全球B2B意见领袖营销的兴起 THE GLOBAL RISE OF B2B INFLUENCER MARKETING 2024

INFLUENCING

BUSINESS

THE

GLOBAL

MARKETING

FOREWORD

RealPeople,RealImpact:ThePowerofInfluence

Theworldofinfluencermarketinghasevolved–andgrownexponentially.

Since2016,theglobalmarketsizehasgrownbymorethan20x.Today,GoldmannSachsestimatesthattheCreatorEconomywillreach$500Billionby2027.

SocialplatformslikeYouTube(2.2B),Instagram(1.4B)andTikTok(1B)leadthewaytoreachthenextgenerationofconsumers,closinginonacombined5Bmonthlyactiveusers,andthisgrowthisfuelledbythosegeneratingcontenteveryday.Ineveryminutethatpasses,2millionpostsaresharedonSnapchatalone.Inthesametimeframe,onemillionhoursofcontentwillbestreamedbyusersworldwide.

Creatorsarethecatalystforthesuccessoftheseplatforms.Sharinginformationandstartingtrendsaretwoofthemostpotentculturalforcesshapingourworldtoday.Andnow,withthecontinuedevolutionofeCommerce,entrepreneursandbusinessesalikearecapitalising

onthepowerofInfluencerstonotonlydrivesales,buttobirthnewbusinesses,bornpurelyfromtheopportunitytheCreatorEconomypresents.Forthoseindoubt:62%ofTikTokusersreportmakingapurchaseafterseeingitreviewed,promoted,oradvertisedontheapp.

TheRealityoftheB2BInformationExchange

Withinfluencermarketingstereotypedbymanyasaconsumertool,seeingphotoshopped,fame-hungryInfluencerspromotingproductstheydon’treallyuse,theB2BworldhadlargelywrittenoffcollaboratingwithInfluencersasnottranslatingtobusiness;aspacebuilton

credibilityandtrust.Asaresult,B2BhadbeenslowertoaccepthowInfluencerscoulddriveimpactintheirbusinessoperations.

Butifyoulookattheheartofbothdisciplines,you’dbefoolishtoignoretheunderlying

componentofwhatmakesinfluencermarketingsosuccessful.Yes,theexecutionisdifferent,buttheprinciplesarethesame.Experiencessharedfromalike-mindedcommunitybecomesuniquelyvalidated,andthetrustexchangedbetweenthatcommunitybecomesinnately

ingrainedinallitsparticipants.

CarefullyselectedInfluencerpartnershipsnowplayanintegralroleinhowbusinessesconsume,verifyandactoninformation.Butnotenoughbrandsdevelopthedeep,

meaningful,andcomplexrelationshipswithInfluencerstheiraudiencedemands.Businessesneedtounderstandthevaluethatliesinthoseauthenticpartnerships.Forthosewhogetthatrightcanownthepocketsofindustryconversationwherereputationsaretrulyformed.

RahulTitus

GlobalHeadofInfluence,Ogilvy

2INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

Whatyouwillseeinthispaper

ProvidingaGlobalPerspective

AlthoughpartneringwithKeyOpinionLeaders

(KOLs)arecertainlynotnew,theevolutionoftheB2BInfluencermarketinglandscapehasbeenslowerthanitsmoredevelopedbigbrotherinB2C.Asaresult,wehaveverylittleresearchabouthowB2Bbusinesses

useInfluencersintheirmarketingactivities,orthesuccessesandchallengesbeingexperienced.

That’swhyOgilvyInfluenceembarkedoneofthefirstandlargestglobalresearchprojectsinB2BInfluence!Utilisingthepowerofourglobalnetwork,we’ve

surveyedmarketingleadersacrossEurope,Africa,MiddleEast,AsiaPacificandtheAmericasandhave

producedthemostdetailedglobalevaluationof

thespacetodate,importantlyhighlightingboththe

similaritiesandcomparisonsofhowBusinessInfluenceoperatesindifferentculturesandregionsaroundtheworld.

