10 B2B Influencers You Need to Build Connections With

April 5, 2023
2:01 PM

Over the past few years, influencer marketing has revolutionized the way brands engage with their target audience. Influencer marketing is now considered an essential marketing strategy since it can aid a company in reaching niche audiences, boosting SEO, and driving more sales. The global influencer marketing market is expected to generate US$21.1 billion by the end of 2023. The B2B industry has started catching up to influencer marketing, and we can already see some prominent B2B influencers that have taken the market by storm.

Based on Toprankblog’s report, over 71% of B2B marketers said influencers became critically crucial during the pandemic. In comparison, 74% said they implemented it to adjust their go-to-market strategy significantly. Influencer marketing is not something only B2C brands benefit from, as B2B companies now consider it a powerful lead generation avenue.

B2B influencers are essential to the success of B2B brands compared to their B2C counterparts. This is because B2B influencers have a vast network with numerous firms and can streamline introductions between different organizations. The leading B2B influencers can aid B2B professionals in reaching a targeted audience and amplifying their brand awareness. They can streamline a brand’s ability to reach new audiences and boost its sales, thus propelling a business as an industry leader.

Therefore, building a connection with reputable influencers in the B2B industry is vital. To help you reach the right influencer, we have compiled a list of the top B2B influencers in 2023 based on their reach and who provides the most beneficial and practical industry advice.

TABLE OF

Factors to Look for When Selecting a B2B Influencer for Your Brand
Factors to Look for When Selecting a B2B Influencer for Your Brand

Top B2B Influencers to Follow in 2023
Top B2B Influencers to Follow in 2023

End Note
End Note

Factors to Look for When Selecting a B2B Influencer for Your Brand

One of the main things you must look for when selecting an influencer for your brand is the quality and value of their content.
The other key factor is their number of followers on different channels.
B2B influencers must have a social media profile on B2B social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.
Examine their audience demographics to ensure their target audience is similar to yours.
They should have advanced knowledge and publications in a specific subject related to B2B marketing.
Their writing, photography, and video style must align with your brand.
The speed of communication and frequency of social media posts. Check if they have a connection with other well-known B2B influencers.
They should be honest and transparent with the content they post.

Top B2B Influencers to
Follow in 2023

Jay Baer

Founder of Convince & Convert

@jaybear

Followers – 271.8K

Jay Baer earned his reputation as the world’s most inspirational marketing and customer service keynote speaker. This can be attributed to his unique visual presence on stage and informative podcasts that capture the audience’s attention. Mr. Baer is the co-host of the Social Pros podcast, a marketing podcast that is downloaded more than 65,000 times monthly.

He has consulted over 700 companies, 35 of which are Fortune 500, such as Nike, IBM, and even the United Nations. However, he is best known for his book Youtility which made him the best-selling author by the New York Times. His content focuses on digital marketing tactics, methods to gain prospective customers, and online customer services.

Rand Fishkin is the man behind one of the leading SEO tools on the market, Moz. Fishkin grew in popularity because of his dedicated professional life to helping people do better marketing through his writing, videos, and speaking.

His successful books like “Lost and Founder” have now given him the name of the “Wizard of Moz” and the SEO king. Despite being one of the leading voices in the SEO world, his content focuses on analytics, social media, content marketing, inbound marketing, and link building. This B2B influencer is also highly active on Twitter and LinkedIn, promoting his latest blogs and highlighting other upcoming businesses.

Rand Fishkin

Founder of Moz and SparkToro

@randfish

Followers – 467.7k

Dave Gerhardt

CMO of Privy

@davegerhardt

Followers – 37.7k

Dave Gerhardt became a renowned B2B influencer after starting a community for growing companies called Exit Five. This B2B expert explores topics such as marketing practices and brand building. Gerhardt has written extensively about how brands can spread awareness by telling better stories and building a community.

He was previously the VP of Drift, one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies, and is now the CMO of Privy—an eCommerce marketing platform. He uses Privy’s podcast, ‘The eCommerce Marketing Show,’ to craft a compelling narrative on how brands can attract the right customers to their stores. His Conversational Marketing Book was one of Amazon’s top 20 business books and ranked No. 1 in the marketing and sales genres.

Hiten Shah is a person-based analytics product that helps professionals identify and improve the metrics that drive their online business. Shah is a publisher of the SaaS weekly newsletter covering the major SaaS news from around the globe.

His blog covers topics such as branding, SaaS marketing, and B2B marketing. He and the ace B2B influencer Neil Patel has always worked towards maximizing the potential of the projects he builds. Furthermore, Hiten Shah is also an avid investor and advisor for B2B startups.

Hiten Shah

Co-founder and President of KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg

@hnshah

Followers – 270.2k

Seth Godin

Coordinator of The Carbon Almanac and founder of Akimbo.

@ThisIsSethsBlog

Followers – 785.3k

Seth Godin has published over 20 bestselling books translated into 40 languages. This influencer has taken several online courses on platforms such as Udemy and The Marketing Seminar, which 60,000 people have attended.

Seth Godin started a blog known as ‘Seth’s Blog’ in 2006, writing about the post-industrial revolution, how ideas spread, guerilla marketing, direct marketing, and leadership. In addition to being a Marketing Hall of Fame inductee, he also started posting live casts along with many leading industry experts for his followers. They discuss various industry-related topics and respond to questions from the viewers.

