If you have been present on social media in the last ten years, then you are probably already familiar with the concept of influencer advertising. If you didn’t realize already, this is also how many of your favorite content creators are able to financially support themselves off social media. Companies are willing to pay big money for the most popular influencers to show off their product to their millions of followers. And there is a good reason behind this. Influencer marketing has proven to be wildly successful in the years since its inception.
If you are looking for an effective way to get people talking about your product or service, it’s time you step into the world of B2B influencer marketing. To understand B2B influencer marketing, you must first understand what influencer marketing is in general. Let’s take a look at influencer marketing and how it is done.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Marketing methods have always been changing and evolving alongside technology. From the days of newspaper ads, radio ads, TV ads and finally internet ads, we have seen tons of growth in the marketing world. In 2022, one of the most popular ways to advertise is using influencers. Influencer marketing is a rapidly growing field that focuses on utilizing content creators with large followings to advertise products and services.
This method of advertising has grown in popularity due to its effectiveness. Having a real person that has built up a trusting relationship with their audience advertising your product is extremely effective. There is also the element of lifestyle. If followers want a lifestyle similar to that of their favorite influencer, then they will want to buy the products they use to try and emulate them.
Influencer marketing has been so effective that we have seen products sell out in minutes after a mention from a popular influencer. Now that you know about influencer marketing, let’s get into the specifics of B2B influencer marketing.
B2B vs B2C Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has been popular for B2C (business to consumer), but it can also offer the same benefits with B2B (business to business). B2B marketing is known to concentrate on deepening the customers knowledge of your product rather than using emotions to trigger interest. This can be highly effective in influencer marketing as your influencer of choice can help create a deeper understanding of your product by doing tutorials, unboxings, or product reviews.
How Does it Work?
In B2B marketing, the business will typically approach an influencer with an established following that matches their target audience. The company will usually offer to pay the influencer directly for their promotion or they will offer their product or service for free in exchange for a mention. After the form of payment and the terms of the advertisement are agreed upon the content creator will then produce content that promotes your business and will help encourage their following to make a purchase.
Why You Should Try It
B2B influencer marketing is a great way to increase your credibility as a business, especially if you are newly established. It can also help get your name out there and help you gain respect and authority in the industry you operate in. There is also the possibility of broadening your network as this form of marketing will help you reach new groups within your target audience. Not to mention its high conversion rates when compared to other methods of marketing.
Before You Dive In
Once you have decided that B2B influencer marketing is right for your business, you will want to consider a few things before you dive in. You will first want to consider your marketing goals. This will help you determine which influencers have audiences that match the demographic you are looking for and how wide you want your ad to reach. You will want to spend a good amount of time researching any potential influencer partners. Make sure their online presence does not conflict with the values of your company. If they have a clean image online, then you can move forward with pitching your potential partners to your marketing team.
Once you have made contact with your influencer of choice, you will want to establish a partnership with them. Make sure you are on the same page and come prepared with any campaign guidelines that you would like them to follow.
The Future of Marketing
Once your ad is out there, you will want to track the results and provide feedback if you plan on working together again in the future. B2B marketing is going to continue to be one of the most successful methods of advertising for years to come, so it’s time to give it a try if you haven’t already.