Thisreportwillshowsenioropiniononthesuccess

ofB2BInfluencersandprovideinsightintohowto

executethepracticemoreeffectivelyformarketersallovertheworld.

Wewillanalysethemarkets,shareinsightfulmarket-by-marketcomparison,spottheopportunitiestoseizeandshareusefultipsonhowtoshapeyourownInfluencerstrategy.

OurPartners

Thesumofourfindingsisonlyasstrongasthecredibilityofthedatawecollectandtheunrivalledexperienceofthepartnersthatcontribute.That’swhywechosetopartnerwithacollectionofB2Bexpertstobringthisanalysistolifeincluding:

onalytica

OpiniumResearch

OpiniumResearch

areaglobalresearch

firmwith20years

ofresearchin

quantitativestudy

LinkedIn

LinkedInisconsidered

theprincipleandbiggest

professionalsocialnetwork

withover500million

users.Withaplethoraof

services,LinkedInacts

asthefoundationofB2B

Influencermarketing

Onalytica

OnalyticaisaB2B

Influencermarketing

platformwithsearch,

analysisand

managementcapabilities

3INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

CONTENTS

01

THEFOUNDATIONSOFB2BINFLUENCE

5

02

RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

7

03

GLOBAL

FINDINGS

10

04

KEYTAKEAWAYS

i.CatalystsofConversation:

TheModernDayWordofMouth

ii.EmbraceEmotion:ThevalueofHuman-CentricStorytelling

iii.ThinkFurther:InfluenceisIntegrated

iv.PersonnelPower:TheUntappedValueinEmployeesasInfluencers

v.RealROI:TheStoryofB2BiCommerce

16

17

19

22

24

27

05

REGIONAL

PERSPECTIVE

30

06

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

39

4INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

THEFOUNDATIONSOFB2BINFLUENCE

THEFOUNDATIONSOFB2BINFLUENCE

WhatisB2BInfluence?

B2BInfluencermarketingisthepracticeof

partneringbrandswithinfluentialindividuals,keyindustryfigures,orsubjectmatterexperts.The

focusofthiscollaborationistocreatecontentthathasabeneficialimpactontheircustomers’brandperceptionandpurchasedecisionsbyprovidingcredibleinformation.

BusinessespartnerwithInfluencersforamultitudeofreasons,includingarticulatingtheirbusiness

benefitsfromanauthenticperspective–ortoanewaudience.

WhatdoesaB2BInfluencer

looklike?

WhereasB2Cmoreoftendemandstrendsettersandtastemakers,B2Brequirescredibleexpertiserootedinprovenexperiencethatcontributestoprofessionalopinion.

ThiscouldcomeintheformofThoughtLeaders,SubjectMatterExperts,Academics,Business

Owners,ContentCreators,Analysts&Journalists,andevenacompany’sownemployees.

Oftenhavingtheirownin-builtaudiencesand

followers,theirinfluenceisvisiblethroughaplethoraofchannels,fromwidespreadsocialmedia

content,todetailedthoughtleadershipevents

andmedia,evenone-to-onemeetingsorindustrydiscussionboards.

Thisinfluencethenseedsintotheindustry

conversationtocreaterealimpactonreputation.

MAINSTREAMTALENT

BUSINESSLEADERS

☆

EMPLOYEES

GATEKEEPERS

SPECTRUM

OFBUSINESS

INFLUENCE

THOUGHTLEADERS

JOURNALISTS&MEDIA

CUSTOMERS

POLICYMAKERS

6INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

OURRESEARCH

GlobalAnalysisofB2BInfluencerMarketing

Methodology

Toobtainbothamassglobalperspective,whilealsounderstandingdetailintheexperience,weconductedaglobalquestionnaireof550+seniorleadersthroughourresearchpartnerOpinium,alongsideanin-depthinterviewseriestoCMOsofmulti-nationalorganisations.

