July 29, 2025 • 22 mins
Affiliate and influencer marketing are no longer just for consumer brands—they're transforming B2B marketing with performance-based models that prioritize trust and authenticity over mass reach. Traditional marketing approaches are converging with new digital strategies as B2B companies recognize the power of micro-influencers and genuine content partnerships.
• COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation across industries, pushing B2B marketing into new territory
• Performance-based affiliate marketing allows companies to pay for actual results rather than potential reach
• B2B companies focus on micro-influencers (10,000-50,000 followers) rather than mega-influencers
• Industry experts with engaged niche audiences generate higher trust and conversion rates
• Expert content like tutorials, webinars, and case studies integrate affiliate links organically
• AI-driven tools help optimize campaigns while respecting increasingly important privacy concerns
• Short-form video content is gaining traction even in traditionally long-form B2B marketing
• Authenticity is essential—start with 3-5 trusted influencers who align with your brand values
• Track performance with clear metrics and continuously nurture affiliate relationships
• Quality partnerships consistently outperform quantity in the B2B space
Stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll explore AI innovations in sales and creative barter marketing strategies shaping the future of B2B.
Thanks for listening to The Trading Post Podcast!
Find all our important links—including our LinkedIn, MetroTrading.com, and Michigan Renaissance Festival info—at:
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© 2025 The Trading Post Podcast. All rights reserved.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello and welcome to the Trading Post podcast, where
we unlock the secrets ofbusiness-to-business trade, dive
into powerful networkingstrategies and share my exciting
journey of using a podcast tomarket my business instead of
relying on SEO.
I'm your host, trader Stu.
Hello everyone and welcome backto the Trading Post with your
(00:27):
host, trader Stu, trade Tuesday.
Here we are.
If you were in the MetroDetroit area yesterday, you
would know that it was a truepain to get home.
I think we got 3.3 inches in 42minutes or something like that
is what I heard on the radio.
42 minutes or something likethat is what I heard on the
radio, and I don't think thatwas the official, but the DJs
(00:48):
were saying you know, the people, the geeks that are, the
weather folk that have the raingauges, took measurements and
reported that.
And it was crazy, dude, my carwas basically up to the rims in
water and then to get home I hadto turn around one time because
the fire department blocked offa road, because three cars were
hydro-locked and stalled out inthe middle of the water and the
(01:09):
road and the main road, andthen another one, a subdivision.
I didn't know how deep thewater was and I want to risk it
and total my car.
It's paid off and I got PLPD onit, so I'm not going to risk it
.
For you know, wading water foran unknown depth of water and
then another one was anothermain road and I probably could
(01:30):
have made it.
But I was going into it and itwas just getting deeper and
deeper and deeper and I wasgetting up to the bottom of the
car and I could feel it and Idon't want to, like I already
told a truck out one time forwater, getting into the car and
into the truck, and so I don'twant to do that with this car
and get the carpeting all wetand get mold and mildew problems
(01:52):
in it.
So I turned around, took me anhour and a half to get home and
that was.
It was a rough one.
Everything was underwater and Imean there was flash flood
warnings, but I get that.
But what's wild is that itwasn't even the river.
The Clinton River didn't evenoverflow really as bad as it has
before in the past.
It was all.
The drains for some reason werenot draining quickly enough and
(02:16):
in my case up in Rochester thedrains were going the other way.
So the one that I park on is upon a hill actually, and it was
erupting like a fountain theparking lot drain, so I had to
take a video of it.
I've seen that before, but itwas in lower areas, not like up
(02:36):
on a hill.
It was wild anyway.
So I didn't see many chemtrailsin the sky yesterday.
It's funny, my mom just askedme.
I didn't see many chemtrails inthe sky yesterday.
It's funny.
My mom just asked me hey, haveyou seen much chemtrails in the
area lately?
I haven't, and I did not.
And sure enough that next day,the next morning, it rained like
crazy.
So there must have been somekind of cloud seeding in the
(02:58):
area.
I truly think that we're next inthe area here for a next flood.
I actually went and boughtflood insurance.
I would suggest you do that.
