Podcast Summary: The Marketing Millennials - Episode 330

Title: What Everyone Gets Wrong About B2B Influencers with Sarah Adam, Head of Partnerships & Influencer Marketing at Wix
Host: Daniel Murray
Release Date: July 9, 2025

Introduction

In Episode 330 of The Marketing Millennials, host Daniel Murray delves into the nuanced world of B2B influencer marketing with Sarah Adam, the Head of Partnerships & Influencer Marketing at Wix. This episode uncovers common misconceptions, strategic approaches, and actionable insights for leveraging influencers in the B2B landscape.

Sarah Adam's Journey into B2B Influencer Marketing

Sarah Adam shares her trajectory into the realm of influencer marketing. With five years at Wix, her focus has been on partnership roles targeting B2B audiences. Approximately three years ago, Wix launched a solution aimed at agencies and freelancers, revealing a brand perception gap between Wix’s established B2C identity and its new B2B offerings.

Sarah Adam [00:45]: “We were aware back at the time that there is a perception gap in terms of our brand and how it's perceived among these audiences...”

Recognizing the need to bridge this gap, Sarah and her team decided to collaborate with influencers who are trusted within these specific communities. This strategic pivot marked the beginning of Wix's investment in B2B influencer marketing.

Debunking Myths in B2B Influencer Marketing

A significant portion of the conversation addresses prevalent myths surrounding B2B influencer marketing. Sarah emphasizes that many B2B marketers mistakenly assume there are no relevant influencers in their niches.

Sarah Adam [02:58]: “They think of influencers as like, Mr. Beast or, you know, typical B2C type of influencers...”

She clarifies that B2B influencers may have smaller followings—sometimes as low as 2,000 followers—but possess significant influence and engagement within their specific industries. These influencers often don’t monetize their platforms traditionally but offer authentic and relatable content that resonates deeply with their audience.

Building a B2B Influencer Program from Scratch

When queried about establishing a B2B influencer program, Sarah outlines a three-step process:

1. Research: Immersing oneself in the niche to identify key influencers organically.

   Sarah Adam [05:45]: “It all starts with that research and you really need to... immerse yourself... spend days…”

2. Identify Communities and Outlets: Recognizing where target audiences congregate beyond just influencer profiles.

3. Engage with Influencers: Initiating conversations to understand their collaboration preferences and aligning them with campaign goals.

This methodical approach ensures that the influencer partnerships are both strategic and authentic.

Criteria for Selecting the Right B2B Influencers

Sarah elaborates on the criteria Wix employs when selecting influencers:

• Goal Alignment: Understanding campaign objectives, such as brand awareness, dictates the selection metrics.

• Professional Relevance:

  Sarah Adam [07:59]: “Their profession is super important to me...”

• Engagement and Reach: Prioritizing average views and engagement rates over mere follower counts.

• Content Authenticity: Seeking influencers whose content is relatable and authentic rather than overly polished or brand-aligned artificially.

This balanced focus ensures that the chosen influencers can effectively amplify Wix’s B2B messaging while maintaining their unique voice.

Crafting the Perfect Brief for Influencers

Creating an effective brief is crucial. Sarah likens the brief to giving a driver a destination but allowing them to navigate the best route.

Sarah Adam [11:35]: “We give the boundaries of what the kind of do's and don'ts... and let them decide according to... their expertise.”

The brief should clearly outline the campaign’s goals and desired outcomes without micromanaging the influencer’s creative process. This fosters authentic content that resonates with the influencer’s audience.

Negotiating Influencer Contracts Without Standard Rate Cards

Negotiating with influencers can be challenging due to the lack of standardized pricing. Sarah shares her approach:

• Establish Benchmarks: Over time, develop a cost-per-view metric to assess the value of different influencers.

• Respectful Negotiations:

  Sarah Adam [14:45]: “We need to be very delicate because you don't want to burn bridges...”

• Flexible Budgeting: Recognizing that not all influencers will fit into the expected budget and being prepared to adjust plans accordingly.

By adopting a data-driven and respectful negotiation strategy, Wix maintains positive relationships within the influencer community.

Managing a Large Pool of Influencers

Handling hundreds of influencers requires efficient systems:

• Workflow Management: Transitioning from Google Sheets to Monday.com to streamline campaign tracking and collaboration.

• Discovery and Monitoring Tools: Utilizing platforms like Favicon for influencer discovery and Scrapy Monster for performance monitoring.

These tools enable Wix to manage multiple campaigns and maintain oversight without compromising on relationship quality.

Maintaining Strong Influencer Relationships

Building and sustaining relationships with influencers is paramount. Sarah details their strategy:

• Initial Personal Interaction: Conducting introductory calls to establish rapport, although scaling necessitated a shift to primarily email communication.

• Selective Personal Engagement: Prioritizing calls for strategic influencers or situations requiring nuanced communication.

• Ownership of Relationships:

  Sarah Adam [23:28]: “Represent the influencer in the organization... advocating for and gatekeeping within the organization.”

This balanced approach ensures that even with a large influencer base, relationships remain personal and meaningful.

Evaluating Campaign Performance

Post-campaign analysis at Wix focuses on overarching goals rather than isolated metrics:

• Comprehensive Evaluation: Assessing the entire campaign’s performance over a set period (e.g., 30 days) to account for varying content performances.

• Adjusting Strategies: Leveraging learnings to refine future campaign strategies and influencer selections.

This holistic evaluation ensures that campaigns are measured effectively against their objectives.

Quality vs. Quantity in Influencer Selection

While views are a primary metric for brand awareness campaigns, Sarah acknowledges the importance of content quality and relevance:

Sarah Adam [26:47]: “You just need to understand that... invest a lot in the influencer discovery process... choose them wisely.”

Wix prioritizes influencers who maintain a sharp focus on their niche, ensuring that their content aligns with the campaign’s objectives and audience interests.

Contingency Planning for Platform Changes

When discussing platform dependency, Sarah highlights the importance of understanding where the target audience congregates and being adaptable:

Sarah Adam [28:58]: “It depends on the target... for web design, Instagram is more powerful.”

Wix remains flexible by focusing on multiple platforms tailored to different segments of their B2B audience.

Spicy Takes and Marketing Hills to Die On

Sarah shares her firm stance against overly controlling influencer briefs:

Sarah Adam [29:43]: “Companies that give influencers scripts... is like... worst... crushes authenticity.”

She advocates for allowing influencers to convey messages in their own voice, maintaining authenticity and trust with their audiences.

Additionally, Sarah emphasizes the role of influencer managers as advocates within organizations, ensuring that internal teams respect the creative integrity of influencers.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Sarah Adam’s insights underscore the importance of authenticity, strategic selection, and respectful collaboration in B2B influencer marketing. By prioritizing genuine relationships and aligning campaign goals with influencer strengths, Wix effectively bridges the B2C-B2B perception gap and leverages influencers to drive meaningful brand engagement.

Connect with Sarah Adam

• LinkedIn: Sarah Adam

For further discussions and insights, follow Sarah on LinkedIn or reach out via her professional contact information.

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