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    Is your B2B company still stuck thinking influencer marketing is just for B2C brands?

    Once considered purely a B2C play, influencer marketing is becoming increasingly crucial for B2B success. But it’s not as simple as picking someone with a large following and hoping for the best.

    Influence is measured differently in B2B. It’s not about follower count or viral posts – it’s about industry expertise, professional credibility, and the ability to impact complex buying decisions that often involve multiple stakeholders and longer sales cycles.

    So how do successful B2B companies approach this terrain?

    What strategies actually work when it comes to finding, approaching, and collaborating with influencers in a B2B context? And more importantly, how do you measure the ROI of these partnerships?

    That’s what we set out to discover through our research. We partnered with Resend, Growth and Jones PR and surveyed 45+ industry experts about their strategies, successes, and lessons learned.

    Here’s what we found:

    Our Key Findings on How B2B Companies Leveraged Influencer Marketing in 2024

    To start, most surveyed companies have 50 employees or less.

    This shows how even smaller organizations are tapping into influencer marketing to achieve their goals, breaking the myth that it’s only for large corporations.

    When it comes to platforms, B2B companies are taking a multi-channel approach while focusing on professional networks. The top platforms primarily used for B2B influencer marketing campaigns are LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and blogs.

    However, LinkedIn is the platform that produces the best results when it comes to B2B influencer marketing for the largest portion of surveyed companies. This reinforces LinkedIn’s role as the go-to platform for professionals targeting niche audiences.

    The objectives behind these campaigns show classic B2B marketing priorities – brand awareness and lead generation are the most common objectives in B2B influencer marketing.

    To track their success, companies focus on both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Key metrics like lead quality and quantity, engagement rates (likes, comments, shares), website traffic, and sales conversion rates are the most popular.

    The top three factors when choosing influencers for B2B marketing campaigns are industry expertise and knowledge, influencer’s reach and audience size, and alignment with brand values and message.

    The approach to influencer partnerships tends to be focused and short-term. For most companies, the average length of influencer contracts is 6 months or less.

    Most companies typically engage with 5 or fewer influencers in B2B marketing campaigns at once.

    This shows a more targeted approach compared to B2C campaigns, which often involve larger influencer rosters.

    Companies are taking a hands-on approach to influencer management. Most companies typically find and select influencers for their B2B marketing campaigns by performing In-house research and outreach.

    This in-house approach extends to operational aspects as well – campaign management, contracts, and ongoing relationship management are managed mostly in-house.

    However, this hands-on approach comes with its challenges.

    The most challenging activities in implementing influencer marketing strategies are identifying the right influencers, maintaining authentic engagement, and budget constraints.

    Despite these challenges, the results speak for themselves.

    Most respondents have experienced multiple benefits of their B2B influencer marketing:

    • Expanded brand reach (84.62%)
    • Boosted engagement (66.67%)
    • Enhanced brand loyalty and trust (58.97%)
    • Increased sales (61.54%)

    When it comes to budget allocation, companies are still testing the waters. Most companies allocate 10% or less of their current digital marketing budget to influencer marketing.

    Content Marketing Benchmarks for B2B Companies

    To provide deeper insights into how B2B companies are performing with their content marketing efforts, we analyzed data from the Benchmark Group Content Marketing Benchmarks for B2B Companies.

    This resource tracks performance data from approximately 4,500 B2B companies and provides a comprehensive look at industry standards.

    According to data provided by the Benchmark Group Content Marketing Benchmarks for B2B Companies, in November 2024 companies had 18.5 new leads without offline sources (median, 198 contributors).

    The top quartile had 57 in the same period (also median).

    If you’re looking for more granular insights into your content marketing performance, you can join our free Benchmark Group Content Marketing Benchmarks for B2B Companies.

    Once you join, you can anonymously compare your content marketing performance with similar companies—at no cost.

    Simply connect your account to the group (100% anonymous) and access valuable data that helps you measure your results against industry benchmarks.

    You can even create your own Benchmark Group, so you can control who participates and shares performance data.

    And if content marketing isn’t your only focus, you can explore other Benchmark Groups tailored to channels like SEO, LinkedIn, email marketing, and more, to find the one most relevant to your specific strategy.

    Effective Strategies for B2B Influencer Marketing Campaigns and Why They Work

    If you think B2B influencer campaigns are just about hiring big names to promote your product, think again.

    Below, we covered the specific strategies that consistently deliver leads, conversions, and lasting partnerships for our respondents:

    Leveraging Niche Micro-Influencers

    While mega-influencers might dominate B2C marketing, B2B companies often find success by partnering with niche micro-influencers who possess deep industry expertise.

