Influencers have emerged as a secret weapon for customer research, impacting everything from audience segmentation to new product development and even food flavors. They are plugged into what makes their fans tick, follow cultural trends closely, can offer diversity in perspective and have access to audience analytics that showcase what’s resonating.
Belle’s account strategist, Jenna Hartman, led a conversation about this topic during the Association of National Advertisers’ Global Week of Learning, held July 29 – August 2.
Jenna spoke alongside Shannon O’Shields, VP of Marketing at Rubix Foods, and Alexis Frost, mega-influencer, foodie and taste-maker. Together, they shared examples and tips on how to maximize the benefits of influencers as business partners and extensions of marketing teams.
Underestimating B2B Influencer Marketing
Shannon explained that B2B marketers are leaving money on the table by not collaborating with influencers and content creators. Influencers know their audience inside and out. They’ve spent significant time uncovering what works, yet many brands still view them just as tools to build awareness. When pulled into campaigns sooner and relied on as true partners, influencers can do so much more.
Using Social Media Stories + Polls + Comments for Audience Insights
A major (untapped) opportunity is using Instagram and TikTok polls to gather informative feedback from viewers. Both Alexis and Shannon dove into how qualitative insights from audience polls and comments can provide a raw and unfiltered perspective, often more valuable and affordable than traditional data collection methods.
Valuing Creator Collaboration
Alexis shared her experiences in recent years, calling out that brand partnerships have evolved significantly. Initially, brands were prescriptive, providing full scripts and expecting specific reactions, leading to unauthentic content. Over time, brands loosened up creative control, and campaigns began to better align with a creator’s content and persona. As a result, influencers’ sponsored content became more genuine, resonant and engaging. The more creative control can be given to creators, the stronger the content can be.
View the Full-length Conversation
Are you curious to hear more? Check out the entire 20-minute chat for additional insights about Shannon and Alexis’s work together and how both B2B and B2C brands can capitalize on the value influencers bring to the table.
Drive More Value with Influencer Partnerships
As Jenna, Shannon and Alexis demonstrated at the ANA Global Week of Learning event, the potential for influencers to drive meaningful business outcomes extends far beyond traditional marketing roles. Their ability to gather unfiltered audience feedback through polls, stories, comments and analytics, combined with a more collaborative approach to content creation, makes them invaluable partners for modern B2B + B2C marketers.
