomplishments and yet, we’d all be missing out if I did not mention that Brian Solis is Global Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce, an 8X best selling author, global keynote speaker, digital pioneer and has been a good friend for over 10 years.

Inside B2B Influence: Brian Solis of Salesforce on the Future of Influence in B2B Marketing

Unite with Might: 12 Top Ways Successful B2B Influencers Are Building Powerful Marketing Collaborations

Lane Ellis on Sep 15th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

How can B2B marketers build powerful and enduring collaborations using influencers?

There are more tactics available today than ever for influencer collaboration in the B2B space, but how can marketers find those that are actually achieving ongoing success?

We’ve been fortunate to feature top influencers from a number of industries in our third season of the Break Free B2B Marketing series of video interviews, and we wanted to share their top tactics for both being an influencer in the B2B space, and for improving collaboration.

Let’s dig in and learn how 12 subject matter experts are creating powerful collaborations between influencers and brands, with insightful tactics you can implement in your own marketing efforts as we head toward 2022.

Ramon Ray of Smart Hustle Media

@ramonray
Founder, Smart Hustle Media

Unite with Might: 12 Top Ways Successful B2B Influencers Are Building Powerful Marketing Collaborations