Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering Tech Influencer Marketing!

Most influencer marketing campaigns yield $6.50 for every dollar spent on them. This high return on investment is one of the many reasons companies continue increasing their budget on influencer marketing.?

Micro-influencers are a great way to connect with a highly niche audience. These social media leaders have smaller but very highly engaged followings. You can hire them to promote your business or product -- often for much less than hiring a celebrity or macro-influencer could cost.

The B2B Purchase Cycle

It's common for business technology consumers to try out different brands and experiment with technology products. B2B purchases are calculated, planned, and coincide with a business's long-term goals. The sales cycles in B2B transactions are often extensive and involve multiple players and touchpoints.

Here is where the influencer becomes especially crucial with business-to-business initiatives: It is standard practice for B2B buyers to make inquiries among peers before making direct contact with a potential brand.

Most of the B2B buyer's journey happens autonomously, with the buyer researching products online, reading reviews, and discussing products with peers and the influencers they follow on social media.

These peer inquiries are taken seriously; they are treated like research. Getting strong approval from a well-respected influencer in the industry can become a critical data point in the B2B buyer's analysis and cache of peer input.

Because B2B purchases leave little room for trial and error, preliminary research in peer input is frequently guided by B2B influencers.

Why are influencer important to your business?

Did you know? Most of your technology and business-buying customers are turning to LinkedIn for information. It's crucial to tap into this platform, but how?

1. Identify Trusted Voices: It's not about just being on LinkedIn; it's about aligning with the right voices there. Who do your customers trust? Whose articles are they sharing, and whose webinars are they attending?
2. Find the Right Influencer: Let's say you're in the AI, Robotic Process Automation, Intelligent Automation, emerging technology, Generative AI or intelligent automation sector. Don't just seek any influencer; pinpoint someone who's actively discussing these technologies. For example, if you come across an influencer consistently writing thought-provoking articles on AI innovations, they could be the perfect fit for your brand.

By connecting with influencers who resonate with your customers, you not only amplify your message but also build credibility within the niche.

What type of influencer do I need?

Choose expertise over fame.

Sometimes, businesses think an influencer with a substantial following is critical to sales.

But the best advocates are trusted in the technology market you want to enter and typically have smaller but much more engaged and trusting followership, i.e., a micro-influencer.

Don't approach a highly followed celebrity or influencer generalist who sells baby nappies and bananas in the morning and technology solutions in the afternoon - the audience will see through that.

An influencer does not need to be 'famous', but they should have the respect of the audience you wish to reach.

What are the benefits of engaging with a micro-influencer?

Here are some tips for companies to engage with a micro-influencers:

1. Higher ROI: Micro-influencers offer marketing solutions at a low cost with a high return on investment. They increase the reach of a business exponentially amongst their highly trusting followers.
2. Genuine Content: Partner with influencers who are fans of your technology because the posts they produce will be more real, and trusted, which almost always results in better sales.
3. Follower Loyalty: Micro-influencers have built-in followers already interested in businesses, products, and services like yours. Their followers trust their words and recommendations as they have witnessed how the influencer has spoken and engaged over time and continues to follow them.
4. Engagement Rate: Keep their engagement rate in mind. Establish an engagement rate appropriate for your brand to monitor influencer metrics. Check likes, comments, questions, shares and views to ensure the influencer is getting engagement. The better influencers actively promote your content and engage with their audience and you.

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Identify high-priority requirements.

Your B2B influencer needs to be primed to get you exposure. Depending on your needs, determine if an influencer with a significant following but little engagement is more important to you than an influencer who has a small following but consistently engages with their audience and you.

The frequency of posting is also important to consider. The frequency of posting is also important to consider. You want your B2B influencer to contribute on social media with relevant and timely content regularly.

While it can be tempting to go with the influencer who has the most followers—often called macro-influencers—the truth is that micro-influencers tend to have much higher engagement rates with their audience.?

Suppose you're in a specialist industry, more often than not. In that case, a micro-influencer will do a better job targeting your audience and impact their purchase decisions than a broader but less influential macro-influencer.

What kinds of B2B influencer partnerships are there??

