Special Report: 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders You Should Follow in 2021
Thinkers360
November 13, 2020

In this special report, exclusively for members of Thinkers360, we’re pleased to present our list of 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders You Should Follow in 2021! Our list is compiled from opt-in members of Thinkers360 who have kindly contributed and shared their thought leadership content on our platform and among our community – whose members have over 25M followers on social media combined.

Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Digital Disruption (October 2019)
Thinkers360
October 27, 2019

The future of work – Insights from Thinkers360 global thought leaders and influencers (Part 1)
Thinkers360
August 14, 2019

Having recently published our Top 20 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Future of Work (August 2019), we asked a selection of our Thinkers360 global influencers about their thoughts on the future of work and what we can expect to see over the next three years.

Top 20 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Future of Work (August 2019)
Thinkers360
August 02, 2019

Here’s the Thinkers360 leaderboard for the top 20 global thought leaders and influencers on Future of Work for August 2019. Congratulations to all our thought leaders and experts who participated!

Thought Leader Interview with Ton Dobbe, Chief Inspiration Officer, Value Inspiration
Thinkers360
May 27, 2019

Thinkers360 Interviews profile prominent members of the Thinkers360 community who embody the power of ideas in their work. In this edition, we speak with Ton Dobbe, Chief Inspiration Officer, Value Inspiration.

Thought Leader Q&A with Rashim Mogha, Head of Product, AAU at Automation Anywhere and Founder, eWOW
Thinkers360
May 23, 2019

Thinkers360 Q&A’s profile prominent members of the Thinkers360 community who embody the power of ideas in their work. In this edition, we speak with Rashim Mogha, Head of Product, AAU at Automation Anywhere and eWOW (empowered Women of the World) Founder.

Top 20 Global Thought Leaders on FinTech (March 2019)
Thinkers360
March 01, 2019

Here’s the Thinkers360 leaderboard for the top 20 global thought leaders on FinTech for March 2019. Congratulations to all our thought leaders and experts who participated!

Thought Leader Q and A with Phil La Duke, Principle Consultant at Environmental Resources Management (ERM)
Thinkers360.com
February 22, 2019

Thinkers360 Q&A’s profile prominent members of the Thinkers360 community who embody the power of ideas in their work. In this edition, we speak with Phil La Duke, Principle Consultant at Environmental Resources Management (ERM).

Top 20 Global Thought Leaders on Internet of Things
Thinkers360
February 01, 2019

Here’s the Thinkers360 leaderboard for the top 20 global thought leaders on Internet of Things for February 2019. Congratulations to all our thought leaders and experts who participated!

Thought Leader Q and A with Kelly Barner, Managing Director, Buyers Meeting Point LLC
Thinkers360.com
January 09, 2019

Thinkers360 Q&A’s profile prominent members of the Thinkers360 community who embody the power of ideas in their work. In this edition, we speak with Kelly Barner, Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point, a U.S.-based trusted source of information for the procurement industry.

Top 20 Global Thought Leaders on Culture
Thinkers360
January 04, 2019

Here’s the Thinkers360 leaderboard for the top 20 global thought leaders on Culture for January 2019. Congratulations to all our thought leaders and experts who participated!

Top 20 Global Thought Leaders on Big Data
Thinkers360
December 04, 2018

Here’s the Thinkers360 leaderboard for the top 20 global thought leaders on Big Data for December 2018. Congratulations to all our thought leaders and experts who participated!

Thinkers360: Connecting Global Brands with the World's Premier Thought Leaders and Authentic Influencers
Analytics Insight
March 12, 2021

Founded in 2017, Thinkers360 is the world’s first open platform for thought leaders and influencers to share opportunities, promote and advance their expertise. Organizations and agencies use the company’s tools for finding and working with the world’s premier thought leaders and authentic influencers as well as showcasing their own executives, thought leaders, and content among their opt-in B2B community that has over 25M followers on social media combined.

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

As users, devices, and distributed applications have grown in number, the networking environment has become exponentially more complex. IBN transforms a hardware-centric, manual network into a controller-led network that captures business intent and translates it into policies that can be automated and applied consistently across the network. The goal is for the network to continuously monitor and adjust network performance to help assure desired business outcomes.

