5 Influencer Marketing Strategies & Services for B2B in 2025

Published at February 5, 2025


The B2B market landscape is expanding nonstop. 

Take B2B e-commerce as an example—it surpasses the value of the B2C market by an impressive 380%! 

Not only that, but the annual global B2B e-commerce GMV growth outpaced B2C by 84% in 2024, highlighting the untapped gold mine companies are sitting on.

Over 85% of B2B brands now leverage influencer marketing partnerships, a significant rise from just 34% five years ago in 2020. 

Unlike the quick, impulsive buys typical in B2C, B2B deals involve larger budgets, multiple stakeholders, and prolonged decision-making cycles.

This underscores one crucial fact: trust and credibility are non-negotiable when significant investments and reputations are at stake.

That’s why influencer marketing, powered by industry experts and authentic voices, has taken center stage. 

But how do you find, onboard, and manage influencers who truly resonate with your audience?

At Sociallyin, we’re influencer marketing experts, ready to elevate your B2B brand by driving visibility, trust, and revenue. In this article, we’ll share actionable B2B influencer marketing strategies to help you:

  • Learn practical methods to boost B2B brand visibility, trust and revenue.
  • Discover how to place your brand effectively in front of key decision-makers.
  • Gain insights on maintaining steady and impactful outcomes with your influencer marketing efforts.

Understanding B2B Influencer Marketing

B2B influencer marketing focuses on partnering with industry specialists who cater to niche audiences and bring deep expertise.

It’s quite different from B2C influencer marketing, where influencers are sought after for their mass appeal and widespread popularity.

While B2C influencers thrive on trends and viral moments, B2B influencers make an impact by showcasing thought leadership and providing insightful, industry-specific analysis.

And this matters—a lot.

In a B2B landscape where decision-making is more prolonged than ever, influencing the right people is critical to driving success.

The Numbers Behind the Power of B2B Influencer Marketing

B2B influencer marketing is more than just a trend—it’s a powerful strategy backed by impressive data.

We’re not the only ones who believe in this—let’s see what the numbers have to say.

The Trust Factor: Influencer Recommendations Resonate with Consumers

In the B2B world, deals can easily go up to six or seven figures, so the margin for error is razor-thin.

This means decision-makers need verified and reliable information before investing. In fact, 69% of consumers say they trust recommendations from influencers for new products and services.

As consumers in the B2B space grow immune to overly branded content, it’s crucial to find a way to create a direct path to engaged prospects—and that’s where B2B influencer marketing comes in.

Word-of-Mouth and Its Role in Modern B2B

Just one influential recommendation can create waves of conversions among technical experts, C-level executives, and procurement teams simultaneously.

This is especially powerful in B2B, where a single positive nod can significantly accelerate your pipeline.

Statistics reveal that 91% of B2B buyers trust word-of-mouth recommendations. This applies to B2B as much as it does to other industries, where word-of-mouth can influence between 20% and 50% of all purchasing decisions.

By orchestrating the right B2B influencer campaigns, companies can reach not just more eyes, but the right eyes (or ears, in this case), ensuring every endorsement resonates with the people who matter most.

Driving Growth with Faster, More Efficient Sales Cycles

B2B buyer journeys are often long and complex, but influencer endorsements can help break down silos and speed up internal alignment.

When a trusted industry voice speaks positively about your product or service, it becomes easier for stakeholders to collectively understand and appreciate the value of your offering.

Forbes highlights that leveraging influencer marketing in B2B isn’t just a want—it’s a need.

In fact, 85% of brands report receiving higher-quality leads from influencer marketing campaigns.

While we all agree that quality matters more than quantity in the B2B space, what if you could achieve both? 

Well-placed influencer content can bypass bottlenecks and move your brand into serious consideration faster than any cold pitch ever could.

The Future Is Bright for B2B Influencer Marketing

B2B influencer marketing budgets are growing rapidly.

More brands are investing in multi-touchpoint influencer campaigns, and the stats back this up. Ogilvy reports that 75% of B2B businesses are already leveraging influencer marketing—a significant number, right?

But it doesn’t stop there: 25% of B2B brands not yet riding the influencer marketing wave are planning to do so in the coming months or years.

