What are B2B Influencers?

Truth is, the term “influencer” is confusing and loaded with misconceptions and assumptions.

Because of this, opinions can vary about what makes someone an influencer.

Then how do you define who or what is a B2B influencer?

Easier said than done, right?

Read on – this post will clarify things for you.

You’ll have everything you need to understand influencers, especially B2B influencers.

Let’s Define “Influencer?”

An influencer is someone who can affect the decisions of buyers because of his or her expertise, authority, knowledge, and experience, or relationship with his or her audience.

They have a following in a distinct niche where he/she actively engages. The size of the following often depends on the size of their chosen topic of the niche.

That’s pretty broad, so let’s narrow it down.

Let’s Define Consumer and Business Influencers

Most people think of Instagram when they hear the word influencer.

They associate consumer influencers (B2C) with the platforms they operate on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and others.

These influencers are viewed through the lens of the size of their social following. They are even categorized by it.

For example:

10K followers on Instagram makes someone a “nano influencer” while a social following of 100K is considered a “micro-influencer.”

See? In the consumer space, size matters because that’s how influencers are categorized.

Business influencers are considered completely differently.

Expertise and Experience Trump Social Following

B2B influencers are experts in their industry niche. Many are employed by companies and have many years of experience there.

I’m talking about direct, deep experience, not just examining and writing about it.

Many are implementors of the solutions they blog about. They understand what it takes to manage projects within budget and report to superiors.

Some have large social followings but many don’t.

What’s important is that they create high-quality content that resonates with their audiences because they have the knowledge and expertise those people look for.

To be clear, let’s compare a consumer and B2B influencer side-by-side.

Example 1: Consumer Influencer

Consumer influencers are associated with social media platforms they publish content on.

Let’s take a look at Renee Roaming:

As you can see, Renee is based on Instagram and has a following of 578,000 followers.

Her focus is photography, travel, and hiking. She also blogs.

Example 2: B2B Influencer

Now let’s take a look at Kelly Barner. Her LinkedIn profile is below.

Kelly blogs, podcasts and speaks on the niche topics of procurement and supply chain:

Key Differences:

👉 Renee is focused on leisure activities (travel, hiking) which everyone can relate to while Kelly is focused on a particular business niche: Procurement and supply chain (specific).

👉 Each operates on a different social media platform. Renee is on Instagram which caters to consumers while Kelly is on LinkedIn, a platform built for business professionals.

👉 Follower numbers: Renee’s audience is large at 578K when compared to Kelly’s at 4.6K, but each caters to completely different audiences, so it’s relative. Renee appeals to general consumers while Kelly is laser-focused.

Does Social Following Matter?

Of course it does – to a degree, but its not the primary consideration.

It’s always helpful if an influencer has a larger social following because they can help you potentially reach and impact more of your ideal customers (ICPs).

However, it’s not the primary factor, and where B2B influencers are concerned, it shouldn’t be.

Also, if you want to, you can supplement your influencers with those who do have large social following to help get that extra boost.

Find B2B Influencers Today

I’ve given you the know-how to identify B2B influencers. Now, it’s up to you to get to find them.

So set up a Google sheet and loading up influencers to build your list.

Need help?

We can help your company select the right mix of influencers, build a strategy and create a campaign the impacts your ICPs. 

Contact me to find out more.