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

According to Wired magazine, "GPT-3 is a machine learning system that has been fed 45TB of text data, an unprecedented amount. All that training allows it to generate sorts of written content: stories, code, legal jargon, all based on just a few input words or sentences. And the beta test has already produced some jaw-dropping results. But after some initially promising results, GPT-3 is facing more scrutiny."

Share your opinion by rating this technology's potential Impact, Risk Factors, Industry Scenarios, and Predictions and Recommendations.

Process mining is a family of techniques in the field of process management that support the analysis of business processes based on event logs. During process mining, specialized data mining algorithms are applied to event log data in order to identify trends, patterns and details contained in event logs recorded by an information system. Process mining aims to improve process efficiency and understanding of processes. It is critical to understand processes because as-is processes usually differ from the desired ones, and companies need to have data-driven evidence to fix for improving their processes.

Quantum physics bring a new computing paradigm that is much richer than, while complementary to, the famous Boolean computing that is the foundation of computer science. Built over the basic element of the qubit, the so-called ‘Quantum computer’ uses quantum-mechanical phenomena to execute operations on data. A theoretical concept born in the early 1980s, Quantum computing’s first technological implementations were demonstrated 15 years later. Since then, the Quantum computer has not yet reached the mainstream, though tremendous advances have been emerging on both the hardware and application sides.

The next generation of the Wi-Fi standard is Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, the latest step in a journey of nonstop innovation. The standard builds on the strengths of 802.11ac while adding efficiency, flexibility, and scalability that allows new and existing networks increased speed and capacity with next-generation applications.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) proposed the Wi-Fi 6 standard so it can couple the freedom and high speed of Gigabit Ethernet wireless with the reliability and predictability found in licensed radio.

There are a growing number of headlines and discussion in regard to the need to "break up" Big Tech. This is a looming regulatory trend that Thinkers360 is tracking on the radar. According to MIT SMR, "The power of technology platforms looms large over global economies and society." In addition, they cite that "Attitudes toward antitrust have even begun to shift at leading academic institutions associated with the hands-off ideology that has long benefited companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon in their rise to dominance."

Share your opinion by rating this trends' potential Impact, Risk Factors, Industry Scenarios, and Predictions and Recommendations.

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

Add your perspective in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations.

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

This topic is part of the Thinkers360 Predictions Series. Each year members can add their perspectives in terms of impact assessment, risk factors, industry scenarios and predictions and recommendations. Predictions are featured here: https://www.thinkers360.com/category/predictions/

A new study shows that quantum technology will catch up with today’s encryption standards much sooner than expected. That should worry anybody who needs to store data securely for 25 years or so.

From the very first marketing touch through to the closed deal and ongoing customer service, modern organizations rely on Salesforce to connect with their customers. But as these operations grow in scale and complexity, it becomes harder and harder to visualize and optimize processes that run through Salesforce. Celonis for Salesforce helps you identify and remove friction, so you can capture more revenue, optimize marketing investments, and delight your customers.

Through its ability to optimize energy usage and logistics planning, quantum computing (QC) will be able to increase sustainability within the supply chain while saving time and money.

From Contacts to Clients: Leveraging LinkedIn and CRM for Business Success
Thinkers360
October 03, 2024

Sponsored By LeadDelta 

Introduction

Year after year LinkedIn continues to have a pivotal role in the world of modern business and connecting people within. Developers of this vast social network always tend to keep a steady eye on the demands of an ever-changing business environment.

One such demand was CRM integration. If your goal was to seek clients using this network, you had to keep track of all the contacts, messages, relationship nuances, leads, etc.

This requirement led LinkedIn to develop a set of CRM tools that have become essential for professionals looking to convert contacts into clients.

Suddenly:

• building relationships, 
• managing leads, and 
• driving sales,

..became a lot easier! And here is how it’s done.

Why LinkedIn?

LinkedIn started as a job-seeking platform. Even today this is still synonymous with this network. Yet, it is much, much more. When used the right way in the right environment, LinkedIn can become a powerful platform for building and strengthening professional relationships.

Naturally, a contacts list stacked with potential clients doesn’t just fall from the sky. 

