How to Create a No-Cost B2B Influencer Marketing Program

[taslimakhatun119]

Wondering how to build lasting relationships with industry influencers? Looking for a framework that doesn’t rely on a budget?

In this article, we’ll explore how to create a no-cost B2B influencer marketing program.

How to Create a No-Cost B2B Influencer Marketing Program by Social Media Examiner
This article was co-created by Justin Levy and Michael Stelzner. For more about Justin, scroll to Other Notes From This Episode at the end of this article.
Why Is Influencer Marketing Important?
Influencer marketing has become an increasingly important strategy for business-to-business (B2B) brands looking to build trust, expand their reach, and engage their target audiences.

However, many companies mistakenly believe influencer marketing campaigns require a significant investment. Drawing on insights from Justin Levy, an award-winning marketer and head of social media, influencer marketing, and community at ZoomInfo, we'll explore how you can create a highly effective, no-cost B2B influencer marketing program.

Before diving into the tactical steps, it's important to understand why influencer marketing is so valuable for B2B companies. As Justin explains, people tend to trust other humans more than brands. If someone you know and follow, even within your industry, authentically shares a positive experience with a product or service, you're more likely to trust that recommendation than the brand's own digital marketing efforts.

This human-to-human trust factor is especially crucial in B2B brands, where buying groups are typically larger, and the sales cycle is longer than in business-to-consumer (B2C) companies. By engaging influencers who have already built trust with their own communities and networks, brands can tap into that credibility and those shared values to reach and persuade potential customers they may not have direct access to otherwise.

An influencer is someone who has built trust and engagement with their audience. Importantly, influencers don't need massive followings to be effective. While reach is undoubtedly a factor, engagement is even more critical.

For example, someone with 100K followers who only reposts company content may have little engagement. In comparison, someone with just 500 followers in a niche community may have high engagement on every well-crafted post. You should never overlook the power of nano- and micro-influencers with small but mighty communities.

no-cost-b2b-influencer-marketing-program-influencer-engagement-example
Influencers can be Instagram creators or YouTube stars, but they can also be bloggers, podcasters, or people with engaged email lists or membership communities. For B2B brands, an influencer could be someone with a highly active Facebook group or LinkedIn presence.

Additionally, there's a misconception that certain platforms are only suitable for specific influencers. For instance, many people assume TikTok is solely for B2C influencers. However, this isn't always the case, as different creators can leverage these platforms in various ways.

Influence can also come from less visible sources. For example, someone with an extensive email list of 200K–400K subscribers, a high open rate, and strong engagement can be an influencer, even if they don't have a massive social media following.

4 Steps to Build Your No-Cost B2B Influencer Marketing Program
By following Justin’s four-step framework of research, content creation, outreach, and ongoing engagement, you can build authentic influencer relationships that expand your reach and credibility without spending a dime on expensive tools or paid sponsorships.

#1: Research: Identify the Right Influencers
The first step is researching and identifying potential influencers to feature in your B2B influencer marketing campaign. Since you're not using paid tools, this process will be manual but effective.

Start by asking your community who they find most valuable in your niche or industry. Post questions to your target audience on LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter, and other social networks to gather names, and ask your followers to tell you who their favorite industry experts are in the comments.

Ready to Supercharge Your Marketing Strategy?
Social Media Marketing World
Get expert training and an unbeatable conference experience when you attend Social Media Marketing World—from your friends at Social Media Examiner.

Broaden your reach, skyrocket your engagement, and grow your sales. Become the marketing hero your company or clients need!


GET THE DETAILS
You could say: “We're compiling a list of the top 25 demand generation people to follow in 2024. Who are your go-to people that we should feature?” Your audience will likely be happy to tag and suggest their favorite influencers. People love to recognize and uplift those they admire.

Private communities are another great way to engage with specific groups of people. For example, if you want to connect with marketing and operations professionals who have deep industry knowledge, join a free community like Marketing Ops Pros and engage with people on their Slack channel.

no-cost-b2b-influencer-marketing-program-research-influencers-example
Finally, conduct manual searches for relevant job titles and keywords, such as “Director of Demand Generation.” On LinkedIn, focus on 1st- and 2nd-degree connections, as you'll be able to see more information about them. Look at their follower counts, title alignment with your search, post frequency, and engagement rates to start stack ranking potential influencers.

Note that if someone hasn't posted in a while (e.g., their last post was a month ago, and the previous one was five months before that), they may not be a good fit, regardless of their follower count.

At this initial research stage, aim to identify 25–35 potential influencers, whom you'll then whittle down to a shorter list later. Don't just focus on experts with the largest followings—up-and-coming voices with smaller but engaged audiences in your industry can be great partners. Focus on the relevance and value of their content and how it resonates with your brand. They'll likely be even more motivated to work with you and share your content as they build their personal brands.

#2: Content Development: Featuring Influencers
Once you have your initial list of potential influencers, the next step is to create content that features them. The best format is a blog post, which you can publish on your website. This also has search engine optimization benefits and can drive traffic back to your site.

Create a blog post featuring your top 15–25 influencers. Use an engaging title like “25 Demand Gen Leaders to Follow in 2024.” For each influencer, include their headshot, name, title, company, LinkedIn profile URL, and a brief bio (50–100 words) of why you chose them (you can adapt this from their LinkedIn “About” section).

Next, add screenshots and links to 1–2 of their best LinkedIn posts, articles, videos, or podcast episodes. These examples demonstrate their expertise and give your audience a preview of their content. Be sure to include a variety of content types and perspectives.

Then, create custom visuals for each influencer that package up the key details about them and the list you're featuring them on. These “social cards” can be easily made in Canva. They should include your company branding and the list's name (e.g., “Jane Smith, Top 25 Demand Gen Leaders to Follow in 2024, Presented by {Your Company}”). The influencers can share laos telegram these eye-catching cards on social media to inform their followers about the recognition.

AI EXPLORED
Curious About How to Use AI?
Our newest show, AI Explored, might be just what you're looking for. It's for marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs who want to understand how to use AI in their business.

It's hosted by Michael Stelzner and explores this exciting new frontier in easy-to-understand terms.

Pull up your favorite podcast app and search for AI Explored. Or click the button below for more information.

I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AI
#3: Prep and Outreach: Engaging Influencers
With your blog post published and social cards ready to go, it's time to do outreach to the influencers you've featured. The goal is to get them excited about being included so they'll help spread the word and drive more visibility to your brand.

If you have the influencer's email address, send them a message with a subject line that celebrates their achievement, such as “Congratulations {First Name}, You've Been Named a Top Demand Gen Leader to Follow in 2024!”

In the email body, explain why you chose to feature them and highlight a few of the other incredible influencers or brands on the list. Make them feel special! Include a pre-written social media post with their social card and a link to your blog post they can share, something like: “I'm excited to be named a Top 25 Demand Gen Leader to Follow in 2024, along with other industry leaders like @otherexpert and @coolperson. Check out the full list: {link} #demandgen”.

Here’s another example of outreach: Justin partnered with LinkedIn's Women in Sales group for two consecutive years. They created a list called the “100 Powerful Women in Sales.” First, they researched and identified 100 women to include in the list. Then, they created a blog post featuring all 100 women, which was 10,000 words long. After publishing the blog post, they reached out to all 100 women. They directly contacted those they had emails for. For those who didn't have emails, Justin reached out privately on LinkedIn.