@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Millennials & Influencer Marketing
How to Organize & Optimize for B2B
Lee Odden & Alex Rynne
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Lee Odden
lee@toprankmarketing.com
TopRankMarketing.com
TopRankBlog.com
Alex Rynne
arynne@linkedin.com
lnkd.in/LinkedInMarketingSolutions
lnkd.in/LMSShowcasePage
About Your Presenters
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
B2B Influencer Marketing Has Evolved
Optimized,
Socialized,
Publicized,
Advertised,
Integrated,
Interactive,
Ongoing
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
“Working with influencers to
co-create content delivers
mutual value. When that
content is interactive, it creates
an experience that is more
engaging and inspires action.”
Amisha Gandhi @AmishaGandhi
Head of Influencer Marketing, SAP
Credible Experiences Inspire
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Influencer Marketing Maturity
Experiment
*Early testing
*Warm influencers
*Evaluate tech
*Developing skills
*One off projects
*Marketing focus
Process
* Tactical
* Recruit influencers
* Tool investment
* Campaign based
* Transactional
* Reach metrics
* Maturing skills
* Output metrics
Relationships
* Strategic
* Influencer personas
* Developed programs
* Relationship based
* Influencer community
* Platform investment
* Paid and organic
* Multi-departmental
* Engagement metrics
Authority
* CXO sponsorship
* Always on engagement
* Active brand advocacy
* Platform maturity
* Advanced skills
* Cross functional
* Internal influencers
* Dominant SOV
* ROI metrics
Integration
* Marketing integration
* Platform integration
* Process integration
* Influencer ecosystem
* Employees engage
* Advanced skills
* End to end metrics
Source: TopRank Marketing
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Interest in Influencer Marketing is High
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
So is Confusion About Millennials
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Some Clarity About Influencer Marketing
$9.60 EMV for
every $1 spent
Burst Media
10X increase in
conversion ratesContent Marketing Institute
37% higher
retention rate
McKinsey
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
The Influencer Marketing Opportunity for B2B
Attract Engage Convert Retain Advocate
Reach new
audiences
Inspire
advocacy
Retarget
influencer
followers
Creators bring
talent
Authenticity &
voice of
customer
Influencer &
audience channel
match
Influencers
are trusted
Relevance
increases
action
Credibility
converts
Community
participation
Showcase
employee
influencers
Create info-
taining utility
Showcase
customers &
success
Testimonials
Create
incentives for
referrals
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Even Simple Influencer Content Drives ROI
Objective:
Create Thought Leadership & Leads
“Field Service Engagement”
237 ebook downloads in 30 days
$570,000 qualified sales leads
$1.5 million projected pipeline revenue
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What Influence Solves for in B2B: Reach
Beat average views goal by
1,000 in 2 weeks
80% Influencer Content
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What Influence Solves for in B2B: Engagement
Influencer Marketing Pilot:
Drive Awareness & Engagement
Across 5 Channels
170% increase in views
437% increase content shares
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What Influence Solves for in B2B: Conversion
Exceeded goal
conversion rate by
260%
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Influencer Engagement Models for Content
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What is
influence?
The ability to
affect action.
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Who is
influential?
Everybody!
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
#B2BMX Speakers Are Influential
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Brandividuals
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Microinfluencers
Photos: unitedinfluencers.no
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
B2B Needs All Kinds of Influencers
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What About Millennials?
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
▪ 114 million millennials on LinkedIn
▪ 13 million + decision makers
▪ 800,000 marketing decision makers
The Influence Opportunity with Millennials
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Your Future (And Current) Customers Are…
Half of all B2B researchers are Millennials.
(Google/Millward Brown)
73% of millennials are involved in the purchasing
decisions of their companies. (Forrester)
34% said they are the sole decision-maker for their
department (Sacunas)
Millennials look to their peers, experts in the field,
or other sources for insight (SnapApp & Heinz Marketing survey)
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Meet Jane, Affluent Millennial
● 4 year college degree
● Spends more than 7 hours a day online
● Consults an average of 10 sources before making
a purchase decision
● Enjoys connecting with companies on social
media
● Weighs opinions of friends and family before
buying B2B products/services
Sources: Pew Research & SDL
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What Influences B2B Millennials?
