The B2B Influencer Marketing space is changing FAST. But most people are not ready for what’s to come.

Why am I speaking on this topic?

As a B2B influencer, I’ve generated over $200,000 in brand partnerships. I’m also the founder and operator of Creatorbuzz, the world’s first B2B influencer marketing agency, where we manage six-figure monthly budgets dedicated to B2B influencer marketing campaigns.

So, I think I have my finger on the pulse within this space…

Here are my predictions.

And no, they’re not obvious ones like “LinkedIn is the future”.

You see this time and time again within the consumer space. Logan Paul with PRIME, Emma Chamberlain with Chamberlain Coffee, Mr. Beast with Feastables, or  Ryan Trahan with Joyride.

Although it may seem like Logan Paul (for example) owns and operates Prime, he only owns >20% of the business. There are owners and operators who manage the day-to-day operations. But Logan’s reach has led to the company’s success, generating +$250M in sales in the first year of business. 

The theory that influencer brands are the future was just confirmed after Hailey Bieber sold her beauty brand, Rhode, for $1B.

Yup, one billi 💰

I bet creator-led businesses will start to happen in the B2B space.

Tech founders will start to bring on marquee influencers with minimal stake to be the face of the business and drive users and build trust at scale. Why dump money into paid ads, when you could own distribution for free?

Recently, Stan brought on Steve Bartlett, entrepreneur and host of The Diary of a CEO, as a co-owner of Stan, as a co-owner to help build “the future of entrepreneurship, one Creator-entrepreneur at a time.”

Steve’s podcast drives over 50 million monthly listeners through his podcast, which will help Stan penetrate an audience of business-focused listeners and creators.

Given Stan is a technology tool who sells to influencers, this just makes total sense.

This is the first domino to fall for creator-led businesses in B2B.

I’m obsessed with these “shows” that are specifically created and distributed for social media. These require a production budget and typically incorporate IP that has resell value to the creator and production company. 

My favorite example of these are ‘Hot Ones’ (on YouTube) which was recently sold for $82.5M and ‘Boy Room’ by Rachel Coster (on TikTok) that was recently picked up by Amazon as the exclusive sponsor. 

My prediction is two folded. (1) Tech companies will start to create their own shows to own their own distribution. (2) B2B Influencers will start to develop their own shows based on specific knowledge share. 

This will lead to companies either acquiring a creator’s show or building from within like @morning brew has. This is exactly why Hubspot acquired The Hustle.

Whether we like it or not, major cultural events like Coachella, Cannes Lions, Art Basel, and more, have become the top places consumer brands are spending their influencer budgets. If you’re chronically online (like me) it’s probable you’ll see your favorite influencer at these events.

However, after attending lots of events over the years, I’ve noticed legacy tech companies, like Google, Meta, Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, and more, becoming more involved in these cultural events. Sure, I just saw Microsoft do a campaign with Alix Earle, but these budgets will soon bleed over into B2B Influencers.

My entire LinkedIn feed last week was filled with B2B Influencer announcing their attendance to Cannes Lions (including myself.)

So yes, your favorite LinkedIn Influencer will be hanging with Alix Earle. Talk about worlds colliding…

Marc Benioff (Founder of Salesforce) just invested into one of the leading creator agencies, Whalar.

I don’t know exactly what this means but Whaler is valued at roughly $400M.

Most Influencer/Creator agencies do not focus on B2B, with lots of their revenue coming from the conglomerates within the consumer space.

If these agencies want a piece of some of big tech’s budgets, it might make more sense to acquire an Influencer agency 100% focused on B2B (like Creatorbuzz).

This will lead to more budgets for Influencer campaigns, more B2B agencies getting acquired, and more investments from top dogs like Salesforce and other tech giants.

We are at the infancy of B2B Influencer Marketing. 

And B2B influencers being front and center of every business is one thing I’m betting my entire life savings on with Creatorbuzz. 

I can’t wait to see how this industry plays out. 

What are your predictions? 

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I just got back from traveling to Poland (for the first time) to speak at Infoshare in Gdańsk. Before that, I made a 48 hour pitstop in Copenhagen to meet some other B2B Influencer friends. Check out the vlogs here!

I’m currently writing this in Paris as I head to Cannes Lions for the very first time! Super excited to update you all on my experience!

au revoir 👋