With all the talk about AI in marketing, there’s one place that no one’s looking. And I think it’s about to take over B2B.
Influencers.
It’s been a common tactic in B2C for decades – Kylie Jenner promoting makeup, Shaq pushing GoldBond, and Snoop Dogg endorsing a smokeless grill.
B2C brands have partnered with smaller “micro-influencers” to promote products as well. It clearly works.
But why hasn’t B2B caught on?
Two major shifts needed to happen. And I believe they now have.
Here is why I believe influencers will become one of the most dominant marketing channels in B2B over the next few years.
Shift #1 - The Rise of Personal Brands in B2B
The main reason we haven’t seen B2B influencer marketing take off is that we’ve had a major supply issue.
Up until a few years ago, professionals mostly kept their work personalities to themselves. It would have been rare to find an employee telling others what they think about their job online. There was no such thing as a “personal brand” associated with your job.
But with the growth of LinkedIn, that has completely changed.
Now, professionals freely share their opinions online, connect with like-minded people in their field, and build massive personal brands and followings. It also helps with getting hired, which is a big reason for its growth.
Companies have leaned into the trend too. Over time, they’ve realized having employees with large personal brands helps the business, so they allow it (and sometimes encourage it).
And with that, you get an explosion of professionals building personal brands, and ultimately, B2B influencers.
Over the next few years, I predict the number of B2B influencers will grow. Which will create more “human marketers” with captive audiences that B2B brands will pay a lot of money to access.
Supply problem solved. That is shift number one.
Shift #2 - Access to Information Has Changed the Buying Process
An increase in the supply of influencers by itself isn’t enough to start an influencer marketing renaissance.
Buyers have to want to consume content from influencers to make this all work.
That’s happening too. Here’s why.
We are in the era of immediate access to information across all facets of our lives – personal and professional. Whether it’s a new dinner recipe or enterprise-grade software, it’s never been easier to get information about it.
This access to information has fundamentally changed the way people purchase products.
When a buyer wants information about something, they can easily turn to reliable online sources to get that information. These sources have a massive influence over their purchasing decisions.
Up until the mid-2010s, buyers had to rely on company-generated content to get the information they needed about products. But with social media, both the access to information and the information-gathering process have completely changed.
Today, buyers often seek out information from sources they actually trust before ever engaging with a company. Sources like online communities, industry peers, social media content...
And of course, influencers.
According to Hubspot's B2B Buyer Trends Report:
One surprising result of the 2024 B2B Buyer survey was the revelation that buyers are predominantly discovering new software tools on social media. They rely on these platforms 60% of the time, which is far more than their next leading source of new information, which is marketing emails at 41%."
Why trust a company's word when you can go look at what solutions experts in the space recommend? It's easier, less biased, and doesn't put a target on your back for sales reps who are trying to sell you.
The demand for unbiased, trustworthy information is increasing, which creates a massive opportunity for influencers.
The Result: The Influencer Marketing Wave in B2B
Now that supply and demand are sorted, the path for B2B influencers has been cleanly paved. Buyers want trusted information, and professionals are sharing that information publicly. It's the perfect scenario for influencer marketing to take off in B2B.
If you look around online, you’ll see it happening yourself.
Companies like Clay and Hubspot recently launched creator programs that reward content creators and influencers with perks and revenue share for driving sales of their products. Hubspot even gives out a monthly investment to content creator partners.
They’ve realized the reach and influence these creators have on their audiences and are investing in the channel massively.
They pay them a commission on sales. The influencer gets to say they’re a Hubspot or Clay creator partner, giving them a ton of authority. It’s a win-win for all parties.
If the two of the leading tech companies placing bets on a new marketing channel isn't enough to get you to pay attention, I'm not sure what will.
Here’s an example of a Clay influencer sharing the product.
What’s Coming Next
While AI continues to dominate the headlines in every area (including B2B marketing), the influencer opportunity has been slowly growing in plain sight. Buyers are demanding more genuine, authentic interactions with brands than ever before. Creators are creating those interactions.
Information is more easily accessible and available online, creating less need (and desire) for buyers to engage with companies to get their information.
There are more influencers than ever before, creating ease of access and lower costs for companies to partner with them.
And other factors, like the rise of Gen Z in the workforce and the explosion of short-form social media content, are supplementing this already growing trend.
And that’s why I believe influencers are uniquely positioned to take over in B2B marketing.
Are we going to see multi-million-dollar superstars created like we do in media and professional sports? I doubt it.
But will we see major brand partnerships and huge careers made from it? Absolutely.
The road for B2B influencers has been paved and the takeover is happening. The question is, how big is it going to get?
Hey! If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe. Every couple of weeks, I share my thoughts on life, business, and marketing.