Joel Comm is an internet pioneer and a New York Times best-selling author of four books. He is also an experienced keynote speaker, social media strategist, and live video marketing expert.

Joel is among the few B2B influencers that started their journey as a radio personality by hosting an online reality show named “The Next Internet Millionaire.” This show propelled him to be a brand consultant for B2B organizations such as IBM, Twitter, and Microsoft. His expertise includes live video marketing, content marketing, and technology.

Joel Comm

CEO of InfoMedia

@joelcomm

Followers – 646.9k

Lilach Bullock

Founder of Lilach Bullock Limited

@lilachbullock

Followers – 99.6k

Lilach Bullock is one of the top B2B influencers in 2023 that aims to help entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. She is a high-performance business coach, well-known professional speaker, and author in the UK. Despite being a prominent name in the B2B industry, she also uses social media platforms to post deep and detailed insights on SEO, content marketing, and upcoming technology.

Bullock also shares expert advice on goal setting and sales conversions and values your work, making her an excellent choice for any B2B company that wants to boost its brand awareness and generate qualified leads.

Ryan Deiss is currently CEO of Scalable.co and the founding partner of Scalable Equity, LLC, a venture equity accelerator that builds and acquires B2B media and software brands. Founding so many established firms has made him a leader in the digital marketing space and a prominent niche media publisher.

His platform DigitalMarketer is a prominent player in B2B marketing. It provides digital marketing training and certifications to over 15,000 paid members and has over half a million subscribers. Deiss continues to dominate the marketing industry as the originator of the “Customer Value Optimization” methodology.

Ryan Deiss

Founder of DigitalMarketer

@ryandeiss

Followers – 73.2k

Heidi Cohen

Chief Content Officer of Actionable Marketing Guide

@heidicohen

Followers – 35.1k

Heidi Cohen is the CCO of the platform Actionable Marketing Guide, which offers B2B marketing insights on content marketing, blogging branding, PR, and social media. Cohen uses her platform to help B2B businesses meet the needs of their target audience and has developed a community to build strategies for B2B companies, startups, private equity firms, and not-for-profits.

Over her career, she has helped global organizations such as Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Sony, The Economist, and The New York Times to build measurable business value. Heidi is one of the top B2B social media influencers. She actively engages with his followers to help her viewers understand and apply actionable tactics to execute their marketing strategies.

Houston Golden is a part of the newer generation in the B2B influencer field and is the founder of the world’s leading LinkedIn marketing agency. He is considered the “#1 LinkedIn Marketer,” as he has over 123,167 followers as of February 2023. He uses his LinkedIn profile to post updates on the state of marketing, SEO, and the latest digital market trends.

Houston Golden has had an illustrious career where he has led the growth teams and marketing campaigns of companies such as TEDx, Pioneer, Mindvalley, and Volcom. On the other hand, his Twitter is dedicated to posting his favorite quotes and shoutouts for his partners and collaborators. Houston has authored five books on LinkedIn, known as The LinkedIn Bible Collection, and has been featured in countless high-profile publications.

Houston Golden

Co-founder and CEO of BAMF Media

@houstongolden

Followers – 19k

End Note

The B2B marketing world is constantly changing at unprecedented speeds, and one of the best ways to be up to date with the latest trends is to follow the right influencer in your industry. These top B2B thought leaders and influencers could help your team get actionable tactics to execute your company’s marketing strategies. They actively engage with their followers to provide tips on content marketing, SEO, technology, B2B marketing, social media marketing, and lead generation.

B2B influencers try to make complicated concepts digestible for the everyday B2B marketer. Therefore, if you want to be seen by them, make sure to get your content in front of them by following them on Twitter or LinkedIn, subscribing to their blog, and running sponsored advertisements for their target audiences. We hope this infographic helps you find the right B2B influencer for your brand.

FAQs

1. How to find B2B influencers?

You can find the top B2B influencers using free options like BuzzSumo or Followerwonk. Check the most popular posts for specific hashtags and use dedicated tools and platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Another method is looking for blogs with your niche and target audience. Niche blogs target a specific audience and give regular updates on what’s going on in their industry.

2. How much do B2B influencers make?

B2B influencers earn significant money through sponsored content, affiliate marketing, and consulting. According to a study done by Convince & Convert, B2B influencers charge US$200–US$ 2,000 for promoting your products or services within 1,000 words.

3. What is the future of influencer marketing in 2023?

There is no doubt that B2B influencers are rapidly rising in popularity. In the upcoming years, we will be able to see micro and nano influencers on different types of social media platforms. There will be more performance-based deals, and many companies will collaborate with popular influencers to develop creative marketing campaigns and drive their brand’s growth. B2B influencers have started using TikTok to reach a wider audience, which might lead to a surge in short-form video content in the industry.

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Amberlynn Adam

Amberlynn is a seasoned blogger, content developer, editor, and content marketer. She has been an integral part of the DataCaptive team since its inception. She keeps track of the new developments in the content industry and implements them in her blogs to stimulate intelligent discourse. Apart from writing quality content, she is passionate about reading thrillers.

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