    These specialists often have smaller but highly engaged audiences of decision-makers and industry professionals who value their specific knowledge and insights.

    For example, a software developer with 5,000 engaged followers in the cybersecurity space often carries more weight with IT decision-makers than a general tech influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers.

    Natasha Rai of Explainerd says that their “most effective B2B influencer marketing strategy is partnering with niche micro-influencers in industries like tech and finance.”

    “Their expertise builds trust, and co-creating content like ‘how explainer videos boost B2B conversions’ resonates with their audience while showcasing our value. By focusing on LinkedIn and amplifying these collaborations with targeted ads, we connect directly with decision-makers, making the strategy both authentic and impactful.”

    Jessica Scherlag of Akamai also talked about how “working with influencers who may not necessarily have the largest audience but have a niche following that aligns with our target has proven to be an effective tool for brand awareness and perception.”

    Combination of High-Quality Content and UGC

    A successful B2B influencer campaign thrives on a balance between professionally crafted content and user-generated content (UGC).

    And influencers can help bridge this gap.

    Collaborating with them to co-create content—such as expert articles, webinars, or case studies—provides value to your audience while reinforcing thought leadership.

    At the same time, leveraging UGC from their followers, such as testimonials, reviews, or real-world applications of your product, creates a sense of community.

    This combination is especially effective in B2B, where decision-makers seek both proof of expertise and evidence of how your solution works in real scenarios.

    Oliver Brandrup of Neurogan shared how this strategy has been successful for them and why it works:

    “The strategy that has always been most successful for us is a combination of creating high-quality content coupled with leveraging user-generated content.

    The reason why we believe this combined strategy works is the collaboration between the company, influencer, and customer. By co-creating content, we can ensure that the influencer stays true to our brand, combining it with user-generated content shows that our products can address the needs of both companies and individuals.”

    PRO TIP: Are you using a LinkedIn company page as a part of your content marketing strategy? You might be interested in our free LinkedIn Company Page Overview Dashboard, which helps you track your key engagement metrics more easily. You can monitor everything from post engagement to new followers in one centralized location.

    Content-Led Strategies with Strong Industry POVs

    The most successful B2B influencer campaigns we’ve seen all have one thing in common – they’re built on strong, clear opinions about industry issues.

    This isn’t about being controversial, but about having a clear stance on what works, what doesn’t, and where your industry is heading.

    Instead of having influencers create generic “5 Tips for Better Cybersecurity” content, they might share their real experiences about why certain security approaches failed their clients, or why they switched from one technology stack to another.

    This kind of content gets attention because it’s based on real experience and takes a clear position.

    “The content-led strategies around the bold point of view proved most successful because it was aligned with the influencer’s persona, not just his reach and followers. Today influencer marketing in both B2B and B2C don’t necessarily have to involve a high profile influencer with 100k followers.

    The impact can also come from small creators who bring relevant and authentic content. Glossy influencer marketing will still be popular but the whole creator era is coming and will redefine all rules of authenticity and brand engagement (in my humble opinion).”

    Sofie Lehrmann

    Sofie Lehrmann

    Founder at MilkMoo

    Want to get highlighted in our next report? Become a contributor now

    Clint L. Sanchez of BlakSheep Creative also says how “involving influencers in the content creation process helped us produce highly specialized and authoritative content that resonates well with our target audience. This content not only benefits from the influencer’s expertise and credibility but also from their active promotion across their channels, leading to increased reach and engagement.”

    Find Influencers with Audiences on Multiple Platforms

    A tech influencer who shares detailed insights on LinkedIn, creates tutorial videos on YouTube, and writes in-depth articles on their blog can reach your target audience at different touchpoints throughout their day.

    This multi-platform approach works especially well in B2B because decision-makers consume content differently depending on where they are in their buying journey.

    They might first discover your brand through a quick LinkedIn post, dive deeper with a YouTube demo, and then read a detailed case study on the influencer’s blog before making a decision.

    “In a recent campaign for a B2B SaaS client, we hired a marketing influencer with a well-established newsletter and a large LinkedIn audience.”

    “The newsletter drove a higher volume of traffic to the offer (an event), while the LinkedIn posts drove more comments and public engagement, which allowed the brand to participate in the conversation.”

     

    Josh Krakauer

    Josh Krakauer

    CEO at Sculpt

    Want to get highlighted in our next report? Become a contributor now

    PRO TIP: Do you also use email marketing and newsletters in your B2B company? If so, it might be easier to track your email metrics and KPIs using our free HubSpot Email Marketing Overview Dashboard. In one place, you can connect all your most relevant metrics and see what’s happening with your campaigns in real-time.

