Today’s digital consumer is more savvy, more demanding, and more discerning than ever. In all areas of life, we’re used to trusting reviews and recommendations from our peers over brands, so content has to be customer-centric to have impact. It’s little wonder, then, that influencer marketing is so popular – and effective.
The same principles apply to the world of B2B marketing. A successful B2B influencer campaign will be similar in approach to a B2C campaign, but it’s essential to find innovative ways to target those influencers with deep industry knowledge – the kind of individuals who can influence a corporate audience and seamlessly tap into key business-to-business conversations.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) tasked us to engage Instagram influencers to help raise the profile of the suite of RICS Home Surveys. These surveys give house buyers an overview of the state of a property, ensuring they know exactly what they are buying and the issues they could face, and giving them the confidence to negotiate a better price and to progress with a purchase.
The very first thing we needed to do was find the right influencers – those people with authenticity and authority whose audiences are regular visitors and who buy into their social brands. Importantly, they also had to resonate with the RICS public service remit. We wanted a mix of renovators and financial personalities from across the country. Here’s who we used and why:
The lifestyle renovator
We were charmed by RenovateLikeKate – her videos are engaging and fun, delivering pertinent messages in the shortest time possible. Kate not only asks the difficult questions, but she also has the confidence to answer them. And she’s a social media superstar: she doesn’t just post and go, she takes the time to respond to every single comment, which grows the trust her followers have in her.
The nuts-and-bolts renovator
Still on the home renovation theme, we were impressed with the TheHouseThatJenBuilt, an account that speaks to those who make a living from flipping houses. Jen, a proud Liverpudlian, engages house buyers directly through her renovation diary posts – and she’s not shy in detailing the work, the trials and the tribulations of her projects. She takes the renovator on a true picture-based journey, which starts with an RICS Home Survey.
The money man
Our third influencer, TheHomebuyerCoach, is the one who helps you find the best financial deal. Joe delivers pithy messaging that, in the space of a minute, can help you save thousands of pounds in the long term. He really understands the nuances of the finances that power the housing market and is the go-to guy for that initial piece of trusted advice – he was the most natural fit for this campaign.
The campaigns are running now and we’re seeing the power of entrusting your brand to people who live and breathe its values. So far, the posts have reached just under 113,000 accounts and racked up almost 93,000 video plays, extending the messaging to audiences previously unknown to RICS.
Your audience wants real insights from real people – those who understand the market and know their onions. Adding B2B influencer marketing to your content marketing mix will allow you to forge long-lasting relationships and develop greater loyalty with the right people.