In 2015 I was hired as a Brand Evangelist for Bannersnack – now known as Creatopy (design tool for ads). My role was to make Bannersnack one of the most known apps in the industry. So I did what I knew best – created content, distributed the content for communities that are interested in our app and built a name for the brand. With no money for sponsorship and advertising, the brand was featured in publications like TechCrunch, AdWeek, Entrepreneur and people started talking about the brand in a more natural way. Bannersnack was part of the conversation.
This was possible because we had an amazing marketing team and a product that served the need of the user. But my role was to build trust among the people and make the brand the most useful and known design tool for ads.
I built the bridge between my audience that followed me and the brand.
Somehow I was the unofficial B2B Creator for the company.
Today’s marketing game is all about people, not brands.
The channels blowing up right now favor creators over companies. Big businesses are going to start spending 15-20% of their ad budgets on these creators.
And it’s not just B2C—B2B is getting in on the action too. Creators will build their audiences first, then sell products to them. It’s flipping the script from the old way where you had a product and then went looking for buyers.
In short, the future is creator-driven, and the smart money is already shifting that way.
What is a B2B creator?
A B2B Creator is someone who uses their personal brand, knowledge, and content to connect with an audience in the business world. They make valuable content that tackles industry problems, trends, and solutions, making themselves known as experts and trusted advisors.
B2B creators earn money by promoting products, services, or software, often working with businesses to boost growth and innovation. They are key to modern marketing, helping to make brands more relatable and building real connections with their audience.
But B2B Creators are divided in 3 big parts:
- The Entrepreneur – is the one that creates content to build up his own business and brand: I’m looking at people like Dave Ramsey, Peter Caputa or Guillaume Moubeche.
- The Employee – is the one that creates content because they believe and love the company and they have one mission – to make the brand known in their industry; they are people like Tim Soulo, Dan Toomey or Roxana Irimia.
- The Influencer – is the one who is more of a content creator, promoting different companies (it can be a solopreneur) – they are people like Justin Welsh, Codie Sanchez or Shaan Puri.
B2B creators use their expertise to create articles, videos, podcasts and more, that help companies share their message, solve problems, and connect with other businesses.
Think of them as the content experts who help businesses grow by telling great stories.
Why are B2B creators important for your company?
Can any company build up their in-house creators? As a matter of fact, it depends on the business. But I got more in depth on this subject at The Futur with Chris Do.
A business can gain numerous benefits from a B2B creator.
They simplify complex business concepts into engaging content for customers
One of the key benefits is their ability to simplify complex business concepts into easily understandable and intriguing content for potential customers.
Additionally, B2B creators are well-informed about industry trends and can skillfully incorporate them into their content, providing actionable insights for their audiences. They naturally focus on addressing the needs and problems of businesses, such as productivity, customer engagement, acquisition, retention, and more.
Their knack for communicating these themes in a language tailored to a professional audience is undeniably one of the most compelling attributes of B2B creators.
As a result, their content is driven by and geared toward business growth and innovation.
They are the real face of the company
Because we live in a world where faces are the new logos, as Alex Antolino said.
People love connecting with creators with a face, feelings, beliefs, and values. They appreciate the vulnerability, struggle, and genuine smiles that come from being human.
Creating content is no longer just a task on your to-do list; it’s a way to make the brand stand out in a noisy world, forge a true connection with the customers, and share values that build bridges. Platforms don’t want just content, they want quality content. Platforms want expert content that can drive audiences and sell advertising.
Google is prioritizing authority content.
The ripple effect of their content is awe-inspiring, spreading far and wide across the internet and quickly indexing in search engines, which is partly thanks to Google’s E-E-A-T approach that prioritizes content from B2B creators, emphasizing experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
Another platform that is betting high on B2B creators is LinkedIn which wants to showcase expert knowledge and advice. To figure out who the experts are, they look at users’ interests based on their profiles and activities.
