You know, B2B influencer marketing and online dating aren’t so different.
As the season of new beginnings unfolds, B2B marketers and singles alike are looking for new connections. One that’s going to make them happy, not just in the short term, but in an always-on kind of way.
Much like online dating, making the right connection between brand and influencer presents quite a challenge. In fact, identifying, qualifying and connecting with ideal influencers was the most challenging aspect for brands with influencer marketing programs, according to our 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report.
Despite these hurdles, most in the B2B marketing world are confident that influencer marketing is incredibly valuable, especially as budgets continue to rise. According to TopRank’s own research, 53% of marketers shared they have a dedicated budget for influencer marketing, and that it’s growing.
Unlike dating, though, the issue of finding a B2B brand and influencer match usually boils down to a few common challenges. Here are those challenges as well as how to solve them so you can find the right influencers for your business.
Ready to stand out with influence?
Challenge 1: Platform fragmentation
Let’s keep this matchmaking metaphor going. There are as many influencer marketing platforms as there are dating apps to choose from. But here’s the problem: much like the dating apps, the type of individual you’re seeking may not be active on every single platform. Furthermore, there’s no single tool that covers all platforms where B2B influencers operate. Some marketers may think only of social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X when many business influencers may only be active on podcasts, industry forums, Substack, or Reddit.
An added complication is the need for different metrics across platforms, making standardized evaluation difficult. And even if they were the same, information could very well be outdated.
What’s the solution?
Find the right mix of tools that can crawl, index and mange data about influencers, their topics and the audiences that engage with them. For some channels like LinkedIn, you’ll have to do your homework directly on the platform. Read on: The B2B Influencer Marketing Software You Need to Succeed
Challenge 2: Over-reliance on AI tools
There’s nothing wrong with using AI for what is an extremely difficult and time consuming workflow. It’s no wonder so many marketers have turned to GenAI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. According to our 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report, 48% of responding B2B marketers said they’re using artificial intelligence to help find business influencers. As Nick points out below, marketers need to tread carefully when relying on AI for these personal engagements:
There are critical limitations to this approach, especially in B2B influencer marketing. Beyond the dependability of data being analyzed, AI has shortcomings pertaining to subjective context, nuance and strategic vision.” – Nick Nelson, Associate Director of Content, TopRank Marketing
Indeed, AI’s application here isn’t going to yield the best results in its current state. To find great results, you need skilled human oversight as many current AI tools miss the deep signals of credibility, specialization, and relationship potential.
What makes influencers special isn’t the data or their ranking on a list. It is their ability to humanize often complex ideas and to connect with, inspire and influence other people. LLMs aren’t so great at identifying those human qualities.
“In the end, you can’t trust AI to find you the perfect business thought leader match the same way you can’t expect AI to find you the perfect date.”
In the end, you can’t trust AI to find you the perfect business thought leader match the same way you can’t expect AI to find you the perfect date. You wouldn’t go out with someone 100% because an algorithm told you too, would you? Well, maybe some would – but is that a gamble you’re willing to take with your business? The same goes for matching up and entering into an agreement with an AI suggested influencer.
What’s the solution?
The big fail with AI tools and business influencer research is when marketers use them like a search engine. The first step in bad AI habits is to stop doing the bad habit. Instead, use GenAI tools to augment your influencer search. For example, when working in a new topic category, an LLM tool could help you get up to speed on the specific discipline so you know enough to then conduct a smarter search on a dedicated influencer marketing platform. Read on: Generative AI in B2B Influencer Marketing: New Data and Trends
Challenge 3: Outdated influencer lists
Ahh, if only you could type “perfect partner” into Google and get a list of suitable potential dates. And if you only could query “top (your industry) influencers” in the search bar and find the ideal fits for your B2B influencer marketing campaign. At this time, neither are recommended — not for best results anyway.
If you’ve tried this methodology (and many of you have, considering 52% of those we surveyed for the IMR said so), you’ll know that there’s usually no shortage of lists of “top experts” in the field. But alas, there’s a problem: The problem with sourcing influencers from listicles of industry experts is that they are often not vetted or specialized for your particular business or audience. Rarely have they been specifically researched through an expert lens.
“The problem with sourcing influencers from listicles of industry experts is that they are often not vetted or specialized for your particular business or audience.”
The good news is that just like it’s relatively easy to spot a fake in the dating world, it’s pretty straightforward to spot a poorly curated list of B2B industry influencers. And if it’s easy to spot a bad list, it’s also not too difficult to identify a high quality list. They are not common but they do exist. Thoughtfully written, unique bios with quality production and context are telltale signs of a good list.
