Always-On Influence: Data and Experts on What Really Works in B2B Marketing

2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report Download

When it comes to maximizing the impact of partnering with the most trusted voices in your industry, strong relationships are essential for sustaining an always-on influencer marketing strategy.

At the heart of any successful B2B influencer program is the strength of the brand-influencer relationship. Without trust, alignment, and a shared commitment to delivering value, it’s nearly impossible to create the kind of content that buyers find credible, discoverable, and worth engaging with.

That’s why in our latest research, we examined what top-performing always-on marketers are doing to establish, nurture, and protect those critical connections with industry influencers. Here’s what we found:

52% rely on effective management technology. These tools are designed for more than just finding influencers – they help manage relationships, track campaign performance, and measure ROI with precision.
50% use training and development programs to ensure the influencers they work with fully understand the brand, its solutions, and its unique value proposition.

One of the most striking differences between brands using an always-on approach and those that aren’t is how they choose who to work with. Those committed to building long-term partnerships are 1.5x more likely to follow rigorous selection practices – ensuring not only that an influencer’s voice can authentically amplify the brand, but also that they’re the right fit as a strategic business partner.

Brand reputations are being shaped by real people. We need voices that are credible to connect with brands to deliver the message. Ty Heath, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn

At TopRank Marketing, we’ve seen this play out time and again: when you invest in the right influencers and treat them as collaborators rather than campaign assets, you create a foundation for thought leadership that drives both trust and measurable business impact.

In this post, we draw from our 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report including 4 top B2B marketing experts who help shine a light on best practices for always-on influence, influencer content and differentiating your brand with the right influencers. To bring it all together, there’s an informative and inspiring case study.

Best practices for an always-on B2B influencer marketing strategy

“An always-on influencer marketing strategy involves continuous engagement with influencers to foster authentic, long-term relationships. In my opinion, some key elements include:

Consistent relationship building: Engage influencers regularly, even outside of campaigns, to create trust and alignment with brand values. This enables influencers to become genuine brand advocates.
Content integration: Develop ongoing collaborations where influencers naturally integrate your brand into their content, keeping it relevant to their audience over time.
Data-driven decisions: Regularly monitor influencer performance using metrics like engagement, reach, and conversions to optimize strategies and stay agile.
Multi-channel presence: Maintain an active presence across various platforms where your target audience and influencers engage, such as LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.
Content calendar: Develop a strong editorial calendar to plan and schedule influencer content consistently, ensuring alignment with broader marketing goals and maintaining a steady stream of brand-relevant content.”

Ryan Bares
Manager, Influencer Relations & Employee Advocacy Programs, IBM