As is with almost every social network, first you need to round up a compelling profile. It should reflect your expertise, the visuals should be done professionally, basically - it should build trust with others when contacting them. 

Crafting such a robust profile is the first step in attracting potential clients.

The second one is the message you're sending. And here, we’re not referring to the actual message when contacting others, but the totality of creating and sharing valuable and practical content via your profile, engaging with other people’s posts. Generally speaking - marking your online presence.

Finally, choose well where you are making your presence felt. Search for groups or profiles with plenty of engagement and coverage and strategically expand your network to stay top-of-mind with potential clients.

What’s the Point of CRM?

Imagine a well-organized library where each book represents a customer. This library not only stores information about each customer’s past interactions, preferences, and needs but also suggests the best way to engage with them next. This is what CRM is.

What it does within the LinkedIn setup is:

• Track interactions,
• Automate follow-ups,
• Personalize outreach.

If you have five contacts, you don’t need CRM software. But, what if that number is five hundred? Or five thousand? Most likely you will need a machine to do its lion’s share of work.

Tracking an interaction means being fully aware of every single exchange you had with a contact. Be it a message, comment, or a profile view - every bit of contact activity is stored inside the CRM system. To own such a timeline of client interaction is a great advantage in any business.

To strike a (business) chord with someone often means to engage in communication that is consistent and timely. Whether it’s a schedule reminder for a sales rep or a follow-up email, it’s a good thing to have a 24/7 awake automated trigger integrated with your CRM system.

LinkedIn offers a variety of information, such as job titles, industry, recent activity, or mutual connections. All this could and should be used to tailor their outreach. For instance, if a potential client recently shared a post about a specific industry trend, you can reference that post in their next outreach. 

CRM software uses this data to create highly personalized messages, making interactions more relevant and meaningful.

Combining LinkedIn and CRM

Consider Dunbar's number. It refers to a human cognitive limit in the number of people with whom you can maintain meaningful social relationships. This British anthropologist claims that we can track up to 150 relationships. 

Everything beyond that number is too much for our brains. Others suggest even smaller numbers. Enter LinkedIn and CRM.

Whether it’s an integrated LinkedIn CRM or an outside CRM software, once you run it, you are in for a ride! Certain LinkedIn’s limitations suggest that sometimes it is a good idea to reach out for a different software solution. Such mundane action is dealing with how to remove LinkedIn connections. LinkedIn makes it tedious to do it in bulk, for example.

Once you connect the two - the syncing starts. Your and others LinkedIn activities are monitored to create a seamless flow of information and a more holistic approach to client management.

One Case Study

SAP is a German software giant specializing in managing business operations. SAP has recognized the power of LinkedIn and social selling, so they started using LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

The goal was to locate clients, engage with them over quality content, establish relationships, and turn them into customers.

The magnitude of this project demanded some sort of CRM software. They developed their own and integrated it with LinkedIn. This integration ensures that all communications and interactions are logged, enabling more effective follow-up and nurturing.

The outcome was an easy guess: SAP has seen a measurable impact on its sales pipeline due to this LinkedIn-CRM combination. By providing relevant content and personalized outreach, SAP has been able to increase its lead conversion rate and reduce the sales cycle.

Measuring Success

The way SAP (or any other business, big or small) was able to determine the efficiency of such an approach to social selling was to put a number next to the following metrics:

• Lead generation rate: the percentage of potential customers attracted to a product over a specific period, 
• Conversion rate: the percentage of leads or visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service, 
• Client retention: the ability of a business to keep its customers over a period of time, reflecting customer loyalty and satisfaction.

What CRM integration does is it provides you with real-time insight into communication tactics. Monitoring those three metrics above gives you a regular and steady flow of performance analysis information. You can use this information to tweak certain strategies on the spot.

Conclusion

The future of LinkedIn and CRM in business development is bright. With recent breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence, both LinkedIn and its integrable CRM software solutions continue to evolve with new features like:

• enhanced analytics, 
• content sharing, 
• personalized outreach.

Based on the premise that human behavior in certain business environments is somewhat predictable, we will probably witness an ever more automatization of the process.