550+SENIORB2BDECISIONMAKERS

11GLOBALMARKETS

18QUESTIONGLOBALSURVEY

ONE-ON-ONEINTERVIEWSERIES

ourquestioning

Constructing

Participantstookan18-questionsurveythatwasdevice-agnosticandincludeddemographicandqualifyingquestions.ThesurveyconstructedwasdesignedtovalidateusageofInfluencermarketingwithintheB2Bindustry,andtoprovideinsightintosuccessfulpractices.

All11Ogilvymarketscontributedto

questioning,tailoredwitheachmarket’sculturalfactorsandstageofdevelopmentinmind.Theconstructionofthe

questioningthendrewfrom

Opiniumexpertisetodevelopclearanddecisiveresults.

Qualifyingcriteriaforrespondents

s日

JOBLEVELEXPERIENCE

SeniordecisionmakerswithexperienceinB2B

INDUSTRIES

Tech,Retail,FMCG,Legal,Construction,

RealEstate,IT,FinancialServices,Marketing&Advertising,Finance&Banking

BUSINESSSIZE

Small(5-50Emps),SME(50–500Emps),LargeEnterprise(500+Emps)

MARKETS

UK,US,France,SouthAfrica,Kenya,SaudiArabia,UAE,Singapore,Malaysia,Vietnam,ThePhilippines

8INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

MEETOURPANELOFEXPERTS

WeconductedinterviewswithsomeofthemostestablishedCMOs&MarketingLeadersinB2BtogetanintrinsicviewofhowBusinessInfluenceisbeingutilisedbysomeofthebiggestorganisationsintheworld.

BethSaint

CMO,

Schroders

JimHabig

VPMarketing,LinkedIn

RebeccaHirst

CMO,EY

AshutoshGupta

CountryManager,LinkedInAPAC

AndyDavis

Founder,

10x10

RyanBares

InfluenceLead,IBM

AlexisOger

VPEMEAMarketing,Dell

SaadAbdullah

GM,Marketing,

ToyotaandLexus,UAE

YogeshDhringra

MD&CEO,

SmartrLogisticsIndia

StevenNutbeam

CMO,

JPMorgan

KerryThorpe

HeadofComms,Ben&Jerry’s

JasonElliott

HeadofPortfolioMarketing,Nokia

LucaDestefanis

GlobalVPMarketing,Kyndryl,SIngapore

ShuchiSud

GlobalSales&DeliveryAmazonWebServices

MichaelChang

ManagingPartner,TayaVentureCapital

AnicetBossia

GM,Brand&Marketing,AirtelAfrica

AtillaCansun

CMO,

No7BeautyCompany

PeterMarkey

CMO,Boots

AlexKonstanze

PHDMarketing

SamYang

ExecDirector&CSO,QMIGroup

9INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

GLOBAL

FINDINGS

ASNAPSHOT

OFTHEGLOBALFINDINGS

Oneofthemoststrikingfindingsofoursurveywasthat93%ofCMOsareplanningtoincreasetheirusageofInfluencersinsomeform.Feedbackfromourinterviewseriesrevealsthatthiskindofmarketingenablesbrandstoreachnewaudiencesinnewways,whilststilladoptingtheprincipalelementoftrust.

Butincontrasttotheunequivocalopportunitiesaroundus,holesinthefabricofbrandstrategyarestill

visible,withmarketingteamsacrosstheglobestillmissingthelow-hangingfruitinalargelyuntested,under-developedandunder-utilisedInfluencermarketingrevolution.

Beingusedtoachieveobjectivesateverystageofthecustomerjourney,brandsthatintegrateInfluenceeffectivelyforcontextualchallengewilltakestridesforwardsincreatingownableimpactinspacesstilluntouchedbyall-but-a-fewoftheindustry’smostsuccessfulbrand-buildingbusinesses.

75%ofoursurveyedB2BMarketersarealreadyutilisingInfluencersandofthosewhodon't,mostareplanningonstartingsoon.Ifyou’renotexploringthebasicbenefits,you’remissinganopportunityforgainsthatyour

competitorsarealreadytaking.