I'm in FEMA flood zone, onewhich is basically I shouldn't
have to worry about it.
But lo and behold, yesterdayour street did flood, so it
doesn't take much more for thatwater to come up our way up the
(03:20):
street a bit more and then floodout our basement or whatever.
So for I think it was 700 bucksa year.
I have peace of mind knowingthat at least I'll get a quarter
million dollars for my house.
It's not going to take care ofeverything with today's costs,
but it's better than being justout of luck and you know, anyway
I digress.
I'm probably on some kind oflist now, I'm sure, because I
(03:42):
mentioned cloud seeding andwhatever.
I guess we all are.
It doesn't matter anymore.
But at any rate, I wanted toget into a couple of things
today about B2B and B2C.
So business to business andbusiness to consumer, and how.
Affiliate and influencermarketing in 2025 for business
(04:03):
to business as a continuous,basically a narrative for going
into B2C, you know, like thetry-ons and my shopping trips
and my haul, things like thatnature, so let's just get right
into it.
So the topic that's reshapingthe way business to business
(04:24):
companies or B2B companiesapproach marketing and sales.
By the way, real quick,sponsored by Michigan Restaurant
Festival, I got my 20 tickets,so I'll be giving those away
soon and I got those in the mailPretty exciting.
And, of course, metro TradingAssociation.
So anyway, affiliate andinfluencer marketing was once
seen as a playground forconsumer brands.
It's now making serious wavesin the business and business
(04:46):
world.
As we move further in the 2025,those lines between traditional
marketing, influencerpartnerships are blurring,
opening the exciting new doorsfor business growth.
Over the next 20 minutes or so,we'll explore why affiliate
marketing is expanding into B2B.
Like I was saying, affiliatemarketing is like the B2C right.
(05:07):
So how influencer models areevolving, fits in the space and
the role of technology plays and, finally, how you can build an
authentic and successfulaffiliate partnerships for your
business.
And that's the big thing too,because affiliate partnerships
are what people buy from people,right, and in the end.
So ai is moving into the tariff, yes, but I think in the end
(05:31):
we're a few more years down theline at least where you can
capitalize on leveraging ai tohopefully boost you up and maybe
get in the windfall of itbefore it just takes everything
out, because I truly think that,well, it's already putting
engineers out of business and ittook, I think, me.
(05:51):
I might have been in the playerof how a company I came from
might be trying to utilize AI touse for technical services.
Basically, you know, with thejob I did every year, I had my
top 10 most common tech issuesright, and so once you got those
(06:11):
nailed, you can talk to anybodyabout it and you know, look
like a genius of how you fixedit, but really all you're doing
is repeating the last call thatyou had, because you know what
the next call probably will be.
So once you train an AI programabout the top 100 most common
(06:31):
issues or whatever you know, yougot 10 years right there of
tech services that you don'tneed a human to pay for anymore.
So, anyway, one thing I alwaysdid get complimented of is at
least I was an English speakingperson when they called tech,
because they thought I'd be likein Indonesia or India or
something like that and theywere ready for a language
(06:52):
barrier.
But here I am, you know, livingin Metro Detroit and helping
out, so anyway.
So why is affiliate marketingexpanding into B2B?
So let's unpack that inmarketing of itself.
The affiliate marketingexpanding into B2B so let's
unpack that itself in marketing.
And of itself, the affiliatemarketing.
Many of us recognize thatmostly from consumer brands or
(07:12):
anyways, where bloggers andinfluencers promote products for
commissions.
But the B2B companies, which isaffiliate marketing, is
becoming a powerful tool forlead generation and customer
acquisition.
The COVID-19 pandemicaccelerated digital
(07:33):
transformation across industriesand, with more buying decisions
happening online, b2b companieshad to find innovative ways to
reach their prospects.
And that's the other thing.
You know, I saw there's achannel I watch not really watch
, but it's on my feed and it's aguy that lives in Vegas and I
guess he loves Vegas and he hasa whole channel dedicated to
downtown Las Vegas and he'stalking about how nobody's there
(07:54):
, no more, and he shows videosand there's nobody in the
background.
Nobody's in the background onthe strip, even on Fremont
Street.