We are perhaps not far from a point where using social networks such as LinkedIn along with some fine CRM solutions will mean the difference between success and failure, regardless of what we are selling.

Pay close attention and you just might succeed in bolstering transformation from contacts to clients.

Overcoming B2B Logistics Challenges: Strategies for Success
Thinkers360
September 27, 2024

Sponsored By Migway

Can you imagine a smooth supply chain where the products arrive exactly when needed, and disruptions don't exist? With effective B2B logistics, this is close to becoming a reality. 

Yes, things can get quite hectic in the supply chain. Every disruption and missed deadline can result in financial losses. Addressing such challenges can help enhance efficiency, maintain cost control, and enhance customer satisfaction. Logistics managers should understand the common challenges and perfect their strategies to combat them. 

Complex networks

A vast network that consists of suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers makes management more complex. You need to manage every party involved to avoid holds. This is when logistic managers understand the importance of implementing supply chain management software. With the help of AI and machine learning, the demand can be predicted. In fact, AI can easily predict patterns and data that humans can easily oversee. Therefore, managers can efficiently direct the resources with the help of technology. 

Time sensitivity

B2B transactions involve time-sensitive deliveries. Even the minor delays and disruptions can impact the production processes and lead to financial loss. The common strategies to solve this problem are third party logistics providers, route optimization algorithms and buffer stock. 

Route optimization relies on advanced technology to find the most efficient route that minimizes travel time. It takes weather and traffic congestions in consideration to minimize holds. 

Maintaining a buffer stock is another solution to this challenge. It includes storing a small buffer inventory to deal with higher demand in case of disruptions. This keeps the production process moving forward and prevents delays. This results in higher customer satisfaction.

Cost management

Inefficiencies in the supply chain, warehousing, and transportation will increase the overall logistics costs. This doesn't only affect the profit, but makes it difficult for companies to establish competitive pricing. Technology is here to help companies overcome the hurdle; process automation, inventory management and route optimization can help. 

Logistic management systems can deal with the different steps of the process. From order processing to tracking, they help automate many processes. This eliminates the possibility of error due to manual work and decreases the costs. 

When companies want to reduce their costs they can work with a trusted 3PL partner. The logistics partner helps decrease the transportation and warehousing costs. They have developed a strategy that allows them to consolidate the shipments and achieve the best transportation prices. Naturally, they work with large volumes of shipments so logistics companies will have greater power when negotiating pricing. For you, this means lower shipping costs while maintaining quality of service.

Regulatory compliance

Understanding the local and international regulations is very challenging for companies. Failing to do so can result in fines and delays, resulting in significant financial losses.

The companies need to ensure regulatory compliance across different regions. They should stay informed about the changes but can also rely on technology to do so. Compliance management software is one of the tools that can help companies ensure compliance with their logistics activities. Keeping up to date with the latest regulations helps avoid fines and delays that happen due to non-compliance. The systems also take care of the documentation process with the power of automation. With this, logistics teams will have the administrative tasks off their shoulders. Another crucial step to avoiding compliance issues is working with customs, brokers, and consultants. Customs can help you navigate the hefty process and ensure smooth cross-border transactions. They can familiarize you with the local regulations, help with the documentation, speed up the customs clearance, and prevent delays disrupting the supply chain.

Why Personalization Matters in B2B Customer Service
Thinkers360
July 30, 2024

Sponsored By Zendesk

Why Personalization Matters in B2B Customer Service

Every industry has countless B2B companies that seem to offer similar products and services. It's arguably difficult to stand out from the competition and grow a loyal customer base. However, you can compete favorably and achieve your business goals with the help of B2B personalization.

Personalization simply refers to the customization of your offers, marketing, and customer service to fit the needs of each customer. It ensures that you understand what your customers want and need. Then, you'll come up with strategies on how you can meet such expectations quickly.

In this article, we'll discuss personalization in B2B customer service and how you can implement it.

Why personalization is important for B2B customer service

Let's explore some reasons why you need to personalize every form of communication with B2B customers.

• B2B customers expect to see personalization

Many customers who purchase B2B products expect fully or mostly personalized content when interacting with a company. They want to see personalization along every step e.g. when they discover the company, when they buy a product or service, when using the product, when they ask for help, and when they engage with the company.