This shift is largely due to the incredible return on investment brands are experiencing. Companies investing in B2B influencer marketing see a $5.20 return for every $1 spent—that’s a 420% ROI. 

Yes, you read that right: 420%!

Driving Greater Reach and Visibility in the B2B Landscape

When you partner with industry experts, you gain access to pre-built, hyper-relevant audiences actively seeking insights, solutions, and best practices.

In the B2B space, these influencers thrive on platforms like LinkedIn, where the algorithm rewards posts that spark meaningful discussions. 

A single piece of influencer-boosted content can ripple through the feeds of decision-makers, doubling or even tripling your typical exposure.

But it’s not just about reach—the engagement is significantly higher. Posts created by or with influencers have an engagement rate 4.7 times higher than those without them.

The persuasive power of influencers is undeniable. Reaching the minds and feeds of your audience is more challenging than ever, especially since 42% of consumers use ad-blockers to prevent branded content from getting through.

People trust influencer content, interact with it, and take it more seriously than other content types—especially in the competitive B2B world.

5 Proven Strategies for Successful B2B Influencer Marketing

The stats and facts above should be more than enough to convince you to harness the power of B2B influencer marketing for your brand.

But how do you get started?

Let’s dive into five successful, proven B2B influencer marketing strategies that will give your brand the competitive online edge it needs in 2025 and beyond.

1. Partner with a B2B-Focused Influencer Marketing Agency

Sociallyin Screen Shot

If you’re serious about breaking through the noise in the B2B landscape, Sociallyin is your go-to ally for impactful influencer marketing. 

We don’t just toss your brand to random personalities—we pinpoint industry experts who resonate with your unique goals and pain points. 

By leaving the heavy lifting to us, you can forget about the hassles of contract negotiations, content management, and analytics, and instead focus on what truly matters: scaling your business.

This is how Sociallyin’s influencer marketing service works:

  • We start by getting to know your business inside and out, building an in-depth strategy that aligns with your brand identity, buyer personas, and campaign objectives.
  • Our team taps into robust influencer management platforms and networks to locate the perfect thought leaders in your industry—people with genuine credibility, not just big follower counts.
  • Say goodbye to legal headaches. We handle pricing, terms, and contracts on your behalf, ensuring every collaboration is mutually beneficial and fully transparent.
  • Whether it’s an in-depth whitepaper, a set of social posts, or a webinar, we coordinate with influencers to co-create content that captures attention and spurs engagement from your target audience.
  • Our job doesn’t end at launch. We continuously track key performance indicators—like reach, engagement, and conversions—and optimize in real-time to keep your campaign on track.

Why partner with Sociallyin

Because we’ve mastered the art of making B2B influencer marketing work for you. 

Our approach is purpose-built for the unique challenges of B2B, from navigating longer sales cycles to reaching multi-layered decision-makers. With our rigorous vetting process, you’ll never deal with fake followers or misaligned influencers—only credible voices that truly reflect your brand. 

Ready to kick off your influencer marketing journey? 

Let’s talk about your goals and how we can help you achieve them. Reach out today for a free, personalized proposal and take the first step toward impactful campaigns!

2. Co-Create Specialized Content

For B2B brands, in-depth, insight-driven content is a goldmine. 

When you co-create that content with industry influencers, you leverage not just their audience, but also their domain expertise and credibility.

Creating the right content and executing it correctly is pivotal for success, as highlighted by Influencer Marketing Hub. The benefits are outstanding:

  • Audiences trust influencers for practical guidance in their field. By co-authoring whitepapers, research studies, or in-depth articles, you inherit that trust and position your brand as an industry authority.
  • Influencers already know the pain points of the people you’re trying to reach. Working together ensures the final product hits the right notes, resonates with real-world challenges, and provides tangible solutions.
  • In B2B, a single resource—like a comprehensive guide or webinar recording—can continue to generate leads, nurture prospects, and spark conversations long after it’s published.

Here’s an overview of how the process works:

  1. Find the Right Fit: Choose influencers who complement your brand’s expertise and can add real value to your message, not just another name on the project.
  2. Outline Your Vision: Create a simple plan with key themes and takeaways to guide the content and keep everyone aligned.
  3. Set Clear Goals: Decide on the type of content (e.g., video, whitepaper, or case study), tone, and scope to avoid miscommunication.
  4. Highlight Real Stories: Let influencers share their authentic insights and success stories that will resonate with your audience.
  5. Maximize Your Content: Turn one piece into many—like blog posts, infographics, or social media snippets—to engage your audience across multiple platforms.