▪ Social Presence
▪ Relationship
▪ Family Influence
▪ Purpose
▪ Brand loyalty
▪ Independent Research
▪ Peers
▪ Personalized experiences
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
How Millennials Create Content: Publishing
Publishing on LinkedIn
1 million+ publishers create
130,000+ posts a week on LinkedIn.
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
How Millennials Create Content: LinkedIn
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
How Millennials Consume Content: Video
76% of Millennials follow brands on
YouTube. (Animoto)
60% of Millennials would rather
watch a company video than read a
newsletter. (Animoto)
80% of Millennials find video helpful
during initial purchase research. (Animoto)
How Millennials Create Content: Video
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
5 Myths About Millennials
BUSTED!
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Myth: Millennials Are Lazy
59% of millennials said competition
is “what gets them up in the morning”,
compared with 50% of baby-boomers.
58% of millennials said they compare
their performance with their peers’, as
against 48% for other generations”
Source: The Economist
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Myth: Millennials Are the ‘Me’ Generation
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Myth: Millennials Lack Employer Loyalty
“Millennials aren’t job-hopping any faster
than Generation X did.” *Source: Pew Research
Why millennials switch jobs:
67%for advancement opportunities
60% for better pay
51% for challenging work
*Source: LinkedIn
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Myth: Millennials Are Entitled in the Workplace
It's not entitlement, it's growing up in
a challenging economic climate.
Millennials believe people should be
financially independent on average a
year and a half earlier than baby
boomers.
22 for your own housing
20.5for your own car
18.5for your phone contract
*Source: Bankrate research
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Myth: Millennials Over-Share
Online shares could be as influential
as in-person recommendations, with
a degree of trust and influence
unmatched by any paid media.
Average lift:
10.6% in-person recommendations
9.5% online share
7.3% consumer reviews
6.3% consumer ratings
*Source: Nielsen
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
B2B Brands Doing Millennial Marketing Right
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
General Electric – Humor to Humanize
▪ 328K Instagram Followers
▪ “The Message” Podcast
Takeaways
▪ Have a little fun
▪ Give a face to your company
▪ Be where your audience is
https://youtu.be/zIZHBzvgfGk
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
TOMS – Why Before You Buy
▪ Storyliving
▪ Philanthropy and profit can
co-exist
▪ Customers share stories,
experiences, and photos as a
way to raise awareness.
Takeaways
▪ Allow Millennials to live the
story
▪ Millennials want to align
themselves with a brand that
has a cause
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
MailChimp – Punny Infotainment
▪ Non-traditional
▪ Multi-channel
▪ Side note: Excellent
Instagram presence
Takeaways
▪ Focus on building
relationships, rather than
merely selling
▪ Inject humor into your
content
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Image source: Traackr
Organize
Influencers:
Thought Leaders
Customers
Prospects
Advocates
Employees
Journalists
Departments:
Marketing
Public Relations
Customer Success
Community Mgt
Human Resources
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What Matters Most to Millennials for B2B
Source: SnapApp & Heinz Marketing Survey
Community Involvement
Company Values
Website/Marketing Content
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Types of B2B Content Millennials Prefer
Video Case Study: toprankmarketing.com/services/influencer-marketing/
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Operationalize & Optimize Influencer Content
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
▪ 57% of marketers believe Influencer Marketing will be integrated
across marketing and communications by 2020. *Influence 2.0
▪ Millennials are both content creators & influenced by peer content
▪ Millennials are ambitious, active and are loyal beyond the brand
▪ Inspire Millennial influencers with social causes and brand purpose
▪ Be where your audience is and have a sense of humor!
▪ Operationalize influencer marketing across all communications and
optimize based on performance
Takeaways
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
TopRank Marketing: B2B Influencer Marketing Specialists
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
Thank You!
Lee Odden
lee@toprankmarketing.com
TopRankMarketing.com
TopRankBlog.com
Alex Rynne
arynne@linkedin.com
lnkd.in/LinkedInMarketingSolutions
lnkd.in/LMSShowcasePage
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
And if You Want to Avoid #MillennialFAIL
● Don’t paint with too broad
of a brush
● Be authentic, not ‘authentic’
● Speak our language
● Be gut-led but data
informed
● Our attention shouldn’t be
your goal
@leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
IBM & World Rhino Day

Millennials & Influencer Marketing: How To Organize & Optimize For B2B