• B2B customers, just like B2C customers, respond positively to personalized customer service

You can increase customer engagement by personalizing interactions before, during, and after a purchase. It means that you'd recommend best-suited products, communicate via their preferred channels, and ensure that your product or service helps to solve their business problem. To retain your customers, you need to personalize every touchpoint.

• Elevates your B2B marketing

The best way to guarantee success in your marketing is by crafting personalized content and advertising materials. You need to understand your customers’ needs, know how to address their pain points, and come up with good offers. About 97% of marketers use personalization to deliver better customer experiences and generate higher ROI.

• Builds a stronger relationship with B2B customers and fosters customer loyalty.

It's not enough to provide an excellent product or service in a B2B company. You have to connect with all your customers and offer proactive support. This may include using check-in emails, direct messages, or phone calls to determine their satisfaction rate. You need to make them feel appreciated and look for ways to serve them better.

• Drives sales and increases revenue.

According to the stats, 56% of B2B buyers expect offers to be personalized. This means that you can convert leads and prospects into customers through personalization. You can also upsell and cross-sell relevant products to existing customers. The more satisfied customers are, the more they would recommend your brand to other businesses.

 

How to implement personalized B2B customer service?

Personalization involves learning who your customers are, what problems they have, and the best way to help them.

Below are steps on how to offer B2B personalization:

• Gather information on your B2B customers.

The first step is to collect enough information about your target audience e.g. company information, demographics, purchase behaviors, etc. This can be through your own customer data, market research and competitor research.

• Create detailed B2B buyer personas.

After collecting valuable data, you can create customer segments and unique buyer personas. This can help you determine prospects who have certain job positions, needs, pain points, goals, behaviors, expectations, etc.

• Implement the right technology

Customer service apps allow you to track, manage and respond to customer requests promptly. It also uses AI and data analytics to analyze customer interactions. You can use these insights to create better communication and develop more relevant marketing campaigns.

• Use account-based marketing

It's a good idea to focus your resources on high-value accounts. After creating an ideal buyer profile, you'll segment customers, identify those high-value customers, and create personalized communications for them.

• Target all stakeholders/decision-makers at a B2B account

You should note that B2B sales requires approval from multiple decision-makers. (You're not dealing with a single person). So you need to target a team of roleplayers such as the buyer, billings department, senior leadership, etc.

 

A few examples of B2B personalization.

From marketing to customer service, you can create a tailored and more fulfilling customer experience. Here are some notable examples of B2B personalization.

• Personalized communication in emails, letters, etc.

When sending emails, you should use the buyer persona to add relevant information. You need to mention their first name, address any concerns, speak to the customer, and include any personal information where necessary.

• Self-service portals

Rather than reach out to customer service every time, B2B customers can use a self-service portal to perform actions. For example, they can place orders, pay bills, request support, update information, track past interactions, etc).

• Personalized marketing campaigns tailored to different customer segments.

B2B websites should have personalized copy and content. You need to create offers for different personas, accounts, segments, leads, etc. Paid advertising and landing pages also need to target and match every customer segment.

• Dedicated accounts or customer support teams per customer

It's advisable to assign specific customer service agents to your customers. This allows them to develop a relationship with one or two individuals in your support team. Some customers prefer dedicated support rather than speaking to a different agent every time they need assistance.

 

Personalizing B2B customer experience

B2B customers are more likely to patronize a brand that offers personalized marketing and customer service. To create customized experiences, you need to collect data on your customers and use it to speak to their unique needs and interests. This could be in the form of targeted ads, personalized content, relevant recommendations etc.

Personalizing the customer experience isn't just a "must-do" It's a crucial strategy in B2B customer service interactions that can significantly enhance customer satisfaction, engagement and loyalty. By tailoring interactions to meet the specific needs and preferences of your target customer, businesses can build better brands which ultimately lead to more sales and an increase in revenue. Embracing these practices can set your business apart in a competitive market and foster long-term success.