What exactly do B2B creators bring to the table?
They are the visionaries of content creation, introducing new ideas, fresh insights, and thought-provoking perspectives to the market.
They build an audience and connect them with a brand, product, or service.
B2B creators excel as great writers, crafting long-form content on various platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter threads, Substack, Medium, or their personal blogs. Some venture into the world of email newsletters, building a loyal audience and bridging connections with brands.
A prime example is Katelyn Bourgoin, who delivers a weekly newsletter called “Why We Buy,” focusing on using psychology to understand customers. But she is also an awesome writer on Twitter and Linkedin, while developing a program along with Neal O’Grady where they help entrepreneurs build their personal brand.
Others leverage short videos and visuals to emphasize key points or create memorable content snippets to share across different channels.
For instance, Tim Davidson produces and publishes short videos on B2B marketing on his LinkedIn and TikTok, proving that B2B marketing can be far from boring.
Or we have Alex Lieberman, who’s the co-founder of Morning Brew but he is also an avid B2B creator using videos to talk about entrepreneurship, business and startups.
What tactics do B2B creators use?
B2B creators thrive on a perfect combination of social media content, organic content on Google, and personal branding, making them indispensable for any company.
But what tactics do these B2B creators employ to make their mark in the digital sphere? Let’s take a general look:
- Exclusive brand collaborations: B2B creators craft bespoke content exclusively for partnering companies to share on their branded channels, amplifying their reach and influence. They can be an individual creator who is partnering with outside companies, but they can also be employees of a company.
- Personal campaigns: They develop compelling campaign content for their own channels, making a direct connection with their audience and fortifying their personal brand. They use their platforms and audiences to make the brand stand out in a much more native way.
- Co-creation and collaboration: B2B creators join forces with other creators and brands, co-creating video content, conducting podcast interviews with industry executives, and fostering a collaborative community. Webinars and online summits are other interactive channels of co-engaging audiences.
- Industry events participation: Always at the forefront of their niche, B2B creators actively engage in company and industry events, ensuring their insights and expertise reach the right ears.
So, who can be a B2B creator?
Anyone within a company can assume the mantle of a B2B creator, but it can also be an individual B2B creator without having to be an employee in a certain company.
Whether it’s the passionate founder, the visionary CEO, or the imaginative marketer, each individual has the power to unleash their creative spirit and make a substantial impact through thought leadership.
For example, Nathan Barry, the CEO of ConvertKit, has built a significant audience on Twitter and LinkedIn, discussing creators making a living through content creation and bridging the gap between business and content creation in the B2B creator sphere.
Similarly, Amanda Natividad, the VP of Marketing at Sparktoro, runs her personal newsletter, consistently creates content on Twitter and LinkedIn, and speaks at major conferences like Ad World Conference. But at the same time, she makes sure she creates content on Sparktoro’s Blog that will get their audience’s attention. For example, Zero-Click Content made a huge impact on the marketing industry.
Maybe you feel like you need to show your work and create your own path by connecting with like-minded people.
That’s why I created the Never Send Another Resume course (aici vine link catre email course, am uitat sa il pun), where I teach you how to start building your personal brand as an employee.
What Skills Do B2B Creators Need?
To stand out as a B2B creator and attract businesses and brands, it’s important to demonstrate a deep understanding of the industry and offer unique insights. Storytelling skills, content creation abilities, and technical savviness are crucial. B2B creators must convey complex concepts compellingly, provide actionable guidance, and stay up-to-date with the latest technologies.
Wrapping it up
B2B creators play a vital role in connecting businesses with their audiences through informative content.
By fostering in-house talent, companies can create more authentic and impactful communications.
Becoming a B2B creator isn’t an overnight affair. It requires time, effort, and a significant amount of passion to shape and refine content and messaging, always ensuring alignment with the audience’s needs and interests.
But we are just at the beginning of a new perspective that will impact our world.