The Challenges Facing B2B Influencer Marketing Today

Influencer marketing has become an increasingly popular and effective way for businesses to reach and engage with their target audiences. While influencer marketing has traditionally been more popular in the B2C space, it is now being embraced by B2B companies as well. However, B2B influencer marketing comes with its own set of challenges that must be addressed in order to be successful.

RELATED: 10 Compelling B2B Influencer Marketing Statistics for 2023

B2B Influencer Marketing Challenges

One of the main challenges facing B2B marketing executives with influencer marketing is finding the right influencers to work with. In the B2C space, influencers are often celebrities or social media personalities with large followings. However, in the B2B space, the definition of an influencer is much broader and can include industry experts, thought leaders, and even satisfied customers. It can be challenging to identify and evaluate potential B2B influencers, as they may not have the same level of visibility or social media following as B2C influencers.

Another challenge is measuring the effectiveness of influencer campaigns. In the B2C space, it is relatively easy to track the success of an influencer campaign based on metrics such as sales, website traffic, and social media engagement. However, in the B2B space, the sales cycle is often longer and more complex, making it more difficult to directly attribute sales to an influencer campaign. This can make it challenging for B2B marketing executives to justify the investment in influencer marketing.

Additional challenges include:

Ensuring compliance with regulations: B2B influencer marketing is subject to the same regulations as other forms of marketing, such as the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) guidelines on endorsements and testimonials. It is important for B2B companies to ensure that their influencer campaigns comply with these regulations in order to avoid legal issues.

Managing multiple stakeholders: B2B influencer marketing often involves working with multiple stakeholders, such as marketing teams, sales teams, and external influencers. Coordinating and managing these stakeholders can be a challenge, as it requires effective communication and collaboration.

Ensuring the authenticity of influencer partnerships: B2B influencer marketing is built on trust and credibility. It is important for B2B companies to ensure that their influencer partnerships are authentic and not perceived as just a way to promote products or services. This can be challenging, as influencers may have multiple partnerships and it can be difficult to know if their recommendations are genuine or simply driven by a desire to promote a particular product or service.

Incorporating influencer marketing into the overall marketing strategy: B2B influencer marketing should not be viewed as a standalone tactic, but rather as a component of the overall marketing strategy. This can be challenging, as it requires coordinating influencer marketing efforts with other marketing activities and ensuring that influencer campaigns are aligned with the overall business goals and objectives. It can also be difficult to integrate influencer marketing metrics with other marketing metrics in order to get a complete picture of the effectiveness of the overall marketing strategy.

B2B Influencer Marketing Solutions

Despite these challenges, B2B influencer marketing can be an effective way for companies to reach and engage with their target audiences.

Influencer Marketing Platforms

One way that companies are addressing the challenge of finding the right influencers is by using influencer marketing platforms and agencies. These platforms and agencies can help companies identify and evaluate potential influencers, as well as manage and track the success of influencer campaigns.

Examples of B2B Influencer Marketing platforms include:

Upfluence: Upfluence is an influencer marketing platform that helps companies discover, collaborate, and measure the impact of influencer marketing campaigns. The platform includes features such as an influencer search engine, campaign management tools, and analytics and reporting capabilities.

AspireIQ: AspireIQ is an influencer marketing platform that helps companies identify and engage with influencers across a variety of industries. The platform includes features such as an influencer database, content creation tools, and analytics and reporting capabilities.

Klear: Klear is an influencer marketing platform that helps companies discover and evaluate influencers based on their reach, engagement, and influence. The platform includes features such as an influencer search engine, campaign management tools, and analytics and reporting capabilities.

Traackr: Traackr is an influencer marketing platform that helps companies identify and engage with influencers across a variety of industries. The platform includes features such as an influencer search engine, campaign management tools, and analytics and reporting capabilities.

Nimble: Nimble is a CRM (customer relationship management) platform that can be used to manage influencer marketing efforts. The platform includes a variety of tools and features that can help businesses discover, evaluate, and engage with influencers in order to drive growth and engagement.

