How to Choose the Right B2B Influencer For Growth?

In an era where whitepapers go unread and banner ads barely register, a new wave of marketing is driving ROI: B2B influencer strategy rooted in trust and authenticity. Across Asia-Pacific, from Singapore to Jakarta, marketers realise that in the B2B landscape, people don’t buy into companies, they buy into other people.

From Data to Dialogue: The Rise of Human-Centred Influence

Take Anna Ong, a former banker turned storyteller and B2B influencer. With 20,000+ LinkedIn followers, her shift reflects the growing power of Business-to-Human (B2H) communication. Ong emphasises the importance of storytelling, not stats: “Great ideas don’t win, great storytellers do.”

Her philosophy is echoed in Ogilvy’s research: 75% of B2B marketers already use influencers, and 93% plan to increase investment in this channel. In Asia, where younger, digital-native buyers dominate, authenticity trumps corporate polish.

“The world is noisy. When a human shows up flaws and all we pay attention.” Anna Ong, What’s Your Story Slam

Trust Over Reach: Why Credibility Wins

Carol Chan, founder of Comms8 x InfluenConnect, highlights a major shift: buyers now seek peer-led insights, not just sales presentations. That makes trust the new currency, and influencers the ones collapsing the trust gap.

“Credible voices humanize complexity. Especially in APAC, where relationships drive buying decisions,” notes Anton Reyniers of We Are Social Singapore.

Unlike B2C influencers, B2B voices, often operators, engineers, and consultants, must offer domain expertise. “These aren’t celebrities, they’re insiders. That’s what resonates,” adds Reyniers.

Beyond Awareness: Influencers Drive Revenue, Too

It’s a myth that B2B influencers only serve top-of-funnel goals. Ogilvy’s James Baldwin shares that 43% of CMOs use influencers to drive lower-funnel sales. Why? Influencers maintain two-way dialogue, building long-term brand equity and conversion readiness.

Caroline Coventry from Nelson Bostock agrees: “They deliver relevance, credibility, and reach. In new markets, they fast-track acceptance.”

But with opportunity comes saturation. Reyniers warns of “influencer theatre”, superficial voices without substance. The key to cutting through? Partnerships based on shared values, not vanity metrics.

The B2H Mindset: Business to Humans, Not Just Titles

Ashley Dudarenok, founder of ChoZan, advocates for education over promotion. With 100,000 LinkedIn followers, her content helps B2B buyers understand, not just purchase. “A person makes every B2B decision. Tap into their emotions and challenges.”

That approach drives ROI. Influencers who inform, solve, and connect outperform those who merely sell.

“Don’t market to job titles. Understand your audience’s psychology.”

Anton Reyniers

Employees as Influencers: An Untapped Goldmine

Ogilvy’s Baldwin is pushing a major trend: employee advocacy as the new influencer wave. Research shows employee-shared content gets 8x more engagement and boosts reach by 561%. The future lies in turning internal experts into external voices.

Finding the Right Voice: A Matter of Depth, Not Follower Count

Brands must focus on insight, regularity, and impact, not likes or reach. Jake Hird from Grove B2B and others argue for tracking true business metrics like pipeline acceleration, sentiment shift, and lead quality over superficial engagement.

Anna Ong sums it up best: