In this episode of Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing, Joel Harrison sits down with Kristen Esto, Founder of Customer Influence, a specialist influencer and creator marketing agency. They explore what the data actually tells us about how influencer marketing works in B2B—and what it reveals often runs completely counter to conventional wisdom. Could the most powerful tool in modern B2B marketing be the one you're not using yet?

➡️ Drawing on an AI-assisted analysis of over a thousand award entries from the B2B Marketing Awards and Elevation Awards (2024–2025), Joel and Kristen walk through five key trends shaping B2B influencer marketing today. Kristen—who brings more than a decade of paid media and data experience to her three years as a creator marketing specialist—shares why niche trade influencers consistently beat high-reach celebrities, why loosening brand control actually drives better performance, and how leading brands are connecting influencer activity directly to ABM platforms and pipeline. They also tackle the case for long-term influencer partnerships and why experiences like factory visits or live events produce content that brief-based campaigns simply can't replicate. Balanced, practical, and refreshingly free of hype, this is essential listening for any B2B marketer wondering whether influencer marketing belongs in their toolkit.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction to B2B Influencer Marketing

02:14 - Kristen's Background in the Creator Economy

04:00 - How the Analysis Was Conducted Using AI

05:03 - Trend 1: The Credibility Discount – Why Niche Beats Celebrity

09:03 - Finding the Right Influencers for B2B

12:39 - Trend 2: The Control Paradox – Why Freedom Outperforms Scripts

17:00 - Building Brand Alignment Without Brand Control

20:33 - Trend 3: The Pipeline Connection – Linking Influencers to Revenue

25:24 - Making Influencer Measurement Work for Your Team

27:17 - Trend 4: The Relationship Compound – Long-Term vs. One-Off Partnerships

31:24 - The Case for Long-Term Influencer Partnerships

33:02 - Trend 5: The Experience Dividend – Real-World Content vs. Brief-Based Content

38:42 - Summary and Key Takeaways

Follow Kristen Esto,

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-sesto/

https://customerinfluence.co.uk

If you care about making B2B marketing more meaningful, useful, and memorable, this conversation is for you. It's honest, reflective, and packed with takeaways that can help elevate your approach to thought leadership—whether you're a content creator, strategist, or brand leader.

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💬What do you think comes first—finding the right influencer or building the right brief? Let us know in the comments below.

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