The options are nearly limitless, from webinars and interviews to brand ambassadors and event collaborations. B2Bs can take advantage of several types of influencer partnerships. Some of the most popular B2B influencer strategies include:

• Fireside Chats: Host a virtual chat with an industry influencer to discuss a topic relevant to your audience. Your business can set the subject, and a team member can be a moderator. You can ask the influencer questions about the topic or host a more casual conversation between the influencer and one of your business leaders. Whatever format you choose, you can reshare the conversation after the fact to create strong thought leadership content for your brand. This is a great way to position your brand as a leader in the field while also creating a valuable resource for your audience.?
• Event Hosting Partnership: ?B2B brands can collaborate with influencers to co-host industry-specific events. The influencer can contribute their subject matter expertise, co-host workshops, or lead discussions, lending credibility and knowledge to the event. This cooperative venture can prove mutually beneficial, allowing the brand to tap into new event audiences and heighten its industry authority. At the same time, the influencer can further enrich their personal brand by co-hosting with a reputable B2B organization.
• Webinars or Podcasts: Similar to fireside chats, webinars or podcast can get your brand in front of an audience by capturing their interest with a relevant topic. Host a webinar and bring in popular speakers (influencers) in your field to discuss the topic at hand. Consider a wide range of interesting topics —perhaps a shift in your industry or how to use an innovation like ChatGPT—and bring in people with unique perspectives. Webinars and podcasts are one way to gain an audiences dedicated attention for a sustained period of time. They are also excellent 'pyramid content' that can be used in social selling.
• Select Dining Experience: B2B brands can partner with influencers to co-host exclusive dinners. The influencer, along with the brand, can curate a memorable dining experience for select guests. This collaborative dinner event can bring mutual benefits, allowing the brand to cultivate meaningful relationships and elevate its industry presence. At the same time, the influencer can enhance their personal brand by co-hosting with a respected B2B partner.
• Podcast Sponsorships: B2Bs can benefit from sponsored content by engaging the influencer's followers with more in-depth and thought-provoking content that presents their brand more compellingly. Because B2B stakeholders are more likely to engage with industry-specific podcasts, you'll get a more significant impact by sponsoring a smaller podcast about topics relevant to your field than a more prominent podcast with a broad audience.
• Product Reviews: This type of influencer partnership involves having the influencer test and review a B2B's product or service. The influencer will then share their honest feedback and experiences with their followers on their personal website or their social media platforms, which can help increase brand awareness and credibility. B2Bs can also utilize this type of partnership to gather valuable insights and feedback from their target audience.
• CEO Interview: B2B brands can join forces with influencers to conduct insightful CEO interviews via chat. Influencers can leverage their conversational skills and industry knowledge to facilitate a meaningful dialogue with the CEO. This collaborative chat interview can be mutually rewarding, enabling the brand to showcase thought leadership and extend its industry reach. At the same time, the influencer can enhance their personal brand by engaging with a reputable B2B company.
• Product Tutorial Partnership: B2B brands can collaborate with influencers to co-create live-stream or recorded product tutorial videos. Influencers can leverage their expertise and engaging presence to demonstrate the product's features and benefits. This collaborative video venture can prove mutually advantageous, allowing the brand to enhance its product's visibility and credibility. At the same time, the influencer can expand their personal brand by partnering with a reputable business.
• Panels: If you're looking to grow your organization or catch the interest of investors, sponsoring a panel or even sending a company representative or influencer to be part of a panel can put your brand in front of customers more subtly, sh
• Event Collaboration: B2B brands can partner with influencers to host or attend events. The influencer can help promote the event to their followers, deliver a keynote speech, or participate in a panel discussion to add credibility and expertise to the event. This type of partnership can benefit both the brand and the influencer, as it allows the brand to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness. In contrast, the influencer can add a new dimension to their personal brand by collaborating with a reputable B2B brand.
• Product Reviews: Brands can collaborate with influencers to produce in-depth product reviews. The influencer can draw upon their industry expertise to comprehensively evaluate the product's performance and benefits. This joint product review effort can be mutually beneficial, offering the brand an opportunity to bolster its product's reputation and reach. At the same time, the influencer can enrich their personal brand by partnering with a respected organization.
• Written content: B2B brands can collaborate with influencers to co-create articles and whitepapers. The influencer can contribute valuable insights and expertise to the content, elevating its credibility and appeal to the target audience. This collaborative partnership can be mutually advantageous, enabling the brand to reach a broader readership and enhance its thought leadership, while the influencer can enrich their personal brand by associating with a reputable B2B entity.
• Social Media Posts: B2B brands can partner with influencers to craft engaging social media posts. The influencer can infuse their unique style and expertise into the brand's content, enhancing its appeal to followers and bolstering its credibility. This collaborative approach can result in a 'win-win' scenario, enabling the brand to expand its social media reach and strengthen its online presence. At the same time, the influencer can diversify their own personal brand by aligning with a respected B2B entity.