Don’t want to handle all these steps yourself? 

Partner with Sociallyin! We make co-creating impactful, specialized content easy and stress-free, so you can focus on the results.

For Unrated, we successfully identified the right influencers for the company and created impactful content that generated over 420K impressions on Facebook and more than 1,100 clicks on Instagram ads. 

This same execution process can be tailored for B2B customers to deliver equally impactful results.

3. Leverage Multiple Platforms Strategically

For B2B brands, placing all your bets on a single channel is like speaking to a packed room—without realizing there’s a bigger conference next door. 

Each online platform boasts distinct audiences, content norms, and engagement styles, so harnessing multiple platforms intelligently can exponentially expand your reach.

But what are the most popular social media platforms for influencer marketing?

While the numbers vary and industry spending evolves, here’s an overview of the top platforms to keep an eye on:

  1. 55.5% of marketers use TikTok for influencer campaigns
  2. 50.8% of marketers use Instagram for influencer campaigns
  3. 42.1% of marketers use Facebook for influencer campaigns
  4. 38.3% of marketers use YouTube for influencer campaigns

Either way, LinkedIn is king, with 61% of B2B buyers relying on it during their buying journey.

This means you need to identify where your B2B audience lives. 

While LinkedIn is arguably the most popular destination for B2B, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube are also excellent platforms for real-time engagement, explainer videos, product demos, and expert interviews.

B2B brands can benefit from adopting an omnichannel approach that works seamlessly across platforms.

For example, a long-form blog post on LinkedIn can be transformed into a concise Q&A thread on Twitter or a how-to video on YouTube. The key is not to copy-paste but to repackage key insights to fit the unique culture and format of each platform.

There’s no one-size-fits-all blueprint—it varies by industry—but here are the core principles to keep in mind:

  • Unified Messaging: Each platform might call for different tones or tactics, but your core story and brand personality should remain unmistakable.
  • Cross-Promotion: Reference your blog articles in a LinkedIn post, or embed your YouTube videos into forum discussions. This encourages audiences to follow your content across multiple channels, deepening their overall engagement.
  • Consistent Timing: Align publication schedules with platform-specific peak hours—like morning commutes on LinkedIn or lunch breaks for Twitter. This timing strategy maximizes immediate exposure and engagement.

It’s all about casting a wider net and reeling in higher yields. By leveraging multiple channels, you can connect with everyone from entry-level associates to top executives, each playing a role in the buying decision. 

Consistent visibility across trusted platforms builds your credibility, positioning your brand as the go-to authority in your niche. 

Plus, with longer B2B purchase cycles, staying active on multiple platforms keeps you top of mind, ensuring that when decision-makers are ready to buy, you’re the first solution they think of.

4. Emphasize Value-Driven Engagement

In the B2B space, value trumps everything else. 

Decision-makers don’t just want to hear that your product is “the best”—they need clear reasons why it’s worth the investment, plus evidence it can solve real-world challenges. 

The key to winning their attention is delivering high-impact, useful content that addresses those pain points head-on.

However, it can be tricky to find that sweet spot. Webinars are the top favored form of B2B influencer marketing content at 81%, followed by social media at 74% and blog posts at 71%.

However, value-driven engagement isn’t a one-and-done effort. 

Continue to publish new insights, updates, and success stories in collaboration with your influencers. 

Regular, substantial content keeps you top-of-mind for prospective buyers—helping them move from casual interest to active consideration in a shorter time frame.

Why does this work for B2B? It’s simple:

  • People invest in brands that show they understand their obstacles.
  • Meaningful exchanges with influencers can spark leads who are already pre-qualified by virtue of their interest in the topic.
  • Once your brand becomes known for educating the market, you’ll see more inbound interest from stakeholders who now view you as a trusted advisor—a powerful position when big budgets are on the table.

If you’re struggling to find the right type of value-driven content to position your brand in the B2B landscape with the help of influencers, let Sociallyin handle it for you. 

Watch as strategic collaborations drive your leads higher and help your business soar.

