The past 12 months has seen a significant rise in B2B creators and executives building engaged communities of professionals on social platforms including LinkedIn and TikTok. But we can underestimate the true scale of this change.

“Over the last 319 years, the biggest channel for global ad-spend has only changed twice,” opened Tom Sneddon, Co-Founder of Supernova, Atomic’s specialist agency for creator and social first content. “Print reigned for over two-hundred years, before TV ascended in the latter half of the last century. In 2024, we will see the third change, as social rises to the top.”

Brands and marketers know the power of social in B2C. But in B2B, it is often still misunderstood, undervalued and undersold. Our latest event, “Meet the B2B Creators”, brought a stellar panel of industry influencers together to discuss the emerging space, the opportunities for creators and markets - and explore the future of the B2B creator economy. The panel featured:

Rob Mayhew, Business & Finance Creator of the Year
Saira Khan, TV Personality and Entrepreneur
Chris Donnelly, LinkedIn Business Creator and Entrepreneur
Yasmin F, Founder of Flo.Create and rising TikTok star
Jon Evans, host of the ‘Uncensored CMO’ podcast

Here’s what was said.

The A Word

The relationship B2B creators develop with their audience is packed with authenticity, authority, and trust thanks to the unique nature of such individuals – and this can translate into immense value for business-facing brands.

“I prefer working with B2B,” answered Rob Mayhew. “My content highlights issues that I’ve experienced as part of the agency world - bringing to life the real issues people face on a daily basis. Authenticity is everything.”

The panel agreed that the A-Word (authenticity) is a cliche - but it remains an essential part of any engaging content, regardless of the category.

“Creators understand what their audiences want,” added Saira Khan. “Businesses have so many messages they want to share. But what really influences consumer thinking and decision making is trust. Advertisers can tap into the trust that creators share with their audiences - as long as it feels like a natural extension of the relationship.”.

Yasmin, founder of Flo.Create, noted that many marketers have brand safety concerns when it comes to using creators - especially in the traditionally cautious B2B sector. “B2B audiences are still active on TikTok - and these channels give brands the creative flexibility to land impactful messaging. But that requires, to some extent, putting your brand in someone else's hands.”.

But trust is quickly won if you can be genuinely useful, argued Chris Donnelly. “A lot of creators are looking to take advantage, sell a course and make a quick profit. We’ve taken the opposite approach. I use social media to share everything I have learned from my experiences founding businesses - and audiences are responding to it. We only joined TikTok 10 months ago, and we already have videos with over nine million views.”.

‘I am not a billboard’

Brands want to tap into the meaningful relationships that creators have with their audiences. But it isn’t always easy to bridge the gap between the message of the brand, and the desires of the audience.

Jon Evans reflected on some of the pitches he has received for ‘Uncensored CMO’. “I’ve had multiple brands and agencies approach me and ask me to read a pre-written message. I’ve turned them all down in order to protect my own brand. Part of my job is to get people to say more than they should - I want surprising stories and unique challenges, not pre-approved PR copy.”

Yasmin picked up on this point. “When you get a brief that is overloaded with objectives and metrics, it can limit your ability to create content that works for your audience. But it’s great to work with brands that trust you and explore ideas collaboratively.”.

“Marketers need to remember why they picked a creator in the first place,” Rob added. “Sometimes brands want too much control, too much influence. But they need to understand the creators have made the mistakes and learned the lessons.”.

Saira Khan agreed. “Be true to your values. Make them clear - even if it means turning down work. Think in the long term. Remember that being open and honest can open other doors within a business.”

So what makes a good brief? The panel collectively agreed that it all stems back to genuine understanding of the creator’s mission, and willingness to build a long-term relationship.

“I have a clear intention to be the most recognised founder online,” explained Chris. “I have a responsibility to my followers on this mission - which is why I need genuine synergy with the brand. I’m flooded with inbound requests where brands offer me money to copy and paste a status onto my LinkedIn. But this shows a total misunderstanding of my mission. I am not a billboard. This relationship can’t be transactional.”.

“I want a brand onboarding. I want to understand the product and the mission. And then I want to make a TikTok, not an advert,” Rob Mayhew summarised.

The journey of a thousand steps

Creators have their finger on the pulse of social. But how do brands know if they are ready to engage?

The panel shared their individual experiences of taking their first steps on social, and a common theme quickly emerged. A lot of success is accidental. But success is only possible if you push yourself into new environments.

“There is no such thing as the right time,” said Rob. “The simple truth is this: brands need to be on TikTok, because if your competitors are doing interesting stuff, and you aren’t, you are losing out a little in the short term - and potentially a lot in the long term.”

The conversation boomeranged back to authenticity. You need to be consistent, present - and most importantly - completely transparent.

“How many brands can you represent?,” asked Saira. “If you tout sixteen brands, which one do you really like? People understand creators need to make money - and so does the algorithm. Sponsored content or promotional posts will still reach your audience, but also get significantly less views.”

Yasmin shared her perspective as a Gen Zer. “TikTok and Gen Z culture will instinctively call out anything that is transparently commercial. Brands, like creators, need to embrace a process of testing and learning. You need to be present and active. Go out and try stuff - who aligns with our purpose? Who understands our brand? Who can drive awareness? Plenty of brands are hesitating - but it’s not too late to start.”.

Streams of thought

The B2B creator revolution will not be televised. It will be liked, shared and live streamed.

Marketers and consumers instinctively recognise the growing power of influencers and creators. But according to research by Onalytica, though 94% of marketers believe influencer marketing is effective - only 24% invest in it. And that adoption figure is likely much lower in B2B spaces.

There is a disconnect between how brands and marketers think and how they behave across social media. But not for long. B2B creators are on the rise, and so are opportunities for brands to drive impact through connected creativity. And it’s not a case of making adverts. It’s about connecting creators and consumers through authentic content.