Goingbacktohandshakesovergamesofgolf,utilising Influencersisnothingnew;theplayingfieldjustlooks different.With90%oftheindustrynowseeingsocial mediaasanimportantsourceofbusinessinformation,Influencersareimpactingaduediligenceprocessthatwaspreviouslylimitedtosalesrepsandglossybrochures.

CMO’saredivided.Thereisnoonebestwaytoutiliseinfluencers.Somebusinessesusethemtobuildupperfunnelrelationships(50%),otherstoclosethedeal

(50%)whilesignificantevidencesuggestnobrandsareutilizingafter-salesinfluencetoitsfullpotential.

Youremployeesaretypicallyyourmostvaluable resource.Influencersarenotonlybeingusedtomotivateandeducateyourinternalemployees,butidentifyingyouremployeesthatcanbeInfluencers themselvesisahugemissedopportunityforoneofthebiggestROI’sofalltime.

Ifyoudon’thaveaB2BInfluencerstrategy,you’relatetotheparty

Everythingisnew,butnothinghaschanged.Influencersstillimpactduediligenceprocesses.

Influencersarethemostversatilefull-funneltoolinyourB2Bmarketingarmoury.

Thereisanunexploredsymbiotic

relationshipbetweenemployeesandInfluencersonlyafewCMOs

havespotted

11INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

THERESULTS

TherichestofdatasetsavailableanywhereinB2BInfluencerMarketinghasbeenbenchmarkedacrossall

participatingregions,validatedbyourresearchpartnersandelaboratedonindetailthroughourCMOexpertinterviewseriestogiveaneye-opening,heart-of-the-action,globalperspectiveontheimpactInfluencersarehavinginB2B.

BelowshowcasessomeofthestandoutresultsthatcouldchangeyourapproachtoInfluencersasyouknowit…..

Usage

75%

ofB2BbusinessescurrentlyuseB2Binfluencermarketingandofthose,93%areplanningto

increasetheuseofthem.

Performance

Ofthosewhodon'tuseInfluencersyet,

53%

arealreadyplanningtousetheminthefuture.

27%

ofthosewhodon’tuseInfluencers,thinkthey

donothavethebudgettoimplementinfluencermarketingintheircurrentmarketingstrategy.

67%

ofB2BInfluencercampaignshadmoreimpactontheirmarketingperformancethantheirbrandonlymarketing,risingto77%ofpeopleexpectingitto

outperforminthenearfuture.

Only

1%

ofbusinessessaidtheirInfluencecampaignsperformedworse

thantheirbrandcontent.

40%

ofB2Bmarketersstatedthat

warmerleads,increasedleadsorincreasesinsaleswerethesuccessfactorstheyexperiencedwhenimplementinganinfluencermarketingstrategy

WeuseInfluencersintheearly

stagesofthefunnelthrougheventsandthoughtleadership,tostarttheconversationandbuildtrust.”

RebeccaHirst,

CMO,EY

12INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

50

50

C-SuitemarketersweresplitwhenchoosingInfluencer’sbiggestimpactareainthemarketingfunnelbetweenmid-funnelrelationship

building(50%)orlowerfunnelsales(50%).

47%

howeverbelievethere’sanopportunityforB2BInfluencerstohavethebiggestimpactduringaftersaleswhen

executedcorrectly,encouragingadvocacy,trustinthebrandandultimatelyrepeatpurchases.

AtwhatstagehaveB2Binfluencersmadethebiggestimpactonyourconsumerjourney/marketingfunnel?selectallthatapply.

don'tknow/notsure

other(pleasespecify)Impactsreview&duediligenceMainlyattheawarenessstage

Detailedproduct/brandconsiderationstage

Aftersales,maintainingadvocacy,trustinthebrandrelationshipsandultimatelyrepeatpurchase

Impactsfinaldecisionmaking/purchase/salesEngagement,andrelationshipbuilding

O%5000%10000%15000%20000%25000%

49%

BenefitsofInflue

nce

36%

48%

ofC-SuitemarketersbelieveInfluencershelpthebrand

achieveamorecredible,

believable,andtrustedopinionthanitcanbyitself.

ofbrand/productteams

suggestedworkingwith

Influencershelpedthemimprovetheirproductor

businessthroughvaluableexpertfeedback.

believetheauthentictwo-waycommunicationthatInfluencerscreatewith

theircustomerscannotbereplicatedtothesameleveldirectlywiththebrand.

