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Cited by 54Digital Marketing and Social MediaMarketing and Advertising StrategiesCustomer Service Quality and Loyalty

Influencer marketing within business-to-business organisations

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Cartwright, Severina, Liu, Hongfei, Davies, Iain A.·2022·Industrial Marketing Management
DOI 10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.09.007
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Abstract

This study explores the dynamics of influencer marketing in the B2B sector by drawing on employee advocacy, customer reference marketing and organisational endorsement theories, explicating the strategic application of influencer marketing in the B2B context, and revealing the challenges in influencer marketing faced by B2B organisations. We conducted twenty-two in-depth semi-structured interviews with senior management marketing professionals across different sectors. Our analysis of these narratives shows that B2B marketers advocate the concept of ‘influential marketing’ by differentiating it from the concept of influencer marketing in the B2C market. B2B influential marketing connotes trustworthiness, expertise, professionalism, and exchange of know-how, all of which are rooted in long-term and industry-specific relationships and business networks. This research contributes to the theorisation of B2B influential marketing by developing an integrated framework that deciphers the process of its strategic implementation. The vital managerial contributions in our study highlight the specific considerations for influential marketing in B2B organisations.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Cartwright, S., Liu, H., & Davies, I. A.
Affiliations
  • University of Liverpool (GB)
  • University of Southampton (GB)
  • University of Strathclyde (GB)
Corresponding author
Liu, Hongfei
ORCID
Venue
Industrial Marketing Management
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2022-10
Volume
106
Pages
338-350
ISSN
0019-8501 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.09.007
OpenAlex
W4296234664
Cited by
54
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 2
FWCI
16.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Industrial Marketing Management (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
  • Strathprints: The University of Strathclyde institutional repository (University of Strathclyde) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Leverhulme Trust
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Marketing and Advertising Strategies
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Customer Service Quality and Loyalty
Keywords
influencer marketing, B2B marketing, employee advocacy, strategy implementation, trustworthiness, business networks

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