OLIVIA HARRY
Associate Creative Director, Nelson Bostock

“Influencers are becoming an increasingly important part of the B2B marketing mix, with 90% of every B2B sale influenced by word of mouth. However, one point raised during the panel session was the role of ‘influential’ people, alongside ‘influencers.’ Of course, the latter is determined largely by follower count, but actually B2B brands can get huge bang for their buck by identifying influential individuals to partner with. These individuals may have a smaller following, but they deliver huge impact – they drive engagement and have great untapped persuasive power amongst their audience.  

 These individuals are also likely already in existence within your pool of employees, making them a great untapped opportunity to reach audiences in an authentic way. But it’s key that brands don’t try to turn these individuals into something they aren’t – stick with formats, topics and a tone they know and are comfortable with. Their personality is the secret ingredient to building memorable, lasting connections with audiences.” 

ROI PEREZ
Senior Digital Strategist, Human Understanding Lab

“The B2B comms landscape is shifting fast. What used to be a predictable mix of LinkedIn posts, whitepapers, and trade shows is now being disrupted. B2B brands are showing up on TikTok, using humour, storytelling, and behind-the-scenes content to spark interest.  

It’s a reminder that B2B buyers are still people. They scroll, they swipe, and they’ll engage if what you’re sharing is worth their time. Entertainment, intrigue, and clear value matter more than ever. Now is a good time to take a hard look at your channel stack. Are there new spaces where your brand should show up? Are you meeting potential clients where they actually are?” 

BEN WALSH
Marketing Director, UK&I, TP-Link

“Start with exploring the research. The landscape is shifting, creating more opportunities for human influence, especially through person-to-person, influential communication. This shift gives B2B brands a real chance to be more human in how they engage and connect, and that’s exciting. 

It’s worth exploring what that means and the broader implications it has. Search is also a huge topic, how discovery is evolving, and what that means for brands. All of it is exciting and full of opportunities.” 

REJOICE OJIAKU
SEO Manager, Nelson Bostock

“The impact of social search and AI-powered search engines on B2B is on the rise. With decision-makers increasingly turning to LinkedIn, YouTube, and even TikTok for insights, they’re making social platforms essential search engines in their own right. Content must be optimised for visibility within these ecosystems. 

At the same time, AI-powered search—from Google’s Search Generative Experience to ChatGPT—is reshaping discovery, prioritising authoritative, structured, and semantically rich content. B2B marketers must now balance traditional SEO with AI-driven search, ensuring content is both keyword-optimised and machine-readable. 

B2B influencers are also playing a bigger role. Once a B2C tactic, industry experts and thought leaders now drive conversations and influence decisions, performing well in both social and AI search. 
 
In essence, the panel discussion reinforced the need for a holistic content strategy—one that integrates SEO, social-first thinking, and influencer partnerships to meet audiences across a fragmented, multi-channel discovery journey.” 

BEN CULLEN
Planning Lead, Nelson Bostock

“Let’s start with what not to do. What you should not do is try to be on every channel just for the sake of it—without truly understanding the platform, its audience, and why you’re there in the first place. And then there’s AI. If you’re just using it to churn out a high volume of content to look busy, you’re not adding value—you’re actually damaging your brand. 

What you should do—and this probably won’t surprise you—is take a step back. Start with a clear strategy and a strong understanding of your brand identity. Then, be intentional about which channels you use. Know what works well on each platform and where your strengths lie. 

From there, focus on executing a story that resonates with your audience. And when it comes to influencers, you might not need to be active on every channel yourself, but leveraging the right voices on the right platforms could be the key to telling your story effectively.”