What Brands Can Learn from Adobe’s B2B Influencer Marketing Approach

07.28.22

By Laliv Hadar, VP Marketing

What Brands Can Learn from Adobe’s B2B Influencer Marketing Approach

Influencer marketing is fast becoming an essential component of a brand's marketing arsenal. From content creators sharing products and peddling services, many of us have heard about or experienced influencers in the B2C realm. Yet in the B2B space, how are brands leveraging influencers? Are they even among a B2B brand’s core strategy?

I recently sat down with Rani Mani, Head of Digital Media Customer Communications at Adobe, to discuss Adobe’s influencer marketing approach on InVision’s podcast, The Xcast. Rani’s extensive experience leading these initiatives brought to light an insightful conversation around current trends, approaches, and how brands in the B2B space can begin their own brand influencer strategy today. Read ahead for key highlights.

The Meaning of Influencers in B2B Versus B2C
To put it simply, influencers in B2B are the faces and personalities behind your brand. They're the trusted thought leaders and subject matter experts on the topics that matter, and the ones who can help to drive trust and advocacy among your stakeholders. B2C brands treat influencers more like an advertising buy. They are your content creators with a strong social presence looking to encourage brand awareness and drive specific actions or behaviors.

Finding B2B Influencers
Events, conferences, and networking circles can all be sources of influencer leads. The key is to find those events where your brand’s thought leaders reside; the experts that you follow on social media, and their networks. References to new influencers might also come from influencers already in your portfolio. Using these areas to find influencers for your brand still requires a thorough vetting process - are they talking about the things that matter? Do they have influence and a network of people that fit your target audience? It’s critical to assess if there’s ground upon which to build a mutually beneficial relationship.

The B2B Influencer Landscape
Just as recent shifts in the job market have favored candidates, Rani comments that it works similarly in the influencer's market. With more power and choice, influencers are more inclined to hold out for the right cultural fit and collaborative environment where they’re involved in the co-creation process of solutions and campaigns. Keep in mind that this can be in a brand’s favor - influencers are looking to understand your brand's objectives so they can effectively make business impact.

Tactics for Fostering Influencer Relationships
We’re not talking about data points, or robots, it’s important to treat the voices and personalities behind your brand as humans. Look to foster meaningful relationships; as active supporters and thought leaders for your brand, how can you support and uplift what’s important to them? Ask about any new initiatives they’re working on and champion them. Additionally, are there ways that your platform can elevate these efforts? It's a two-way street; let them know that you're thinking about them not only when you need something.

Adobe calls its network of influencers “Adobe Insiders,” alluding to the inside access they receive as extensions of Adobe’s team. In response, influencers have enabled Adobe to keep a pulse on what’s happening in its community, and what’s ahead. Adobe has benefitted from incredible thought leadership and expanded audience reach from its network.

Try to connect with your influencers on a personal level. At Adobe, birthdays, holidays, and special milestones are celebrated as a group. Over the past few years as events went virtual, Adobe has gathered and engaged its community of influencers through an active Twitter DM group and virtual happy hours - strengthening connections with its influencers and their ties with each other.

Micro-Influencers and B2B
B2B influencers are essentially micro-influencers. They lack a large social footprint, but are extremely active and, thus, generate buzz. A micro-influencer is defined as “someone who has between 1,000 to 100,000 followers” and who “focuses on a specific niche or area and is generally regarded as an industry expert or topic specialist.” They encourage engagement with their network by responding to comments and DMs, putting out tailored posts, and crafting thoughtful, targeted content. In this case, 10,000 followers can drive meaningful action much more fluidly than a million. According to Rani, micro-influencers are the bulk with whom B2B brands work with.

Start an Influencer Program of Your Own
For brands looking to build their own brand influencer strategy, it’s important to first address your overarching marketing strategy. Influencers that culturally fit with your brand and its initiatives can then act as a channel within your fuller marketing strategy rather than as a separate entity. Once you begin building connections, take the opportunity to co-create how that influencer can be of service. Whether this starts with a brief, or a more casual conversation, allow room for them to share their point of view and feedback on how they can creatively make an impact. By sharing the strategy, messaging, and brand guidelines with your influencers, you’re allowing them to understand your brand's ethos, and the greater story they're supporting.

From driving traffic to social engagement, or even brand sentiment, influencers can help bolster your brand’s marketing campaigns and drive measurable results. To hear the full discussion with Rani Mani, head to The Xcast episode here.