Did you know that 77% of marketers say their prospective customers rely on advice from industry experts? From posting educational content to sharing their favorite software solutions that they use in the day-to-day, why wouldn’t you be interested in hearing from thought-leaders (or influencers) in your niche?
In today’s article, we are going to talk about whether influencer marketing is worth the hype (or not) for B2B businesses. But first, let’s address why brands are investing in influencers.
Why Are Brands Investing in Influencers?
The rise of influencer marketing has been a hot topic in the social media space over the past few years. In fact, the influencer industry is projected to reach $16.4B in 2022.
As the industry continues to project forward with new apps emerging on the scene like TikTok and other apps, influencer marketing is one strategy your brand won’t want to miss out on.
So, why influencers? A few reasons why B2B brands are looking to influencers to be part of their marketing strategy include:
- They Make Your Brand Relatable– Influencers have been able to create relationships with their followers and have become trusted voices within their niche. This makes them an important tool for B2B brands looking to reach new audiences and make their products more relatable. In the B2B space, it is common to see many brands that can come off as “unrelatable.” Don’t let that be the case for your brand.
Influencers add that human touch needed to elevate your brand forward and stand out amongst the competition in today’s social media realm.
- They Spread Brand Awareness – Instead of remaining dependent on your current audience for traction, you can spread your brand message even more so with the power of influencers. By utilizing influencer marketing to its fullest potential, you can give your target audience a taste of who your brand really is.
- They Bring in More Sales – Lastly, influencers can bring in more sales! People trust influencers because they feel as if they know them better than anyone else.
They feel that by following an influencer, they get to know more about them because they’ve developed a relationship with them over time — digitally. When they buy something recommended by an influencer, they feel like they are making a personal decision rather than just buying something based on advertising or promotion.
Now that you know why B2B brands are leveraging influencers to scale their businesses, where do you begin your influencer marketing journey? Here are our top tips.
How Can Your B2B Business Leverage Influencers?
Influencers have the power to change your business growth for the better. The key is to build relationships with them so that they can help you get your message out to the right audiences.
Here are some ways you can leverage influencers to boost your B2B business in 2022.
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Create Influencer Marketing Goals
What do you want to achieve with your influencer marketing campaign? Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Get people talking about a product or service? Or, perhaps you want to increase sales? Setting clear goals will help ensure that your campaign is successful.
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Reach Out to the Right Influencers
After establishing your goals, it’s time to reach out to the right influencers in your industry. Try reaching out to those who are 1) in alignment with your brand voice 2) post consistently 3) have engagement on their posts. Quality is better than quantity so be sure to only reach out to those who you believe are a great fit for your influencer program.
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Consider Different Sizes of Influencers
When reaching out to the right influencers, don’t forget to look at all of your options! Just because someone may not have a ton of followers, they still may bring in more leads to your site compared to the mega-influencers.
Another thing to note is that you shouldn’t only set your sights on social media influencers. Bloggers and podcasters also have a great influence over your target audience too. So, be sure not to neglect to add these people to your list of prospective influencers as well!
Are Influencers Worth the Hype?
Now for the moment, you’ve been waiting for…..are influencers worth the hype?
Yes! Influencers are worth the hype — but only if you choose the right influencers in your specific niche.
A few key takeaways from today’s message include:
- To have a goal. Without goals, it can be hard to understand if your influencer campaigns are successful or not.
- Reach out to the right influencers!
- Not to be afraid of different types of influencers, like micro-influencers, for example. (They may not be able to send traffic your way like a mega-influencer, but they’re a lot easier to get in touch with and they can sometimes send referrals in your direction.)
All in all, there are many benefits to incorporating influencers into your lead generation efforts—you just have to get started!
So with that being said, what influencer marketing goals do you have for your business in 2022? What steps are you going to take to kickstart your B2B influencer marketing program?
Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Ryan Gould. Ryan serves as Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Services with Elevation Marketing. From legacy Fortune 100 institutions to inventive start-ups, Ryan brings extensive experience with a wide range of B2B clients. He skillfully architects and manages the delivery of integrated marketing programs, and believes strongly in strategy, not just tactics, that effectively aligns sales and marketing teams within organizations.