The Rise of B2B Influencer Marketing: Insights and Opportunities
Business-to-business (B2B) marketers are increasingly turning to influencers to boost their marketing strategies, with 93% of them planning to increase their usage of influencers, according to a recent report by Ogilvy. The report, based on interviews with 550 chief marketing officers across 11 markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, and The Philippines, revealed that 76% of B2B marketers are already leveraging influencers in their campaigns.
The use of B2B influencers has proven to have a significant impact on marketing performance, with 67% of B2B influencer campaigns outperforming traditional brand-only marketing efforts. These influencers excel in creating hyper-targeted and personalized messaging to increase brand consideration and customer acquisition, as cited by 92% of respondents.
LinkedIn, in particular, has been a platform where industry leaders have established themselves as thought leaders, providing a genuine connection with their network. Ashutosh Gupta, country manager and head of online sales for LinkedIn APAC, emphasized the trust that is already established between thought leaders and their network, making their opinions more influential than traditional brand advertising.
Despite the potential benefits of B2B influencer marketing, Southeast Asia (SEA) lags behind in utilizing human-centric storytelling in their campaigns. Only 41% of B2B marketers in SEA incorporate human-centric storytelling, compared to higher percentages in other regions like Kenya and the United States. The lack of human-centricity in SEA’s B2B influencer marketing is seen as a missed opportunity to engage with audiences on a deeper level.
As the importance of emotive storytelling in marketing continues to grow, the report suggests that SEA and APAC B2B marketers could benefit from co-creating engaging stories with influencers to capture the attention and interest of their target audiences. With the potential for influencers to drive brand advocacy and trust, B2B marketers in the region are encouraged to explore the power of human-centric storytelling in their campaigns.