B2B Influencer Marketing Statistics to Prove It Works

For years, B2B marketers watched influencer marketing deliver impressive results in consumer brands. At the same time, they struggled to find data that reflected their reality. Most of these statistics focus on B2C, which consists of short sales cycles and impulse purchases. 

B2B operates differently and consists of much longer decision cycles and committee-based buying while stressing the need for expert credibility. 

The good news? 2025 reports finally provide clarity on adoption, ROI, and trusted platforms. 

In this article, we’re diving into the most compelling statistics to help B2B marketing leaders make the case for influencer marketing.

Adoption & Maturity: B2B Finally Catches Up

B2B influencer marketing has moved from an experimental tactic to a core strategy. 85% of U.S. B2B marketers now use influencer marketing. 

The shift is generational too, with 63% of tech buyers now trusting social video content from industry experts when making purchasing decisions. As younger professionals move into leadership roles, the demand for authentic expert voices grows. These buyers want proof from people who've actually done the work. Not polished corporate messaging.

81% of B2B companies allocated a specific budget for influencer marketing in 2024 and more than half plan to increase that budget in 2025. 

When the C-suite invests, the strategy has arrived. 76% of C-suite executives report their influencer marketing budget is growing. Influencer programs are now integrated into annual planning alongside content, SEO, and paid ads.

58% of B2B marketing teams now use an always-on approach to influencer engagement rather than one-off campaigns. Teams are building long-term relationships with trusted voices. They're moving away from transactional campaign work. B2B has caught up.

All stats from 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report.

ROI: What Is the ROI of B2B Influencer Marketing?

Return on investment in B2B isn't measured in likes. It's measured in pipeline, opportunities, and sales velocity. The data now proves influencer marketing delivers on all three. Consider these b2b influencer marketing roi statistics.

Pipeline & Opportunities Influenced

ROI in B2B is about impact on pipeline, opportunities, and sales velocity. Not impressions. Not vanity metrics. 94% of B2B marketers report influencer marketing as a successful strategy. 

Companies investing in B2B influencer marketing see a $5.20 return for every $1 spent. That's a 420% ROI. For SaaS and tech companies in the Series A to late-stage range, that's a material impact on quarterly targets. 

So, What Is the ROI of B2B Influencer Marketing? ROI can be tracked through multiple touchpoints:

• Webinar signups driven by influencer promotion. 

• Demo requests that come through co-branded content. 

• Opportunities created when an expert endorses your solution to their audience. 

The mechanism is clear. When a trusted voice validates your solution, it shortens the research phase and accelerates buying committees. 

30% of B2B marketers say influencer marketing contributes the most to pipeline versus brand awareness or thought leadership. That's revenue impact.

Cost per Trusted Touch

Influencer touchpoints are more trusted than conventional paid marketing. They're also less expensive per qualified interaction than paid social. The economics favor influencer marketing dramatically.

When an industry expert shares your content with their audience, the trust transfer is immediate. You're paying for credibility, not just eyeballs. You're buying access to an audience that already respects that voice, which is fundamentally different from interrupting someone's feed with an ad.

Influencer marketing delivers an 8.4x return on investment through Earned Media Value. In 2024, influencers collectively created 1.4 billion posts, generating $236 billion in EMV. Think about what that means. Every dollar spent creates exponential value through shares, comments, and organic amplification.

Your message reaches people who are actively seeking that perspective. They're not scrolling past. They're leaning in. B2B influencer marketing programs demonstrate an average ROI of 520%. The numbers don’t lie.

Platforms & Channels: Where B2B Influence Actually Happens

B2B influence thrives where expertise lives. The platforms that matter most aren't the ones dominating consumer culture. Instead, they are the channels where decision-makers go to learn and where they spend time engaging with professional content. 

LinkedIn dominates B2B influencer marketing. 

• 67% of B2B brands use LinkedIn for influencer marketing primarily to increase brand awareness.

• Marketing on LinkedIn generates conversion rates up to 2x higher and audiences exposed to brand messages on LinkedIn are 6x more likely to convert. 

• 40% of B2B marketers rate LinkedIn as the most effective channel for driving high-quality leads. 

