1 – The State of Influencer Marketing 2024: Benchmark Report, Influencer Marketing Hub
2 – Marketing Essentials Lab, November 2023
3, 6, 9 – The Global Rise of B2B Influencer Marketing, Ogilvy, 2024
Brand influencers are no longer exclusively reserved for consumer-facing retail brands. For an SME looking to build credibility in global markets, corporate influencer networks are becoming a foundational pillar of modern marketing. Integrating these voices into your digital approach can significantly elevate brand awareness and foster long-term commercial trust with partners who rely on your business logistics services.
Defining Influencer Marketing
Essentially, this marketing method utilizes recognized figures, industry specialists, or celebrities to guide and shape the purchasing choices of a target demographic. A logistics company or a global manufacturer might contract a prominent voice to advocate for their services, leveraging that individual’s established reputation and credibility within a specific business niche.
B2B vs. B2C Influencer Dynamics: What Exporters Need to Know
B2C influencer marketing is often associated with celebrities and social media stars with large following on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. They are often chosen by brands to drive quick sales.
B2B influencer marketing takes a more considered approach. Because of the typically more “corporate” nature of the B2B sector, it leans into industry experts and thought leaders, chosen for their authority among the target audience. They may be journalists, analysts or well-known industry speakers, and their endorsement is invaluable to B2B brands looking to build credibility within the market.
These differences between B2C and B2B influencers are reflected in their content style. B2C content is often fun and creative, with the aim of building engagement. B2B content tends to be more formal and designed to provide insights.
Whilst B2C influencer marketing has been mainstream for many years, B2B marketing is now gaining momentum, too. In 2023, 85% of B2B marketers incorporated brand influencers into their campaigns – an increase of 34% from 2020 (1)
The Advantages of Using a B2B influencer
1. Amplified Global Brand Awareness
B2B companies can take advantage of the popularity of well-known industry figures to increase their brand awareness. By collaborating with a B2B influencer who has a strong presence within the target audience, they can reach a new group of highly engaged potential customers.
2. Earned Commercial Trust
Consumers often view marketing messages with a degree of skepticism but seeing them endorsed by a trusted and authoritative industry voice can create invaluable credibility. In fact, 63% of consumers trust influencers more than brands(2), emphasizing their important role within B2B marketing strategies.
3. The Power of Human Connection
As B2B purchasing increasingly shifts to digital spaces, maintaining a human touch can be difficult. A brand ambassador puts a personal face on your company, which directly supports customer retention and long-term brand loyalty (3).
4. High-Quality Lead Generation
72% of B2B businesses believe that the quality of customers from influencer marketing campaigns is better than other marketing types(4). By carefully selecting influencer partners who are closely aligned with their brand values, businesses can reach specific groups of customers who are highly likely to convert.
5. Impressive return on investment (ROI)
Done correctly, influencer marketing can be an effective investment for brands. On average, businesses achieve a US$5.2 ROI for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, while the top 13% of businesses enjoy returns of US$20+(5).
6. Industry insights
A well-chosen B2B influencer partner will have expert insights about the sector to support your business, and have direct engagement with customers to gather feedback. It’s not just prospects who can benefit from an influencer’s knowledge – 90% of industry marketers believe that B2B influencers on social media are an important source of staying up to date on their industry(6).
Three B2B Influencer Trends
1. AI-Driven Campaign Optimization
Artificial intelligence is transforming almost every facet of business, and the influencer marketing sector is no exception. One study found that in 2023, 76% of marketing agencies and 52% of influencers used some form of AI to analyze data, find influencer partners, and support content creation (7).
When it comes to content creation, AI can enhance and refine messaging to better align with the interests and needs of the target audience, enabling brands to deliver more personalized communications and drive engagement and conversions.
In addition, the technology provides valuable support in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of influencer marketing initiatives. By leveraging AI-powered analytics, brands can gain deeper insights into campaign performance and make more informed, data-driven decisions.
2. TikTok for business influencers
While LinkedIn is often the primary focus for B2B marketing efforts, companies may be overlooking valuable opportunities by not exploring TikTok. With over 1.5 billion monthly active users (8) and a growing audience, the platform offers significant potential, even for highly specialized businesses.
TikTok’s short-video format is ideal for creating concise tutorials and educational content, enabling B2B brands to showcase the benefits of their products and services while engaging prospective customers. In addition, its predominantly Millennial and Gen Z user base aligns with the emerging generation of B2B decision-makers entering the market.
3. Employee Advocacy
According to recent findings, 89% of C-suite marketers believe that employees can serve as highly valuable influencers for their business 9. By sharing their expertise on LinkedIn , employees become credible brand ambassadors who can connect with industry professionals and prospective clients in a genuine and trustworthy manner.
Employee advocacy is also one of the most budget-friendly marketing strategies.
The Future of B2B influencer marketing
Wholesale corporate trade has historically been anchored by deeply nurtured personal relationships. As the digital transformation continues to reshape the landscape, influencer integration will serve as a vital bridge—allowing brands to preserve authenticity and human trust in automated environments.
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