We’ve finally turned the corner to 2021 and like many other marketers in the B2B world, I am ready to make this year better than ever. One source of inspiration I’ve found effective are the insights from industry research. That’s one of the main reasons we conducted the first research survey around B2B influencer marketing.
Having watched the growth of influence in marketing for B2B companies closely over the past 9 years, 2021 represents a significant opportunity for marketers to connect with the trusted voices in their industry to co-create content, inspire meaningful engagement and community, motivate authentic brand advocacy and boost influence of brand executives and subject matter experts as well as the brand itself.
The data for B2B influencer marketing are compelling:
- 74% of marketers agree that influencer marketing improves customer and prospect experience with the brand
- 63% of marketers agree that marketing would have better results if it included a B2B influencer marketing program
- 12X more marketers are very successful who run always-on influencer programs vs. those who do periodic campaigns
- 60% of marketers who do not implement ongoing influencer marketing programs report not having the right skills in-house or knowledge to execute
But where should you start? Where should you optimize? What are successful B2B marketers doing when it comes influencer marketing? To help answer those questions and more, I’ve pulled out 45 key statistics from the State of B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report:
The B2B Influence Advantage
- 96% of B2B brands are confident about influencer marketing
- 90% of B2B companies expect their budget for influencer marketing to increase or stay the same in the next 12 months
- 77% of marketers say their prospective customers rely on advice from industry experts
- 84% of B2B marketers work with influencers to create brand awareness
- 69% of B2B marketers work with influencers to help generate new leads
- 78% of B2B marketers achieved increased social reach of brand content working with influencers
- 64% of B2B marketers increased the credibility of brand content working with influencers
- 53% of B2B marketers increased new leads by working with influencers
- 34% of B2B marketers increased sales by working with influencers
- 91% of B2B marketers say relevance of audience is the top criteria for selecting an influencer
“Engaging with influencers provides a myriad of competitive advantages.” Rani Mani, Head of Employee Advocacy at Adobe
See how Monday.com created a marketing advantage working with influencers to drive 1,790% above goal social reach from influencer shares of brand content. Case Study
The Engine of B2B Influence is Always On
- 60% of B2B marketers who use always-on influencer marketing are very successful vs. 5% of those who use periodic campaigns
- 34% of B2B marketers engage in always-on influencer marketing programs
- 25% of B2B marketers engage in intermittent influencer marketing campaigns
- 75% of marketers using always-one influencer engagement saw an increase in views of brand content
- 94% of B2B marketers using an always-on approach believe influencer marketing will grow in importance in the next 12 months
- 89% of B2B marketers using an always-on approach expect their budgets to increase or remain the same in the next 12 months
- 87% of B2B marketers collaborate on content with influencers
- 82% of B2B marketers engage influencers to promote brand content
- 66% of B2B marketers engage influencers to participate in events
- 58% of B2B marketers work with influencers as brand ambassadors
- 35% of B2B marketers work with influencers as brand advisors
“B2B brands would be wise to adopt an always-on influencer engagement approach and they look to build true brand advocates.” Garnor Morantes, Group Marketing Manager at LinkedIn
See how LinkedIn approached building a 75 strong influencer community organically with an always-on approach to influencer engagement resulting in nearly 2,000 brand mentions and 84 million in reach. Case Study
B2B Influencer Marketing Integration
- 90% of B2B marketers integrate influencer marketing with social media marketing
- 83% of B2B marketers integrate influencer marketing with content marketing
- 56% of B2B marketers integrate influencer marketing with public relations
- 50% of B2B marketers integrate influencer marketing with SEO
- 32% of B2B marketers integrate influencer marketing with ABM
- 83% of B2B marketers work with influencers to create blog posts
- 67% of B2B marketers work with influencers to create recorded video
- 64% of B2B marketers work with influencers to create webinars
- 59% of B2B marketers work with influencers to create interviews
- 52% of B2B marketers work with influencers to create podcasts
- 48% of B2B marketers work with influencers to create live video
“Integrating influencer content is a direct line to building trust and customer confidence.” Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs
See how Cherwell Software integrated their influencer marketing with content and social media to achieve a 342% better click through rate on content reaching a relevant audience that was 90% new. Case Study
B2B Influencer Marketing Operations
- 39% of marketers say their top challenge with influencer marketing is that the process is too manual
- 25% of less successful B2B marketers use software vs. 50% of the most successful to identify influencers
- 68% of the most successful influencer marketers have a documented strategy vs. 25% of the least successful marketers
- 76% of B2B marketers use software to identify influencers
- 66% of B2B marketers use software to monitor influencer social network activity
- 64% of B2B marketers use software to qualify influencers
- 63% of B2B marketers use software to measure and report on influencer campaign results
- 43% of B2B marketers use software to manage influencer campaigns
- 41% of B2B marketers use software to manage and nurture influencer relationships
“You need to come up with a strategy, plan of action and a process. All incorporate various tools and techniques and will give you the knowledge and skills to run a successful influencer marketing program.” Ursula Ringham, Global Head of Influencer Marketing at SAP
See how SAP’s influencer driven podcast, Tech Unknown was operationalized for multiple internal and external objectives resulting in a reach of 128 million from influencer shares and a 66% increase in downloads. Case Study
Whether you’re just getting started and considering a pilot project or you’re looking to optimize your existing influencer marketing efforts, you can find insights and inspiration from the State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report as well as the Inside B2B Influence interview series featuring top B2B brand marketers from companies like Adobe, Citrix, Dell, IBM, LinkedIn, Onalytica, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, Sprinklr, Spirion, and Traackr.
