Not only are Millennial-aged professionals more trusting of social influencers when making purchase decisions, they’re also more likely to participate as influential content creators. B2B brands that can master working with internal and external Millennial talent to co-create content and engage on social channels will reap rewards now and into the future.
This presentation by Lee Odden of TopRank Marketing and Alexandra Rynne of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions will help B2B marketers understand the influencer marketing opportunity with Millennials in multiple ways, including:
-Understanding influencer engagement models from seasoned “brandividuals” to rising star Millennials;
-Busting myths about working with Millennials and how B2B brands can create win/win relationships; and
-Learning from examples of B2B influencer content in action.
4. @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
5. @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
8. @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
9. @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
10. @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
22. @leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
▪ 114 million millennials on LinkedIn
▪ 13 million + decision makers
▪ 800,000 marketing decision makers
The Influence Opportunity with Millennials
23. @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)
24. @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
25. @leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What Influences B2B Millennials?
▪ Social Presence
▪ Relationship
▪ Family Influence
▪ Purpose
▪ Brand loyalty
▪ Independent Research
▪ Peers
▪ Personalized experiences
28. @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)
31. @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
33. @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
34. @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
35. @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
37. @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
38. @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
39. @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
40. @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
41. @leeodden @amrynnie#B2BMX
What Matters Most to Millennials for B2B
Source: SnapApp & Heinz Marketing Survey
Community Involvement
Company Values
Website/Marketing Content
44. @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
46. @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
47. @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