We talk about the benefits of influencer marketing a lot, but you’re only going to see the benefits if you are working with influencers who are great matches for your brand. Finding those matches takes more work than borrowing names from outdated lists created by someone else.
What’s the solution?
If you don’t find a current, quality list of influencers for inspiration, you can create your own. Such lists can be very useful for generating goodwill with the influencers that are included. For a recent example of an influencer list curated by nominations from peers, see our 24 Women Who Rock in B2B Marketing – 2025 Edition.
Challenge 4: Lack of industry specialization and nuance
You can be misled when looking for influencer matches for your brand just like you can get catfished with online dating — whether purposefully or by accident, it happens.
I say this because many technical B2B sectors require deep subject-matter expertise. That expertise is only gained through experience, and this dynamic generates a lot of nuance. For a simplified example, you don’t want to end up with someone who has an expertise in industrial engineering when you’re looking for someone who is influential about mechanical engineering. Similar, yet also different in the most important ways.
The complexity of evaluating technical credibility without extensive domain knowledge can lead to things like co-creating content that doesn’t work, featuring a voice that’s not credible in your industry, getting in front of the completely wrong audience or worse, embarrassing your brand by featuring influencers that are clearly not a fit to those that know the difference.
What’s the solution?
Understanding nuance when finding influencers means a few things. One, if you are using an agency to help find the right influencer for your brand as is often the case, the agency staff working on your account should either have direct experience working in your industry or with influencers in your industry previously. Nuance also means the topics used to help search for influencers must be on-point.
“Nuanced understanding of an industry also means everything when it comes to recruiting and negotiating content with influencers that can produce both meaningful and impactful outcomes.”
Nuanced understanding of an industry also means everything when it comes to recruiting and negotiating content with influencers that can produce both meaningful and impactful outcomes. Outreach messages must convey relevance, credibility and the ability to make the influencer feel special. Not understanding the nuance of the industry makes that pretty tough.
Challenge 5: Audience quality vs. quantity
On dating apps, a long list of matches doesn’t mean much if none of them align with what you’re looking for. In the case of B2B influencer marketing, most brands are looking for influencers with quality audiences that match their ideal customer profile.
It’s fair to say that many marketers’ first instinct is to reach for influencers who have large followings since it implies greater reach. The assumption is that at least some portion of their audience has to fall into your ICP range, right? While likely, that small percentage isn’t going to get you anywhere because that audience likely isn’t solely following that influencer for your topic.
“Mega, macro, mid-size, micro, and nano influencers all have their place in a B2B influencer marketing program but the focus should always be on the relevance of the audience, not the size.”
Mega, macro, mid-size, micro, and nano influencers all have their place in a B2B influencer marketing program but the focus should always be on the relevance of the audience, not the size. You have to keep in mind their geo, age, gender, brand affinity, profession, engagement quality, content consumption habits, cross-platform following and content resonance – and that’s just scratching the surface.
Fully understanding an influencer’s audience takes time. Much like a dating profile can’t tell you everything (or can mislead) you won’t be able to draw definitive conclusions from a cursory look at following size or isolated interactions.
What’s the solution?
For many B2B marketers, their influencer strategy relies on outcomes that are directly affected not just by the relevance of an influencer’s audience, but the resonance. By resonance, I mean the degree to which the topics that the influencer publishes are engaged with by their followers. If what an influencer publishes resonates with an audience, there’s a very good chance that the same topic in connection with the brand partner will be well received and engaged with.
Find your B2B influencer marketing matchmaker
There’s no shortage of dating apps: Hinge, Bumble, Tinder, Farmers Only. They all have unique offerings, proprietary algorithms and matching methodology. But if you’ve dabbled in the world of online dating, then you know it can often take a lot of experimentation and attempts before you find the right person for you.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a partner in your search for influence who understands the strengths and limitations of each app, and knows you well enough to confidently guide you to the right match without the awkward and fruitless first dates?
You can think of TopRank Marketing as your expert influence matchmaker. We have a time-tested offering of influencer marketing solutions, strategies and existing relationships in a mix of B2B industries. Since 2012 we’ve developed our proven techniques for understanding B2B brands just like yours,, identifying the perfect influencer matches, and establishing relationships. But don’t just take our word for it:
“TopRank Marketing is the gold standard when it comes to B2B Influencer and Content Marketing.” Brian Solis
All of this is supported by a library of case studies that showcase the success you can expect from us when you allow us to handle your B2B influencer marketing matchmaking duties.
Looking for a matchmaker?