    Focus on Influencers Genuinely Interested in Your Product for Better Authenticity

    There’s a world of difference between an influencer who’s just doing their job and one who genuinely believes in your product.

    Our research shows that the most successful B2B influencer campaigns happen when the influencer already uses your product or is genuinely excited about what your company is doing.

    You can spot these potential partners easily – they might already be talking about problems your product solves, or they work in companies that face challenges similar to your target customers.

    Sometimes, they’re even your existing customers who are already sharing their positive experiences without any formal partnership.

    When influencers have real experience with your product, their content practically writes itself.

    They can share specific features they use daily, describe how they’ve integrated your solution into their workflow, or explain exactly how it solved problems for their team.

    Hardy Desai of Supple Digital shared their perspective on this strategy:

    “We employ B2B influencer marketing strategies both for the agency and some of our clients, and the most effective strategy that we usually employ is reaching out to influencers who are interested in the company’s products/services themselves, and have them test, experiment with, and spread the word to their audience.

    Being authentic is a key factor for B2B influencer marketing success, so we look for influencers with strong B2B marketing prospects who also happen to enjoy what the company they’re trying to promote offers.”

    Leverage the Emotional Connection and FOMO  

    While B2B marketing is often viewed through a strictly professional lens, the most successful influencer campaigns tap into the same psychological drivers that power B2C marketing – aspiration, belonging, and fear of missing out (FOMO).

    When you understand and know how to leverage these emotional triggers, B2B brands can create communities that go beyond traditional business relationships.

    “We believe that influencer marketing has two uses – the typical brand awareness that comes with influencers and their follower count and a cult of personality trust effect.

    There’s a lot of value in learning from influencer B2C strategy – do we like them? Do we want to be them? Do we want lives or friends like theirs?

    Our most successful marketing campaigns have had that ripple effect. Its increased follower count, but also engagement and company tags across the board on social media of both Dimmo and the team. By accessing ‘belonging’, we see the threads of community woven together through true and proper FOMO.  People want to be part of a conversation, especially if people they admire are already in the web.”

    Troy Munson

    Troy Munson

    CEO at Dimmo

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    Examples of Successful Influencer Collaborations – Selection, Campaigns, and Results

    It’s one thing to talk about strategies; it’s another to see them in action.

    These case studies reveal how businesses that we talked to partnered with influencers to drive measurable success:

    Working With Micro-Influencers Brought New Customers

    Micro-influencers typically have audiences between 1,000 and 100,000 followers, but what makes them powerful is their deep connection with these followers.

    Their audiences trust their expertise because they regularly engage with them through detailed technical discussions, industry-specific advice, and practical solutions to common challenges.

    Manoj Kumar of Orderific shared the details of his successful collaboration with micro-influencers:

    “At Orderific, one of our standout influencer partnerships was with local restaurant-focused micro-influencers across various cities, like New York and Dubai. Instead of going after large, well-known influencers, we deliberately worked with micro-influencers who had a strong connection with their local communities and a genuine voice. These influencers may not have millions of followers, but they are trusted, and their recommendations carry weight because they feel more like real people rather than promotional machines. 

    For instance, we collaborated with a group of food bloggers to promote our AI-powered upsell tools and zero-commission features for small restaurants. The campaign was designed to highlight how Orderific helps these restaurants grow by using the same technologies usually reserved for larger chains, like data ownership and AI-driven order management. 

    The influencers posted engaging content that showcased real restaurants benefiting from our solutions—helping their followers understand the value that smaller businesses can derive from these tools. By showing authentic results and experiences, the influencers helped drive local traffic to our restaurant partners. This approach worked because we tapped into untouched traffic. 

    We not only boosted our partners’ visibility but also demonstrated how owning your data and using AI tools can level the playing field for small businesses. It’s a win-win—our restaurant partners gained loyal customers, and the influencers gained credibility by promoting something genuinely beneficial.”

    Attracting New Clients via Testimonials and Endorsement Videos from an Influencer

    Video testimonials from industry influencers carry unique weight in B2B because they combine visual proof with expert credibility.

    When potential clients see a respected industry figure demonstrating your product and sharing their genuine experience, it creates a powerful trust signal.

    These endorsements work particularly well because they let viewers see real-world applications of your product while hearing authentic feedback from someone they already trust in their field.

    Arum Karunianti of Voissee used this strategy and here are their results:

    “We partnered with Matt Davis, a talented voice actor known for his versatility and engaging voice, for a campaign aimed at promoting our voiceover agency’s services to a broader audience. We selected Matt because of his impressive portfolio, professional reputation, and active presence on social media platforms frequented by our target demographic.

