Today the potential of B2B influencer marketing is growing; however, many B2B companies hesitate to integrate it into their digital marketing strategy because of the lack of knowledge and the fact that most digital platforms are dedicated to B2C campaigns.
For example, according to Influencer Marketing Hub, LinkedIn is known to be the biggest B2B business network but in 2019 only 12% of marketers said they were using it for their influence marketing.
For B2B companies it is especially important to define the right influencer profile and the Social Media channels to focus on as well as to measure the right KPIs. In this article find the essential points one has to keep in mind before launching an influencer campaign.
At Foxy Nerds we believe that B2B influencer campaigns must be considered as a long-term strategy that brings benefits to both influencer and the company. It is important that brand’s and influencer’s values are aligned, which allows to establish a strong long relationship between parties. Nevertheless, as for any digital marketing activity there are some considerations the brand must take care of.
Define your target audience and the goals
First of all, as for any digital marketing action, define your target audience and expectations from the campaign. In order to reach the right people, the goals must be clearly defined and only after that next steps must be taken. That is why answer these fundamental questions before you initiate the planning process:
Would you like to focus on awareness or rather on conversion? What KPIs would you like to measure? What kind of people do you want to reach?
Review your brand authority
Secondly, evaluate your brand authority. Is your brand strong enough to meet the expectations? Does your company have enough resources to engage with the new audience during the campaign?
Brand authority is an important criteria to define the starting point for your influencer marketing activities. If your brand authority is low, it can be reasonable to focus on advocacy and awareness rather than on conversion. Also, resources in terms of creative content are needed to engage with the audience during campaign time and to provide valuable content.
Define the Social Media platforms to focus on
After goals are defined and brand authority is reviewed, think about the Social channels to focus on. Today B2B influencers are present in a variety of platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even more. That is why spend some time identifying the best Social Media platform for your brand.
To young companies we don’t recommend focusing on too many platforms from the very beginning. Instead of that define one or two Social platforms to emphasize and build a dedicated community of loyal followers.
What else to keep in mind?
Additionally, remember that influencers are the people who continuously talk to their audience and that this relationship is built on trust.
That is why it is important to find the right mix of influencers who share the same values and who are willing to build a long-term partnership. These people must share enthusiasm towards your business solution and be excited to share your content with their audience.
Therefore, take your time to consider the mentioned above and focus on long-term goals rather than on quick results. Foxy Nerds is always available to help you with reviewing the above aspects and with initiating your B2B influencer marketing strategy :)