 

The Year’s Most Popular Articles from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders
Thinkers360
January 02, 2022

We’ve searched the Thinkers360 Member Blog to pick out the year’s most popular articles on business, technology and sustainability from Thinkers360 thought leaders. Here’s our picks with direct links to the articles as well as to the author’s thought leadership profiles and portfolios on Thinkers360!

https://www.thinkers360.com/the-years-most-popular-articles-from-thinkers360-thought-leaders-2/

Announcing the Thinkers360 2022 B2B Thought Leadership Outlook Survey
Thinkers360
September 06, 2021

Announcing the Thinkers360 2022 B2B Thought Leadership Outlook Survey

In association with the British Computer Society

Thinkers360 is conducting our 2nd annual industry research into the current and future state of B2B thought leadership working with our opt-in B2B thought leader and influencer community with over 100M followers on social media combined.

If you are a consumer and/or producer of thought leadership content, we invite you to participate in our survey and receive a free copy of the survey results. You will also be eligible to enter our drawing for one of three free 1-Year Pro Plan Memberships to Thinkers360 to further amplify your personal brand.

Take the 2022 B2B Thought Leadership Outlook Survey

 

Upon survey completion, we will send a complimentary copy of the initial survey results to all participants and more extensive results and analysis will be made available to Thinkers360 members at the Pro Plan level and above.

We encourage all survey participants to share this survey invitation with fellow thought leaders and influencers as well as other consumers or producers of B2B thought leadership content to help us reach all those who have an interest in the current state of B2B thought leadership and it’s outlook for 2022!

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5 Best Practices for Finding and Working with Authentic B2B Influencers and Thought Leaders
Thinkers360
August 31, 2019

Influencer marketing is projected to be a $10B market by 2020 and is becoming a mainstream approach not only for consumer brands looking to tap into the power of social media influencers, but for companies in the B2B space as well. In recent years, one of the key challenges with influencer marketing has been the fake follower crisis, which has been extensively covered by the media, and influencer marketing fraud is projected to cost brands $1.3 billion in 2019 (which equates to 15% of advertisers’ spending). To help brands tap into the potential of B2B influencer marketing, while at the same time avoiding some of its common pitfalls, here’s 5 best practices to help you design and deploy your influencer marketing program and ongoing campaigns: 1 – Know your influencer marketing goals and objectives 2 – Look for innovative approaches for finding and working with influencers 3 – Know your influencer’s DNA in terms of their various roles 4 – Know your influencer’s thought leadership content portfolio 5 – Build a true two-way partnership with your top influencers To read the full story, including an exclusive interview with influencer marketer, Tom Augenthaler, Managing Principal, 551 Media, please visit: 5 Best Practices for working with B2B Influencers and Thought Leaders

How to find authentic B2B influencers and thought leaders
Thinkers360
July 03, 2019

One of the issues with B2B influencer platforms and rankings is that they most often look solely at social media. This can be valuable if you’re looking exclusively for influencers who can help amplify your message via their social networks, but there are several key issues:

• It can miss the bigger picture regarding the influencers broader thought leadership portfolio
• Brands may miss authentic B2B influencers who are primarily authors or speakers
• It can be susceptible to individuals who are gaming the system (i.e. “spamfluencing”)
• You only get limited insight into the influencers body of work, interests and availability

Typical influencer platforms and rankings, while valuable, don’t measure thought leadership, are susceptible to brute force (i.e. excessive postings to move up in the rankings), may rank individuals broadcasting only third-party content, have limited measures of content quality, and the gamification nature of the rankings often encourages spamming. In addition, the social media “fake follower” crisis has compounded the need to find authentic influencers as well as authentic thought leaders who are experts in their fields.

It's no wonder that 61% of marketers have difficulty finding the right influencers.

In identifying and working with authentic influencers in their niche, organizations need tools and techniques to help them understand not only who the authentic experts are, but the kind of hats they wear as a thought leader – i.e. are they primarily an academic, author, influencer or speaker, or perhaps a unique combination of several of the above? Today’s marketplaces and platforms too often serve up one type of expert – i.e. an author, influencer or speaker – but don’t provide the means to find thought leaders who may be powerful combinations of the above. This can be a serious issue for brands, because what if you need an influencer who’s also a respected author and thought leader on specific niche topics, or a speaker who’s also great at facilitating workshops? To find out more about Thinkers360's unique approach, please see our original post at How to find authentic influencers and thought leaders or contact us via our Enterprise page and we’d be delighted to speak with you!