Each type of influencer partnership has its strengths and weaknesses, and B2Bs should choose the one that aligns best with their marketing goals and target audience. And remember, any method by which a brand and an influencer agree to work together is an influencer partnership. So, while these examples are great starting points and some of the most common ways B2Bs leverage their influencer partnerships, feel free to think outside the box and develop a unique strategy.

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Enduring Influencer Relationships.

The best influencer relationships last more than one marketing or PR exercise. The audience you want to attract must see that the influencer believes in your product. Celebrities and macro-influencers are often associated with a lot of different products. Audiences recognize this and may not be entirely convinced that their influencers truly believe in the product they are promoting.

Micro-influencers are social media leaders with smaller but highly engaged followings. When you identify the right one, you can hire them to promote your business or product for much less and far longer than hiring a celebrity or macro-influencer would cost.

When the micro-influencer audience continues to see your business or product more often, they will be more inclined to trust the brand association and reach out to engage with your business.

Influencer Product and Business Advice.

Find an influencer who can help you get noticed and provide valuable advice. Exposure and trust association with an influencer is one part of your mix. The right influencers can offer so much more.

Your micro-influencer should provide you with deep insight into your target audience. For example, product advice, whom and how to target your buyers, advice on your marketing literature, tone, value proposition and more.

Ask them to share their honest thoughts on your products/business and constructively use that feedback to improve your proposition, product or business.

Influencers can learn a lot about your product, service or business from their social conversations as they operate at a much more intimate level with the community you want to access than you do. Have them share community feedback and use it to improve your value proposition. You may get new ideas from community comments you had never thought of.

Ask your influencers questions and invite them to attend your marketing and strategic planning sessions. Treat them like true partners and watch your brand awareness and revenue grow.

Support and partner with your Influencer.

Do your best to align goals with your micro-influencer. Both of you should want the relationship to succeed; therefore, aligning your goals should be a focus. For example, give you influencer promo codes or incentives they can offer their audience to help them sell your product or business, e.g., 10% off the first year's subscription. The more you help your influencer promote, the more you will benefit - don't leave everything to them..

An Influencer needs to be a part of the mix instead of wham bham and done.

Earned media isn't just a top-of-funnel activity. It should enable sales at every level of the funnel.

Most marketing teams stop at the top of the funnel. But earned media's greatest power is actually in nurturing and closing leads.

An influencer can train your sales teams so they know HOW to use their content in their nurture sequences. For example, a whitepaper written by an influencer should be sent to your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) as a 'value item'.

This then opens the PERFECT way to start a conversation - 'What did you think of the white paper I sent?'

Or 'Did you see [insert publication] just published a story talking about our 5-step process to implement Generative AI in SME businesses - [insert publication link], what did you think?

Or 'Next week our CEO is doing a fireside chat with [business influencer], talking about our [news], as well as sharing insights on where our industry is headed' do you fancy attending?

Or 'Recently, you asked a thoughtful question about [XYZ], and I realized our VP had done a much better job at answering your question in a recent publication, so I wanted to share it with you: [link] - what do you think of his comments?'

Each helps you nurture leads without the dreaded just checking in with nowhere sales call.

Say it with me: PR works at every level of the funnel.?

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How do I set up a B2B influencer marketing contract??

As with any business partnership, it's crucial to establish clear expectations up front to protect the brand's interests. Here are some best practices to help you ensure your influencer marketing agreement stands up to scrutiny.?

