By Lee Odden

I think it’s safe to say that in 2025, B2B influencer marketing has evolved from an experimental tactic to an embedded practice. Nearly two-thirds of B2B marketers we surveyed for our most recent B2B Influencer Marketing Research report having mature influencer programs, with the top 25% describing their programs as advanced.

Beyond our research, the optimism around influencer marketing for B2B brands is shared by many, including respected B2B marketing voices like Amber Naslund, from LinkedIn:

“The single biggest untapped opportunity in B2B marketing, bar none, is influence.

Having provided influencer marketing services to a variety of B2B brands for well over 10 years, TopRank Marketing remains on the front lines of this influence evolution, giving us a unique perspective into the growth of how B2B brands are engaging business influencers and creators. When marketing practices reach this level of maturity, it’s essential to understand the nuances of what’s actually working to ensure both short and long term success. This post leverages our research to answer important questions on budgets and best practices.

What does the research tell us about B2B Influencer Marketing best practices?

An always-on approach is the most important attribute for successful B2B influencer marketing
99% of teams using an always-on approach rate their programs as effective

Matching B2B influencers to the brand audience is challenging – and also necessary
48% of B2B marketers struggle with identifying, qualifying and engaging with ideal influencers

Influencer marketing budgets grow with the maturity of the practice within B2B marketing companies
72% of B2B marketing teams with the most advanced strategies have a dedicated budget that they expect to grow in the coming year

Unique content and creative campaigns give an edge for the most successful influencer programs
60% of highly effective B2B marketing teams use unique content and creative to differentiate their influencer campaigns

AI is an emerging solution for a number of challenges with influencer marketing
57% of B2B marketers are using AI to aid with content creation, with most targeting AI audience segmentation as the next solution to adopt

Integrating influencer content into broader marketing strategy is trending
49% of B2B marketers identified integration of influencer content into a greater mix of marketing tactics as the leading influencer marketing trend in 2025

What is driving B2B influencer marketing success?

As influencer marketing weaves its way into the fabric of the marketing strategies for most B2B brands, 43% of those we surveyed report outstanding results from their influencer programs, which is almost a 10% increase over last year. When we zoom in on the B2B marketers with mature influencer programs, the number reporting outstanding results jumps to 79%.

How do B2B marketers achieve the success of mature influencer marketing programs? Always On Influence.

Our research found that the most successful influencer programs are always-on. The companies that invest in cultivating long term relationships with influencers — and between their influencers and audience — are seeing the highest level of success. In fact, marketers who don’t use an always-on approach to influencer marketing are 17x more likely to report that …read more

Source:: Top Rank Blog

Author: Aaron