Social media is becoming an increasingly important part of many B2B PR campaigns. This is leading to the rise of B2B influencer marketing.
Over the last few years, we have been collaborating closely with a number of influencers across various industries, including construction and manufacturing. Through these experiences, we’ve learned some valuable lessons that have helped us to maximise the benefit of working with them for our clients.
Here are eight lessons we have learned working in influencer marketing.
Influencers are more than a marketing tool
Influencer marketing isn’t just about finding someone to promote products and create sponsored posts. At its core, influencer marketing is about building authentic relationships. We’ve learned that the most successful partnerships are those where both the brand and influencer are aligned in terms of values and target markets. Understanding where an influencer’s engagement comes from and who interacts with their content is crucial for reaching the right audience.
Authenticity is key with B2B influencers
The best influencer campaigns are those that feel natural and genuine. Followers can easily tell when content is forced or doesn’t align with an influencer’s personal brand. While setting content guidelines is important, allowing influencers some flexibility leads to more authentic and natural reviews rather than scripted ones. By collaborating with influencers whose values match the product and brand, we’ve found that campaigns are more authentic and, in turn, more successful.
Micro vs macro influencers
It’s essential to choose a range of micro and macro influencers to compare engagements and results. We often recommend for clients who have little experience with influencers to run a trial influencer campaign, to see which type of influencers bring better results for them. Micro-influencers often offer highly engaged and niche audiences, while macro-influencers bring a wider reach. We’ve found that combining both helps us reach the right balance of audience reach and engagement levels, ensuring our campaigns resonate with a variety of potential customers.
Clear communication is crucial
From the outset, we’ve learned that setting expectations and maintaining clear communication with influencers is vital for a smooth campaign. It’s a case of being upfront about deliverables, expectations, deadlines, payments and content guidelines. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and can work towards the same goal. It also allows for any problems to be solved in the early stages of the campaign.
Give B2B influencers creative freedom
Similarly, to the authenticity point, it’s important to give influencers creative freedom. Influencers are expert in their content. They know their audience well and truly understand what will resonate with them the most. We’ve found that setting content guidelines while giving influencers the creative freedom on how they create content leads to better results. Instead of dictating every detail, we give them guidelines on what content we would like them to produce. For example, one video, review and product demonstration. By encouraging them to use their unique voice and personality, it makes the content feel more organic and engaging.
Monitor influencer marketing performance
One of the most valuable lessons we’ve learned is the importance of tracking campaign performance to improve and refine future influencer campaigns. It is essential to agree with influencers early on about providing a report on the content they produce. Monitoring engagement rates, audience feedback, and conversions helps optimise future campaigns and identify what works—and what doesn’t—within your industry.
Understanding the importance of transparency
Transparency is essential when working with influencers, as audiences are increasingly aware of sponsored content. With social media platforms introducing more guidelines for disclosing partnerships, audience influence over content is growing. Engagement plays a key role too. What people interact with will shape what influencers post and share. The more engagement a topic receives, the more likely influencers will continue discussing it.
Essentially, audiences value honesty, and we’ve found that influencers who are upfront about brand partnerships create stronger, more trustworthy relationships with their followers.
Consider the brand fit
Even if an influencer has millions of followers, they may not be the right fit for your brand. It’s crucial to partner with influencers who genuinely align with your product or service. We’ve found that those who already have an interest in your industry or brand are far more likely to promote it authentically. Start small by researching influencers within your niche market and gradually expand until you’ve identified a mix of well-suited micro and macro influencers.
Integrating B2B influencer marketing into your PR campaigns
Influencer marketing is here to stay and the market is growing rapidly. We’ve seenhow powerful it can be in driving brand awareness, engagement and sales. By focusing on authenticity, transparency and strong partnerships, we’ve delivered impactful results for our clients, particularly in international B2B influencer marketing.
One standout example is a recent campaign we ran in the HVAC sector in the US. We invited a large group of influencers to a major trade show for an exclusive product launch, where a well-known industry influencer demonstrated the new product and shared his genuine experiences of it. This attracted a great deal of attention, both at the show and online, and generated valuable content, engagement and sales leads.
As a dedicated manufacturing and construction PR agency based in South Yorkshire, we have an extensive network of B2B influencers across LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram. We know how to connect brands with the right people to create real impact.
If you’re interested in exploring influencer marketing for your brand, don’t hesitate to get in touch or explore our PR and social media services.
