The B2B Influencer Matchmaking Game: How to Find the Right Influencers for Your Business
By Alex White
You know, B2B influencer marketing and online dating aren’t so different.
As the season of new beginnings unfolds, B2B marketers and singles alike are looking for new connections. One that’s going to make them happy, not just in the short term, but in an always-on kind of way.
Much like online dating, making the right connection between brand and influencer presents quite a challenge. In fact, identifying, qualifying and connecting with ideal influencers was the most challenging aspect for brands with influencer marketing programs, according to our 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report.
Despite these hurdles, most in the B2B marketing world are confident that influencer marketing is incredibly valuable, especially as budgets continue to rise. According to TopRank’s own research, 53% of marketers shared they have a dedicated budget for influencer marketing, and that it’s growing.
Unlike dating, though, the issue of finding a B2B brand and influencer match usually boils down to a few common challenges. Here are those challenges as well as how to solve them so you can find the right influencers for your business.
Ready to stand out with influence?
Challenge 1: Platform fragmentation
Let’s keep this matchmaking metaphor going. There are as many influencer marketing platforms as there are dating apps to choose from. But here’s the problem: much like the dating apps, the type of individual you’re seeking may not be active on every single platform. Furthermore, there’s no single tool that covers all platforms where B2B influencers operate. Some marketers may think only of social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X when many business influencers may only be active on podcasts, industry forums, Substack, or Reddit.
An added complication is the need for different metrics across platforms, making standardized evaluation difficult. And even if they were the same, information could very well be outdated.
What’s the solution?
Find the right mix of tools that can crawl, index and mange data about influencers, their topics and the audiences that engage with them. For some channels like LinkedIn, you’ll have to do your homework directly on the platform. Read on: The B2B Influencer Marketing Software You Need to Succeed
Challenge 2: Over-reliance on AI tools
There’s nothing wrong with using AI for what is an extremely difficult and time consuming workflow. It’s no wonder so many marketers have turned to GenAI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. According to our 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report, 48% of responding B2B marketers said they’re using artificial intelligence to help find business influencers. As Nick points out below, marketers need to tread carefully when relying on AI for these personal engagements:
There are critical limitations to this approach, especially in B2B influencer marketing. Beyond the dependability of data being analyzed, AI has shortcomings pertaining to subjective context, nuance and strategic vision.” – Nick Nelson, Associate Director of Content, TopRank Marketing
Indeed, AI’s application here isn’t going to yield the best results in its current state. To find great results, you need …read more
Source:: Top Rank Blog