• State Deliverables and Expectations: Brands should make sure the type and amount of deliverables are clearly stated and that these expectations are communicated in advance, e.g. the type and amount of deliverables, the timeline, and any other relevant details.?
• Establish a Timeline: Explain the campaign's timeline and when your brand expects the influencer to submit their deliverables. This helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same time-bound goal.
• Measure Campaign Success: Provide the influencer with custom UTM links or product codes to help your brand track the campaign's efforts correctly.
• Content ownership and rights: Clearly define the ownership and rights to any content produced in the partnership. For example, the brand may retain the rights to use the content for future marketing efforts, while the influencer may own the rights to use the content for personal use.
• Provide reasons for contract termination: This section should outline why the contract may be terminated, such as non-compliance with legal obligations, failure to meet the agreed-upon deliverables, or any other reasons deemed necessary by the brand.
• Privacy and confidentiality information and clearance: This section should outline any privacy and confidentiality information that needs to be protected, such as trade secrets or confidential information about the brand or its products. This section may also include a confidentiality agreement (NDA) to help ensure that sensitive information remains confidential.
• Review by the Legal Team: Before sending the contract to the influencer, ensure your legal team has reviewed it to ensure that all legal obligations and considerations are in order.

By following these steps and including these critical elements in an influencer marketing contract, brands can establish clear expectations and protect their interests in a partnership with an influencer. Brands can ensure a successful influencer marketing campaign with clear communication and a well-defined agreement.

You’ve found your influencer—what now??

Congratulations! You’ve taken a step towards a successful influencer marketing campaign. But now what? It’s time to move from hiring an influencer to co-creating a meaningful and impactful partnership.

First, it’s important to remember that influencers are not simply mouthpieces for your brand. They have built a following and trust with their audience because of their unique perspectives and authentic voices.

To fully leverage an influencer's value to your campaign, you should work with them to co-create content that feels genuine to their followers.

Second, building a long-term relationship with an influencer can be a key driver of success. It’s essential to treat influencer marketing as a two-way street—where both parties benefit from the partnership. Investing in a sustained relationship with an influencer can help your brand create a more authentic, personal connection with their followers, and it will also help you build a network of trusted allies within the influencer community.

Finally, educating your influencer on your products or services is critical to success. Give them the tools and resources they need to share your story with their followers effectively.

Provide them with information about your brand and its history, target audience, and marketing goals. This will not only help the influencer create better content but also give them a better understanding of the impact they can have as a partner.

Once you've hired an influencer, taking a strategic and collaborative approach is essential. By co-creating content, building long-term relationships, and educating your influencer, you can maximize the impact of your influencer marketing campaigns and create a mutually beneficial partnership for years to come.

?? Need help with influencer marketing?

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Micro-Influencers Drive Massive Impact.

What micro-influencers may sometimes lack in scale, they make up for in impact! Studies show that micro-influencers generate the highest engagement rates. Save money by using their niche market to hit your target audience.

Micro-influencers are a cost-effective investment and, more often than not, a collaborative and creative partner. Product/service reviews and social media posts are a great start but quickly move to a more personal, longer-term relationship to leverage the maximum benefit from your influencer partnership.

?? Need help with influencer marketing?

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Who am I?

I am a senior executive with 28+ years of experience leading digital programs?and the author of the book “The A-Z of Organizational Digital Transformation.”?I have been a director, board member, research fellow, and advisor to multiple international companies.

Please find me?on social LinkedIn ?|?Kieran Gilmurray ?|?Twitter ?|?YouTube

I am regularly ranked as one of the top global experts in Intelligent Automation, Data Analytics, Brand Influence, and Business Technology Innovation and have won multiple international awards, including:

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I am a hugely experienced data science leader who has lead teams of PHDs, data analysts, data engineers, and database administrators for many years, creating one of the few genuine Decision Intelligence companies to date along the way.

But don't just take my word for it.

'Kieran is an exceptional technologist, automation expert, and skilled at AI, Data Analytics, and Decision Insight. His business and technical knowledge are second to none. If you or your business want to achieve your goals, then connect with Kieran'

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