It's desolate.
It looks like a zombiewasteland.
It's wild.
I've been to Vegas at least ahalf dozen times and it was
always packed.
When I was there.
There was always peoplewatching the Bellagio Fountains
(08:15):
or what's, the Treasure Island,the pirate fighting, and then
the MGM had the volcano andFremont Street forget about it.
You can hardly walk down there,you know.
And this guy is showing thesevideos and there's nobody around
.
It's wild.
And he's talking about how therestaurants are closing and
where is everybody at, whereeveryone go, and he's blaming it
(08:36):
on the fees, the resort fees of.
They boosted them from 85 bucksto fit from 55 or something
like that.
And I don't think so.
I think that if you'recommitted to a trip to las vegas
a cruise ship or whateveryou're already got money
earmarked and thirty dollarsdifference in a fee isn't gonna
make or break you.
What's really happening here, Ithink, is online gambling.
(08:58):
Why would I go pay and travel,you know, halfway across the
country for putting 50 on blackor whatever?
Right, I don't.
You just don't got to do thatanymore.
They need a different draw.
They buried themselves and areprobably making way more money
with online gambling than theywere, I know, when I was.
(09:23):
This is back in 2001, maybe2002, 2003.
I was online gambling back whenit became legal for the first
time and it was sponsored.
The servers, the loopholes ofservers, were in Vegas, so it
was legal.
I got a lot of wind down and alot of craps that I played
online.
(09:43):
I would play for hours from thecomfort of my home and my own
booze, right, and I had to drivenowhere and I had to stay in
hotels and deal with people, andit was just something to go do
on a weekend if I didn't want togo out to the nightclubs and
spend a bunch of money and getinto a bunch of trouble weekend,
if I didn't want to go out tothe nightclubs and spend a bunch
of money and get into a bunchof trouble.
So they've dug their own hole,or have they, you know.
(10:05):
So that's the thing.
I think they're making way moremoney now because now they're
getting a global impact ononline gambling and sports
betting than the whatever thehotel can fill, basically.
Anyways, that's my take on it,and I don't know.
I remember when the internetcasinos were happening they're
all over Flint and these guyswould buy out these old,
(10:30):
run-down, dilapidated stripmalls and put in these slot
machines in there, and theyweren't winning money.
You were winning gift cards,and that was the loophole.
You weren't winning cash.
It's not cash, you're notwinning cash.
We were giving gift cards away,you know, and so that was the
loophole for that, but that gottaken out.
I don't know if that got takenout due to legalities or if just
that it didn't work.
(10:50):
It wasn't an attractive offerfor people to go in and get gift
cards instead.
I don't know what happened withthat, but back when I was
working for ADT Security, I wasputting a lot of video cameras
and a lot of alarm systems inthose places.
That was good money, dude.
I was making so much money backin.
When was that?
08?
No, yeah, 08, 09, 010,something like that, or 010.
(11:14):
10.
I was working for that smallbusiness, adt Security.
And let me tell you what, dude.
I was back in Flint, michigan,and that was during that
recession and people werestealing copper pipes and
breaking into businesses andthere were the internet casino
gambling things happening andthe head shops just started to
get not, it was hydroponicstores were getting going.
(11:37):
It was a good time, dude.
Let me tell you what, and Iwould do all the pot growers'
homes and their businesses,their basements.
It was wild dude.
I saw a lot of cool things.
Anyway, I digress.
Companies like Oracle and Asana,for example, implemented
affiliate programs that rewardpartners for driving qualified
(11:57):
leads, software trials and demos.
What makes affiliate marketingso attractive in B2B is its
performance-based nature.
Unlike traditional advertising,which requires a big upfront
investment, affiliate marketingallows companies to pay for
actual results, meaning leads orconversions, so budgets stretch
further.
It also amplifies reach bytapping into trusted networks
(12:19):
outside the usual sales andmarketing funnel.
Combining affiliate programswith traditional outreach and
paid ads creates a multifacetedapproach that can drive
measurable ROI.
So let's talk about theinfluencers then.
Influencer marketing has longbeen associated with lifestyle
and consumer brands, but the B2Bspace is embracing it with a
(12:40):
twist.