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5. Foster Long-Term Relationships

When it comes to B2B influencer marketing, an “always-on” strategy outperforms a quick, one-off campaign every time. 

Why? 

Because consistent, enduring engagement cements your brand as a trustworthy partner, rather than just another passing sponsor.

Approximately 79% of influencers seek long-term partnerships with brands, signaling that one-off campaigns are losing appeal for most creators.

Sustained collaboration allows influencers to genuinely experience the benefits of your solution, making their endorsements more authentic and persuasive over time.

While this approach may seem challenging to implement, it delivers better results overall, especially for these key reasons:

  • B2B buyers often take months to make decisions. Showing up repeatedly with new insights or solutions can nudge them closer to a “yes.”
  • Long-term influencer advocacy helps align different decision-makers in a company, as they encounter trusted endorsements multiple times, across multiple touchpoints.
  • Every interaction—be it a new piece of content, a fresh testimonial, or a behind-the-scenes look—reinforces credibility, making your brand feel like a familiar ally rather than an outside vendor.

Common Pitfalls in B2B Influencer Marketing (and How to Dodge Them)

Even the most well-planned B2B influencer campaigns can go off the rails if certain pitfalls aren’t addressed early on. 

Below are the major red flags to watch out for—and how to sidestep them.

1. PR Disasters

When partnering with any influencer, you’re effectively aligning your brand with their public persona. 

If that person’s values or past behavior conflict with your own, it can lead to swift backlash.

Remember the Adidas x Naomi Campbell Instagram fail a few years ago? 

Naomi accidentally copied and pasted the entire message, including the instructions from Adidas, without editing. 

This blunder highlighted how misaligned the influencer was with the campaign, sparking a minor PR crisis and leading to widespread mockery of both the creator and the brand—a mistake you definitely want to avoid!

Avoiding this issue starts with prioritizing brand values in your influencer selection and keeping communication open to tackle any challenges before they escalate.

At Sociallyin, we take every precaution to protect your brand by thoroughly vetting influencers. 

We dive deep into their social media history, audience engagement, and any past controversies to ensure they align with your brand values. 

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2. Misaligned Influencers

Bigger isn’t always better. 

An influencer with a million followers might lack the industry-specific expertise or audience demographics that actually move the needle in B2B.

To be fair, influencers behaving badly is far more common in B2C campaigns than in B2B, but unexpected missteps can still happen.

To prevent this, define your ideal audience profile clearly and choose influencers whose audience aligns closely with your target market.

Investigate engagement metrics to confirm that real professionals, not bots or casual fans, are interacting with their content. High-quality comments, meaningful discussions, and a loyal community often matter more than sheer follower count

We at Sociallyin know that in B2B, relevance beats reach every time. That’s why we focus on finding influencers who truly understand your industry and speak directly to your target audience. 

3. Unclear or Unrealistic Expectations

Whether it’s expecting immediate leads worth six figures or assuming an influencer can produce a 20-page whitepaper in a week, setting the wrong KPIs or timelines can lead to frustration and burned bridges.

In our experience, the best way to avoid this is by being transparent and knowing what to measure. 

A whopping 94% of marketers believe transparency and authenticity are critical to influencer marketing success—and that goes both ways.

Always lay out KPIs and milestones in the contract, clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of both parties. Keep lines of communication open, and if hurdles arise, be prepared to adjust expectations rather than forcing an unrealistic outcome.

We believe success starts with clear and achievable goals. We work with you to set SMART objectives and realistic timelines, outlining every detail in the contract to avoid confusion. 

Amplify Your B2B Impact with Sociallyin’s Influencer Marketing Services

B2B influencer marketing is a critical pathway for brands aiming to break through cluttered markets, build credibility, and drive measurable growth. 

At Sociallyin, we offer a plug-and-play solution that tackles every aspect of influencer marketing—from pinpointing the right partners to managing the finer details of contracts and performance metrics. 

Our ROI-driven focus ensures each campaign is tied directly to goals such as conversions, engagement, and brand awareness, leaving no room for guesswork.

Ready to stand out in the B2B world and see real returns? 

By combining strategy, authenticity, and data-driven optimization, we empower brands to thrive in a competitive marketplace—one influencer collaboration at a time.

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Leverage social media marketing to connect with your audience! Get in touch with us today!