In the B2B world, vying for the attention of customers has become as difficult as gaining their trust. Therefore, companies are looking for increasingly creative ways to promote their products and services. One effective tool that is gaining popularity is influencer marketing and gift packages within it. Contrary to appearances, this strategy is not reserved exclusively for B2C companies. Increasingly, B2B companies are recognizing the value of working with influencers and brand ambassadors. Why send merchandising packages to influencers and brand ambassadors as part of a B2B strategy?
Influencer marketing in B2B
Merchandise gift packages are gaining traction in the B2B world, where influencer marketing is becoming an increasingly common strategy. This is a type of marketing, where there is a collaboration between brands and people with a large and engaged social media reach (Instagram, Linkedin and others). They can be bloggers, opinion leaders and everyone in between. Collaborative brands can give away free products from their offerings, pay for sponsored recommendations or collaborate on a major creative project in exchange for an influencer’s public post or regular publications promoting a product or service.
According to the data, companies will spend as much as $7.14 billion on influencer marketing in 2024. Nowadays, many people not only follow friends on social media, but also follow their favorite brands or just influencers to stay up to date with their latest recommendations or products. Hence, more and more brands are choosing to build their visibility in this way.
Importantly, while evaluating the return on investment (ROI) of influencer marketing in B2B is crucial, it is not always easy to measure. Analytical tools that specialize in measuring the effectiveness of influencer marketing can be invaluable, given the variety of metrics, such as community engagement and the quality of leads generated.
Your brand ambassadors
In B2B, influencers are usually experts in their field, opinion leaders or CEOs of companies who enjoy a lot of authority and experience in the industry. Their recommendations are more aimed at building relationships and long-term benefits rather than making a quick sale. It’s worth remembering that B2B influencers are authorities in specific fields, not just people with lots of followers, comments and “likes,” which is why their recommendations are so valuable.
It is important to ensure the best possible brand experience for its potential ambassadors. If they feel an attachment and affection for your company, their referrals will greatly increase in value, and as a result, this will translate into sales.
Choosing an influencer or ambassador properly is the key to success. Based on their outreach, they are defined as follows:
- nanoinfluencers (up to 1k followers)
- micro-influencers (1-100k followers)
- macroinfluencers (100k-1million followers)
- megainfluencers (1+ million followers)
Interestingly, often those in the first two groups have more influence on consumer choices than those with higher ceilings on the number of followers. A smaller, but still attractive, number of observers allows you to build a more engaged community, and this increases the likelihood of benefiting from a person’s referrals. In addition to their reach and recognition, make sure they reach the audience you want your product or service to reach, so you ensure the best results.
What to take care of when preparing a package of merchandise?
When sending packages to brand ambassadors or influencers in B2B, it is important to take care of the right preparation. Personalized apparel, such as a logo T-shirt or printed corporate sweatshirts, and varied gadgets with the company’s logo that directly relate to it are excellent ideas for the contents of packages.
By supplying an ambassadors with merch with the company’s branding that fits with their aesthetics and has an attractive design and high quality workmanship, you increase the chances of them using it and beyond the collaboration.
Essential merch in influencer packages
In addition to including the specific product to be presented in the package, it is worth enriching the package with additional elements. However, bet on their usefulness and quality – after all, no one wants to accumulate clothes or gadgets that will deteriorate after one wear, shrink in the wash or fall apart. Moreover, consistency is important. Think through what represents your brand and its values well so that you can create unique merch based on that. It will come in handy later and for other occasions, like for your employees as part of onboarding or employer branding strategies.
Classics – branded clothing
A quality oversize shirt with a minimalist design? Hoodie in a modern cut with 3D embroidered logo? How about a whole tracksuit set? The options here are many. It is best to research a person’s preferences and prepare a package with them in mind. Remember, it’s worth asking about the right sizes – it’s not worth assuming anything in advance here, after all, even though someone potentially wears a particular size, they may actually prefer the smaller or larger of the two.
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Non-obvious gadget solutions
Proven and popular gadgets in the form of durable, reusable bottles, caps or designer bags or socks are always a good choice. However, it’s also worth going a step further and thinking about more distinctive proposals that fit in with the campaign at the same time.
Do you promote movement and physical activity? Personalize a retro sports ball or yoga set. The design alludes to nature and ecology? How about a grow kit to grow your own plant? Are you involved in IT or technology solutions? Headphones, gaming mat, power banks – you can put any imprint you want on all of these and more! There are really as many options as there are ideas.
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Sending merchandising packages to brand ambassadors or influencers in B2B can be an effective marketing strategy, supporting relationship building, generating valuable leads and strengthening brand trust. Making sure they are attractive and thoughtfully designed to fit into a campaign plan or long-term partnership is the key to success.
Sources used in the text:
Mateusz Jablonowski, Influencerzy w employer brandingu
shopify.com, 30+ Influencer Marketing Stati s tics You Should Know
hotLead.com, Influencer marketing w świecie B2B
