By Lee Odden

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 …read more

  Source:: Top Rank Blog

        

  

  Author: Aaron