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How to Best Work with a B2B Influencer and Creator Marketing Agency
By Nick Nelson According to our new 2026 B2B Influencer and Creator Marketing report, 86% of B2B brands surveyed are either beginning or mature in their implementation of influencer marketing programs and 14% are planning to start in the next 12 months. That’s 100% of B2B companies on board with influence.
While more B2B brands are in the influence game, only 46% rate their programs as very effective. Top challenges B2B brands experience with their influencer programs include finding the right creators (41%), measuring results (37%) and managing influencer relationships (33%). These are all things many B2B brands turn to agencies for.
One of the challenges is perspective. Many B2B companies think of influence and creator engagement through a B2C lens. It’s true, lines are blurring, but B2B influencer marketing is still a different animal from its B2C counterpart. Whereas high follower counts and virality potential are calling cards for successful consumer-facing campaigns, there’s greater nuance at play when getting down to engaging with business buyers.
B2B influencers are most often subject matter experts, practitioners with a proven track record, and consultants with a genuine pulse on a specific industry. Increasingly, they’re also content creators — professionals who’ve built engaged audiences around niche topics your buyers care about.
Finding and engaging these B2B creators is a different discipline than consumer influencer marketing. It’s special mix of transaction and relationship building. To build it well requires strategy, experience and time.
That complexity is exactly why more B2B brands are bringing in outside help. According to new data from our 2026 B2B Influencer and Creator Marketing Report (launching in August 2026), a significant number of B2B brands now have an active influencer marketing program, and many describe their approach as always-on (year-round engagement rather than one-off campaigns).
2026 B2B Influencer & Creator Marketing Report
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As the field of B2B marketing matures, so do influencer and creator expectations. The most sought-after voices are increasingly selective about whom they partner with and how. In fact, one of the top challenges we hear from B2B brands looking for help is that when they tried contacting influencers and creators on their own, they could not get a response.
Working with a specialized B2B influencer marketing agency like TopRank with existing networks and relationships can accelerate what would otherwise take years to build. But the partnership works best when you come prepared.
Here are 6 tips on how to set yourself up for success when working with an influencer marketing partner.
Expand your definition of B2B influence and of “B2B influencer”
You’ve probably noticed: influencer marketing lingo is evolving. “Creators” is increasingly the preferred term for professionals who build audiences and content around specific domains, and the reframe is not a frivolous one. It’s a useful expansion of the category.
A creator might be an industry analyst with a popular newsletter, a practitioner who posts consistently on LinkedIn, a speaker with a loyal conference following, or a developer sharing expertise through GitHub and forums. None of them look like traditional influencers, but all of them can move your …read more
Source:: Top Rank Blog