    The campaign involved Matt providing testimonials and endorsement videos for our agency, which we shared across our website, social media channels, and email newsletters. Additionally, Matt recorded sample voiceovers for some of our previous projects, showcasing his skills and the quality of our agency’s work.

    The collaboration with Matt proved to be highly effective, as his endorsement lent credibility to our agency and helped us attract new clients seeking voiceover services. Matt’s engaging content resonated with our target audience, leading to increased inquiries and conversions.”

    Leveraging Cross-Influencer Interactions to Create Viral B2B Campaigns

    Traditional B2B influencer marketing often relies on isolated promotional posts, but the most engaging campaigns create momentum through influencer-to-influencer interaction.

    When industry leaders engage with each other around creative branded content, it transforms standard promotional posts into must-join conversations.

    This social momentum strategy is particularly effective when you combine it with shareable content that gives influencers a natural reason to interact.

    Troy Munson at Dimmo demonstrated this approach perfectly with their campaign:

    “We sent out a series of Dimmo sweaters and AI-generated images of our advocates’ likenesses with our Dimmo dinosaur; Lauren Goddell from Zinnia was one of them: she’s not only got a high follower count but has a very human presence on LinkedIn. People want to know her, to talk to her. 

    But the key piece of our strategy didn’t involve just her. A truly influential campaign needs cross-visibility. As people saw more and more AI-generated versions of their favorite influencers pop up, they also saw the other influencers we brought on talking to one another, comparing their images in the comments. 

    Suddenly, we went from a very static one-off post to a buzz among a small (yet popular) group of people.

    And the stats back it up. We saw:

    • 45% increase in referral users on Dimmo
    • 48% boost in organic search visitors
    • 128% increase in page visitors on LinkedIn

    Generated new momentum for organic newsletter sign ups People just want to be a part of the conversation. By using influencers to create the best possible chat to join, you’re generating interest beyond a series of posts from one person.”

    Influencer Created Content Around Their Personal Experience and Then Shared it Via Short-Form Channels

    When influencers document their real journey with your product – from initial setup through to achieving results – it creates relatable content that resonates with potential buyers who might be facing similar challenges.

    These authentic stories work particularly well on platforms like LinkedIn or YouTube Shorts because they deliver quick, engaging glimpses into real-world applications.

    Josh Krakauer of Sculpt went into detail about their partnership with an influencer and the results they saw from this strategy:

    “Confluence partnered with Chloe Shih, a popular product manager and tech career-oriented lifestyle creator, to help highlight Confluence as a collaboration tool for teams.

    To bring the value prop to life Chloe geared her partnership content around her personal experiences in tech — including her 1-minute career story and another video on the importance of writing in her PM job.

    Her concepts hooked people with her warm personality, gifted storytelling, and relatable topics. The integration to the product use case felt natural, and featured clips of how she uses the product and its templates to work with her co-workers.

    They were wildly successful. Chloe’s videos were shared on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok – and reposted by the brand on their channels.

    Chloe’s first IG Reel alone generated more than 750,000+ views and 50,000+ engagements. From a qualitative measure, there was genuine brand love, product interest, and positive sentiment found in the hundreds of comments on her videos.”

    Track and Optimize the Performance of Your Influencer Campaigns with Databox

    Executing a successful B2B influencer marketing campaign takes more than just choosing the right influencers—it requires clear objectives, consistent tracking, and ongoing optimization to maximize ROI.

    That’s where Databox makes all the difference.

    With Databox Dashboards, you can centralize all your critical campaign metrics in one place. Track engagement rates, lead generation, website traffic, and sales conversions in real-time, without switching between platforms or manually compiling reports.

    Databox seamlessly integrates with 100+ tools, including Google Analytics, LinkedIn, HubSpot, and YouTube. This means you can pull data from all the platforms where your influencer campaigns are active and view them together in a unified dashboard.

    No matter how complex your marketing stack is, Databox ensures your data is always accessible, actionable, and up-to-date.

    There are also Benchmark Groups that can take your campaign analysis to the next level. When you join a Benchmark Group, you can anonymously compare your performance metrics—like engagement rates, lead quality, and website traffic—against other companies in your industry.

    These insights allow you to find high-performing areas, spot gaps, and refine your campaigns based on proven benchmarks. You can even create your own private Benchmark Group to track performance alongside selected peers or competitors.

    Whether you’re working with a single influencer or managing a multi-platform strategy, Databox simplifies campaign tracking and reporting, so you can focus on what matters—building authentic partnerships and driving business growth.

    Sign up for a free Databox trial today and take control of your B2B influencer marketing campaigns with real-time insights and powerful benchmarks.