KOLs(keyopinionleaders)give

usaccesstoanaudiencewedon't

alreadyown.AnInfluencerpartnershipallowsustotalkaboutspecifictopicstorelevant,engagedaudiences.

RyanBares,

InfluenceLead,IBM

92%

ofparticipantsagreethatusingB2B

Influencersforhyper-targetedmarketingorpersonalisedmessagingisaneffectivestrategyforincreasingbrand

considerationandcustomeracquisition.

13INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

89%

ofC-SuitemarketersrecognisethatusingemployeesasInfluencersholdsimmensevaluefortheirbusinesseswhenintegratingthemintomarketingstrategiesasafree,informedandimpassionedInfluencer.

10%

90%

90%

ofindustrymarketeersbelievethatB2BInfluencerson

socialmediaareanimportantsourceofstayinguptodatewiththeirindustry-with57%

citingthemastheirmainsourceofinformationonaday-to-

daybasis.

47%

ofexecutivesbelievethatusingexternalB2BInfluencerspositivelyimpacted

internalemployeesthroughgreaterengagementandinterestinbrand.

48%

ofparticipantsconfirmtheysharecontentdirectlywithpeerstheyfeelmayfindvalue,expanding

thequalifiedreachourInfluencercontentcanachieve.

44%

ofB2Bdecisionmakersfind

productorservice-basedcontentthemostinfluentialwhenmakingabuyingdecision,followedcloselybytestimonials(42%).

43%

ofprofessionalsbelievethecredibility

andbelievabilityofaB2BInfluenceris

developedbystrongengagement,havingclearmarket-leadingsuccess

andverifyingcredibilitythroughreferralsandendorsementsfromotherB2B

thoughtleaders.

Thetopsuggestion(56%)for

improvingperformanceofB2BInfluencercampaignsBInfluence

‘Buildlongtermrelationships

thatshowtrue

brandadvocacy’.y

forward.

55%

ofdecisionmakersaremorereceptivetobusinessleaderswhengettinginformationandinsightsasitshowsexperience

fromothersintheirposition.Thisis

followedcloselybypractitioners(47%)andresearchers(46%)-peoplewithaneducatedandqualifiedpointofview.

14INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

KEY

TAKEAWAYS

Applyingour

learningsinpractice

i

CATALYSTSOF

CONVERSATION:

INFLUENCEISTHEMODERN-

DAYWORDOFMOUTH

Wordofmouthhasbeenrecognisedasthemosteffectivemarketingchannelsincethebeginningoftime.Understandingwhatmakeswordofmouthsoeffective,istounderstandthecomponentsofitssource.

Wordofmouthis:

•anhonest,authenticopinion;

•embeddedinrelatableexperience;

•fromrealpeopleyoucantrust

WelcometotheworldofbusinessInfluencers…

Inanagewhere75%oftheworkforcewillbedigitalnativesby2025(HarvardBusinessReview2)

businesseshavetoadapttothenewrealityofthedigitalrelationships&communicationlandscapebecomingincreasinglyintegratedwithour

physicalone.

B2BInfluencersareaconduitbetweenthetwo-anauthenticcatalystofconversation,andthebeatingheartofmodern-daywordofmouthmarketing.

B2Bmarketersarenotrewritingtherulesof

engagement.They’vesimplyadaptedtothenewdigital/IRLhybridenvironmentthequickestandclaimeditforthemselves.