One of the key ways that Nimble can be used for influencer marketing is by providing a centralized location to manage and track interactions with influencers. The platform allows businesses to store contact information, social media profiles, and communication history in one place. This can be particularly useful when working with a large number of influencers, as it allows businesses to quickly and easily access the information they need to effectively engage with influencers.

Nimble can also be used to automate influencer outreach and communication. For example, businesses can use the platform to create and send personalized emails to influencers, and set reminders for follow-ups. Additionally, businesses can use Nimble to track the performance of their influencer campaigns by logging activities, such as click-through rates, and logging the results in the contact’s record.

Another important feature is the ability of Nimble to analyze the effectiveness of influencer marketing efforts, based on the information stored in the platform. This helps businesses to track the progress of their campaigns, measure the impact of their efforts, and identify which influencers are most effective at driving engagement and reach.

There are several benefits of using influencer marketing platforms for B2B companies.

• Efficient influencer identification and evaluation: Influencer marketing platforms can help B2B companies quickly and easily identify and evaluate potential influencers based on factors such as industry expertise, reach, and engagement. This can save time and resources that would otherwise be spent manually searching for and evaluating influencers.
• Streamlined campaign management: Influencer marketing platforms can also help B2B companies streamline the process of managing influencer campaigns. This can include tasks such as negotiating terms, creating and distributing content, and tracking the success of campaigns.
• Enhanced analytics and reporting: Influencer marketing platforms often provide advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, which can help B2B companies better understand the impact of their influencer campaigns. This can include metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and lead generation.

Micro-Influencers

In addition to using influencer marketing platforms and agencies, there are a few other trends and developments in B2B influencer marketing that are worth noting. One trend is the use of micro-influencers, or influencers with a smaller but highly engaged following. Micro-influencers can be particularly effective in the B2B space, as they often have a deep understanding of a specific industry or niche and can provide valuable insights and recommendations to their followers.

Employee Advocacy

Another trend is the use of employee advocacy programs, which involve empowering employees to share company content and act as influencers on social media. Employee advocacy can be an effective way for B2B companies to reach and engage with their target audiences, as employees often have a strong personal connection to the company and can provide authentic and credible recommendations.

Easy-Advocacy.com, powered by Agorapulse, is a platform designed to help companies manage employee advocacy programs. Employee advocacy involves empowering employees to share company content and act as influencers on social media. Using Easy-advocacy.com can provide several benefits to companies looking to leverage employee advocacy.

One benefit of using Easy Advocacy is that it can help companies save time and resources. Rather than having to manually track and measure employee advocacy efforts, Easy Advocacy provides tools and analytics to automate and streamline the process. This can allow companies to focus on other important tasks while still effectively managing their employee advocacy program.

Another benefit of using Easy Advocacy is that it can help companies increase the reach and impact of their employee advocacy efforts. The platform includes features such as customizable content libraries and analytics that can help companies understand which types of content are most effective at driving engagement and reach. This can allow companies to tailor their employee advocacy efforts to better target their audience.

Finally, using Easy Advocacy can help companies build trust and credibility with their target audiences. Employees often have a strong personal connection to the company and can provide authentic and credible recommendations to their followers. By leveraging employee advocacy, companies can tap into this trust and credibility to build stronger relationships with their customers and prospects.

Overall, using Easy Advocacy can provide numerous benefits to companies looking to leverage employee advocacy as part of their marketing efforts. By streamlining the management of employee advocacy programs, increasing the reach and impact of employee advocacy efforts, and building trust and credibility with target audiences, Easy Advocacy can help companies effectively leverage the power of employee advocacy.

In conclusion, B2B influencer marketing presents its own set of challenges, including finding the right influencers and measuring the effectiveness of campaigns. However, by using influencer marketing platforms and agencies and staying up-to-date on the latest trends and developments, B2B marketing executives can effectively address these challenges and leverage the power of influencer marketing to reach and engage with their target audiences.

If you’re looking for more personalized assistance with implementing an influencer marketing program within your business, or perhaps you’d like to book a keynote or workshop on influencer marketing for your event, let’s talk.