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List your availability or advertise your Startup Advisory Board, Corporate Advisory Board, PE/VC Advisory Board and Non-Profit Advisory Board positions on Thinkers360.

Plexicam: The UnTeleprompter

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Service Type: Service Offered

A simple, brilliant, and elegant new way for thought leaders and presenters to connect with their audiences!

Find out more at PlexiCam.com. Use code T360 for 5% discount!

Thinkers360 Awards for Leaderboards

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Thinkers360 is proud to offer authentic awards for members to commemorate their leaderboard achievements.

Plaques get 1st month off Pro Membership. Pro Members get 10% off Plaques.

The only way to get a Thinkers360 plaque with the official logo is through Thinkers360. To order, or for more information, please contact Yessi Sembergman.

Investment Opportunity: Ochy AI-Powered Movement Analysis (SportsTech)

Location: Rennes, Brittany, France    Fees: Contact us for pitch deck

Service Type: Service Offered

An AI technology that uses just a smartphone video to provide lab-quality biomechanic analysis to help minimize injuries and improve performance.

Traction:
3400 users with organic growth for 5 months
200 customers (42 new clients in July and 48 in August)
An international customer base with sales in 36 countries (TOP4: USA, UK, Canada, France)
10k EUR turnover achieved in market tests since March 2023
10000+ newsletter subscribers
In advance partnership discussions with French Federation of Athletics, Campus Coach, British Athletics and several others.

Women in Tech (BCS Book)

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By (author) Gillian Arnold, Hannah Dee, Clem Herman, Sharon Moore, Andrea Palmer, Shilpa Shah Edited by Gillian Arnold

Thinkers360 Members can order from the BCS Bookshop and use code 360 for 20% discount.

Market Research: Tap into the Power of the Thinkers360 Community

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Thinkers360 is pleased to announce the availability of our market research and insights functionality for enterprise customers. Brands can now pose strategic questions to the Thinkers360 community - targeting specific topic areas and thought leader roles - and receive private responses.

Brands interested in applying for the early adopter program (free), can contact Yessi Sembergman.

Custom Virtual Events

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Service Type: Service Offered

Together with our partner, Veventaas, Thinkers360 provides fully-customized virtual events that are bullet-proof, create unparalleled attendee engagement, and cost less than half of most other virtual events.

For more information, contact Yessi Sembergman.

Services Businesses: Go Carbon Negative!

Location: Virtual    Fees: Starting at $72 / employee / year

Service Type: Service Offered

Offset your podcast, events, services or company with the Carbon Negative Alliance - exclusively for businesses in the services industry.

The Carbon Negative Alliance helps businesses in the services sector become carbon neutral and then take the next step to becoming carbon negative.

By joining the Carbon Negative Alliance, your small to midsize business can play a leading role in making the CO2 reductions needed to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 C.

Partner benefits include Carbon Negative badging for your organization, use of official partner logo, partner web page, visibility in our partner directory and conscientious marketing support.

Sign up today at CarbonNegativeAlliance.com

B2B Influencer Marketing

Location: Thinkers360    Fees: Available upon request

Service Type: Service Offered

Transform your B2B influencer marketing with Thinkers360’s platform, community, data and capabilities to run and manage all types of campaigns.

B2B Influencer Discovery | B2B Influencer Vetting | Full Lifecycle Campaign Management | World-Leading Analytics | Trusted by Major Brands

B2B Influencer Opportunity (Pay Per Click)

Location: Virtual    Payment: Pay Per Click

Service Type: Service Needed

Amplify brand content via your web and social channels and get paid as a B2B influencer. See our live Campaigns under Opportunities > Influencer Marketing (when logged in). FREE SIGN-UP!

B2B Influencer Opportunity (Pay Per Click)

Location: Virtual    Payment: Pay Per Click

Service Type: Service Needed

Amplify brand content via your web and social channels and get paid as a B2B influencer. See our live Campaigns under Opportunities > Influencer Marketing (when logged in). FREE SIGN-UP!