Theexcitingthingisthewordofmouth

conversationsB2Bmarketershave,arenotone-on-oneanymore.TheaccessibilityofdigitalmeansthatInfluencerscreatedetaileddebateandconversationbetweenhundreds,ifnotthousandsofpeopleon

anyonetopic,butwiththesameauthoritythey’ve

alreadydevelopedthroughyearsofcredibilityacrossotherestablishedchannels.

Brandsthatestablishpartnershipswiththese

influentialleadersbecomeanorganiccomponentofindustry-leadingdiscussion,andasaresultestablishthereputationofanintegralbusinesspartnerwithacredibleseatatthetable.

Infact,49%ofC-Suitemarketersbelievethat

influencershelptheirbrandsachieveamorecredible,believable,andtrustedopinionthantheycould

achievebythemselves.

"Influencersaresuccessfulindividualswithestablishednamesandtrustworthinessintheindustry,withprovenandsuccessfulcareersintheirfields.Theyarewellrespectedintheindustryandpeople

lookforwardtotheirviewsandopinions.InfluencersbringvaluetoB2Bmarketingduetotheircredibility.”

YogeshDhingra,CEO,SmartrLogistics,India

91%

ofB2Bpurchasesareimpactedbyword-of-mouthinsomeway1Forbes

1

/sites/jefffromm/2018/11/07/how-to-impact-your-brand-by-word-of-mouth/

2

/2023/03/b2b-sales-culture-must-change-to-make-the-most-of-digital-tools

16INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

HOWSHOULD

BRANDSUSEIT?

STEP1:ChooseTalentWisely

Thecrucialfirststepistocarefullydefinewhothesecreatorsareandensuretheirvoiceandvaluesfitwith

yours.EachInfluencerpossessesauniquevoicethatresonateswithaspecificportionofyourcustomerbase.ChoosingtherightInfluencerandgivingthemcreativelicensetopromoteyourbrandintheirownwayhelpstocreateunrivalledauthenticity.

Yourselectionalsoopensopportunitytotapintohard-to-reachnichemarketsanddiversecustomersegments,ofteninspacesbrandshavenoauthoritytospeakandthereforeconsiderunattainable.Thisindividuality

becomesthecornerstoneformarketerstostandoutinanotherwiseover-saturatedseaofsameness.

AsBethSaint,CMOofSchroder’s,aptlypointsout,

"Individualismisback.Inaworldwherethereissomuchcontentavailabletherehasbeenariseintheimportanceofindividualistictoneofvoice

andperspective.WhetheryourInfluencersareyouremployees,oryourcustomers,theindividualiscriticalforbrandstoberecognisednow."

STEP2:InvestinthePartnership

Thenextsteprequiresthebrandtoinvestinthesepartnershipsbeyondthefinancial.

Educatethemonyourproducts,invitethemtobusinessdevelopmentsessions,havethemmeetyour

employees.Buildstrong,meaningful,long-termrelationshipswithInfluencerswhointurn,becomedeeplyinvestedinyourbrand'spurposeandnaturallyadvocateforit,evenwhenunprompted.It'sasymbiotic

relationship-investinInfluencers,andthey’llundoubtedlyinvestinyou.

AstheageofB2BInfluencersunfolds,businessesmustcollaboratetoresonate&stayrelevant.ByharnessingthepowerofalignedInfluencers,brandsnotonlyenterthehotspotsofconversationatkeymoments,they

staythereuntildecisionmakersarereadytolisten.

Example:No7BeautyCompanyservesasanexemplarymodelofthisapproach

throughitsCreatorCollective-aground-breakinginitiativethatplacessubstantial

emphasisonempoweringB2BInfluencers.AtillaCansun,CMOofNo7Beauty

Company,describestheinitiativeasapowerfulwayto"influencetheInfluencers,

educatethem,providethemwiththerighttoolstogrow,andbecomeevenmoreinfluential."

17INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

ii

EMBRACEEMOTION:

THEVALUEOFHUMAN-

CENTRICSTORYTELLING

B2Bdecisionmakersare

ultimatelyjustpeopletoo.

