B2B is undergoing a great amount of change when it comes to how businesses market and communicate their brand to their target audiences. Currently seen as a difficult area to grow leads, there are tactics you can employ to grow your reach, expand your community, and ultimately build your brand.
As we continue to shift towards a digital marketplace, it’s important to take note of what B2C companies are doing to continue their upward growth trajectory. There are many tips B2B businesses can take from B2C that can have a great impact on business growth. One of these tips, or tactics, is the inclusion of influencer marketing in their social media and general media strategies.
What is a B2B influencer?
Much like B2C, influencers in the B2B space are people who are thought of as experts in their particular industry and speak openly and readily to audiences within those particular industries. They share insights, recommendations, and open discussions within their chosen spaces, and align with brands and companies that fit within the communities they engage with.
Who should you align with?
As many people will already be aware, anyone can call themselves an influencer. The most important thing to be aware of when choosing who to align your brand with is their position within the industry. Only align your company with reputable influencers who have positioned themselves as trustworthy and reputable. The trust involved for these influencers means their audience expects authenticity and quality in return for their engagement.
Why work with B2B influencers?
Influencers are great at building online communities, something that has long been a focus for many growing brands. By tapping into the online communities created by these people, you are tapping into an established network of like-minded individuals, amplifying brand awareness through increased visibility.
What does it mean for you?
Endorsements from B2B influencers within their online communities allow you to utilise the thought leadership and expertise of people positioned as industry leaders. Industry leaders are present in key conversations, meaning they’re speaking directly to the businesses and organisations that you likely wish to target. Building long-term relationships with these influencers gives your brand a level of trust and credibility with their audience and opens up a whole new world of networking opportunities.
What should you look out for?
Where B2C may have experience and opportunities when it comes to influencers, B2B brands must remember to be particular about who they partner with. Selecting people who align with your brand values, target audience, and industry niche is of the utmost importance. Focusing on authentic, personalised, and valuable content that is going to resonate with your audience is key to leveraging the trust and reputability of influencers to grow your business.
How do you find the right people?
Find out who is speaking to your audience and where they are as a first point of call. Look into those who are consistently showing up as producing high-quality content and use partnership platforms and performance analysis tools to ensure you are approaching the right people. Make sure their audience aligns with yours, whether it’s through the aforementioned partnership platforms or a targeted SEO search with your keywords.
Want to learn more about how you can utilise influencer marketing to grow your B2B business? Get in touch with us today!