• 82% of B2B marketers report their greatest success on LinkedIn compared to other social channels. LinkedIn is where B2B influence happens.

Newsletters are the second power channel. They work differently than social platforms. 

Over 50 million active subscriptions exist on Substack alone. Unlike social feeds that people scroll through mindlessly, newsletters land in inboxes. People read them intentionally. They've subscribed because they want that specific expert's perspective. The open rates prove it. The click-through rates prove it.

Podcasts round out the trio. 54% of B2B decision-makers listen to industry podcasts weekly. Listeners invest 30-60 minutes of attention. That's sustained engagement with a trusted voice. You can't buy that level of attention with a banner ad.

Now let's talk about Instagram. The global influencer marketing industry reached $32.55 billion in 2025, up from $24 billion in 2024. Much of that growth comes from Instagram and TikTok dominating consumer brands. 

But here's the reality for B2B. Instagram doesn't align with B2B buyer intent. The visual-first platform works for brand awareness. It can humanize your company, but it doesn't drive pipeline in B2B contexts the way LinkedIn does. Your CFO isn't scrolling Instagram looking for enterprise software solutions. They're on LinkedIn reading thought leadership. Know where your buyers actually are.

Challenges: What's Still Holding Teams Back

Even as results improve, B2B teams face predictable hurdles.

Tracking ROI

Only 28% of marketers say they can effectively measure influencer ROI. That's a problem when you're trying to justify budget spend. Especially when CFOs want hard numbers.

The issue isn't tracking impressions. It's connecting influencer touchpoints to pipeline outcomes. Without multi-touch attribution and clear KPIs, proving ROI becomes difficult. You can't just point to engagement rates. You need to show opportunity creation. 

73% of B2B marketers are actively ramping up attribution efforts. The most successful teams establish measurement frameworks before launching. They define what success looks like upfront. 

Talent 

Finding the right talent remains complex. 

• 48% of B2B marketers cite identifying and qualifying ideal influencers as their top challenge. B2B requires credible experts. Not creators for hire.

• 99% of teams using an always-on approach rate their programs as effective. 

• Marketers not using an always-on approach are 17x more likely to report their program is ineffective. 

Budgets & Resourcing: Where Marketers Are Investing

B2B teams with mature programs are scaling investment. The global influencer marketing industry is projected to reach $32.55 billion in 2025. This represents a 35.6% year-over-year growth. As more budget flows into influencer marketing overall, B2B marketers can justify larger allocations.

53% of B2B marketing teams with an existing influencer marketing budget plan to increase it in 2025. This isn't just buzz. It's a budget reallocation from channels that deliver less trust.

72% of marketers with the most advanced strategies have a dedicated budget that they expect to grow. Mid-market SaaS companies typically allocate 12-18% of their total marketing budget to influencer partnerships. 

Enterprise organizations with dedicated influencer programs invest significantly more. They're running multiple campaigns across platforms and working with numerous creators simultaneously.

For teams just starting, three spending models work well:

1. Pilot: 3–5 creators, 90-day test.

Budget: $15,000-$30,000. Focus on one channel (usually LinkedIn) and one content type. Maybe a webinar series. Maybe co-created blog content. Keep it simple. Measure demo requests and pipeline influence. Use this to prove the concept internally. Get executive buy-in for a larger program.

2. Always-on: Quarterly partnerships aligned to campaigns.

Budget: $50,000-$100,000. Work with 5-10 influencers across LinkedIn, newsletters, and podcasts. Sync influencer content to product launches, events, and key campaigns. This is where you start to see compounding returns. Repeated touchpoints. Growing trust. Sustained visibility in your target accounts.

3. Event surge: Influencer-led webinars or launches.

Budget: $75,000-$150,000. Activate 10-15 influencers for a concentrated period around a major announcement. A conference. A product release. Maximize reach and credibility during high-stakes moments. This model works when you need to make a splash. When you're entering a new market or launching something significant.

Activate the Numbers: What to Do With These Stats Next

The latest B2B influencer marketing trends and stats are clear. Adoption is accelerating. ROI is proven. The most trusted channels are delivering results. Cherry Lane Media specializes in B2B-only, LinkedIn-first influencer programs designed for measurable trust and pipeline impact.