B2Bhasundergonearevolution.Thesocial

ageofinformationandalways-onaccessibilityhasusheredthroughaneweraofrelationshipsbetweenbuyersandbrands.Whatthathas

meantforthemodernworkforceisthatwe

sourceprofessionalinformationandconnectwithcolleaguesthroughthesamechannelsaswedoforourpersonallives.

Asourworklifeandpersonallifebecome

increasinglyentangled,appealingemotivelytothehumanbehindtheprofessionaliseven

moreimportant.Professionalcomms-butondeeper,morepersonallevel-hasrisentoprominence,andwithgoodreason…

Thefundamentalcomponentatthecoreof

emotion,ishumanstories.Realpeoplecreate

realimpact.Thisprovidesthe

perfectopportunitytowelcomeB2BInfluencerstothestage.

Researchshowsthatemotionallyconnectedcustomersaremorethantwiceasvaluable

ashighlysatisfiedcustomers,asemotionsareknowntoinfluencedecision-makingandbrandloyalty.3

x7

ResearchbytheLinkedInB2BInstitutesuggeststhat:‘inspiringemotioninB2Badsisx7moreeffectivethandeliveringrationalbenefitsalone’.

49%

ofC-SuitemarketersbelieveInfluencershelpthebrandachieveamorecredible,believableandtrustedopinionthanitcanbyitself.

Audienceswilltrustabrandtheyrespect,andvalueopinions

overstandardbrandmessaging.

AndyDavies,

FormerInvestor-in-

ResidenceatGoogleandFounderof10x10

3ForbesPublication.“HowEmotionalConnectionsCreateChampionsforyourBrand”Link

18INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

Benefitsforemployeestoo!

We’vealsodiscoveredthatleveragingInfluencerscanigniteanintrinsic,

relatablepassionbehindthenarrativeofyouremployees.Builtontheirpersonalinvestmentinoutcomesofthesharedstory,Influencersaddamulti-layered

benefitweavingfurthermotivationintocompanyperformance.

WealsouseInfluencerstoconnectemotionallywithourteammemberstoretainandattracttalentaswellascustomer.Ithelpspeoplefeelmoreconnectedtothecompanyand

understandthevalues.

AlexisOger,VPMarketingEMEA,DellTechnologies,France

HereareafewtipstobuildemotionalrelationshipsthroughInfluencers

01

Marketyourbrandvaluesoverproductexpertise.Findthevaluesthathavesynergieswiththe

consumerworldthatpeoplecarepersonallyaboutanddevelopyourcreativeambitionaroundthese.

02

SelectInfluencersthatauthenticallyalignwiththosevalues,onboardthemearlyinyourcreativedirectionandcollaboratetofindtheoutcome.Trustthattheyknowtheiraudiencebecausetheyspeaktothemallthetime.

03

Throughthecreativedirectionyouchoose,theplatformsyouhostyourmessageonandtheactionyouillicit,youmustgiveyouraudienceanopportunitytoengage–comment,share,duet,DM,

anything–aslongasit’snotjustwatch.Thetwo-wayengagementvalidatestheirinitialemotionalconnectiontobuildarealbrandadvocacy.

48%

Believetheauthentictwo-

waycommunicationthat

Influencerscreatewiththeir

network(andyourpotential

customers)cannotbe

replicatedtothesamelevel

directlywiththebranditself.

"Inourbusinessmodel,whichishighvaluetechnology

services,thekeytooursuccessisadvocacy.Advocacytodriveawarenessand,equallyimportantly,fordeepeningrelationshipswithourmostrelevantcustomers.That’s

whyIreallythinkadvocacyintheB2Bspace,especiallyinthehighvalueB2Bspace,isahero."

LucaDestefanis,GlobalVPMarketing,Kyndryl,

Singapore

19INFLUENCINGBUSINESSOGILVY

THINKFURTHER:

INFLUENCEMUSTINTEGRATE

LinkedIn,theundeniableleaderinB2Binfluencermarketing,standstallwithover850millionglobalusersandanimpressivearrayofmarketingcapabilities,includingthen