Been associated with lifestyleand consumer brands, but the b2b
space is embracing it with atwist.
Instead of mega celebrities,successful b2b companies focus
on micro influencers, subjectmatter experts, consultants and
industry thought leaders whohave similar but highly engaged
audiences.
I would be considered a I guess,a micro influencer.
Hopefully, you know, because Idon't have a huge following, I
don't have 20 25 millionsubscribers like Blippi does.
(13:01):
He's a major influencer and soit'd be like Beast and you know
all those guys millions offollowers.
Micro influencers is the newthing that companies are looking
to sponsor because they have aniche market.
I think micro influencer let melook that up.
What that means means how manyis considered a micro influencer
.
Is it followers, maybeconsidered a micro influencer?
(13:28):
I'm just actually ai-ing thisreal quick.
What does it say?
It's generally oh wow, Ithought it was less than 1,000
followers, but really in 25, I'mnot even a micro-influencer,
I'm far from it.
So you've got to have between10,000 to 50,000 followers is
considered a micro-influencer Inthe B2B context, though more
(13:51):
broadly, range can extend to100,000 followers, depending on
the platform and niche, becausedespite their modest follower
count, they maintain a highlyengaged niche audience and are
viewed as authentic andtrustworthy voices, for example,
in B2B influencer, marketingand micro-influencers are valued
for their close connectionswith specific industries and
(14:13):
their ability to influencepurchase decisions credibly.
Their engagement rates aresignificantly higher than those
of macro or mega influencers.
Jesus, what's the differencebetween those?
Often around three to 8% onplatforms like Instagram.
Okay, so a lot of Instagramfolk are considered micro.
So for a B2B podcast or B2Bmarketing efforts, target
(14:37):
influencers with 10 to 50,000followers is ideal for building
authentic and effectiveaffiliate partnerships in 25.
And that's because you can tellby having someone with, like, I
guess, less than 50,000,they're probably not paying for
the click farms.
Like then China.
They have all those cell phonesthat auto follow, auto click
and auto comment, and it'sthat's how you get millions of
(14:59):
comments or whatever, and likesfor a stupid video.
That makes no sense at all asto why I would get that much
traction.
It's because it was sponsored,probably by china.
You know what's?
Let me do this real quickdifference between macro and
mega, the difference betweenmacro and mega, the difference
(15:20):
between macro and mega.
That caught my eye.
I have to know.
So here we go.
A macro influencer has 100,000to 1 million followers.
They often have a broad reachand recognizable presence in
their field or niche.
(15:40):
They're ideal for brandslooking for scale, company or
campaigns that reach a wideaudience.
Macro influencers offer abalance of authenticity and
professional content, but theirengagement rates are usually
lower.
So those of smaller influencersbecause their audiences are
more generally and less tightlyconnected.
The mega influencers are peoplewith over 1 million followers.
(16:02):
They include celebrities,well-known internet
personalities or viralsensations.
Mega influencers offer massivevisibility and are best suited
for brands hoping to achievelarge-scale brand awareness or
impact across multipledemographics.
However, their engagement rateper follower tends to be lowest
and the collaborations oftencome with much higher fees.
(16:22):
While mega influencers canamplify brand exposure quickly,
they usually lack the personalconnection and niche influence
that smaller creators provide.
Okay, so it's like macro ormicro, macro, mega.
It depends on what you want andwhat you're trying to achieve.
That's cool.
I didn't know that.
(16:43):
See, we just learned somethingnew together.
It's funny.
Last week I learned somethingnew as well while I was talking.
So it's kind of like learn bydoing, and really I mean it's
cool because otherwise I wouldhave never gotten into that.
For some reason, I just don'tnever even considered it, or not
, that I didn't care, justwhatever.
The question never came upright.
(17:04):
So here we are.
Let's do this.
Here, the influencers matterbecause authenticity and trust
are paramount in B2B buyingdecisions.
Buyers want to hear from peoplewho understand their challenges
and can offer real insights,not just sales pitches.
Brands partnering with expertscan create affiliate programs
(17:24):
that feel like a cold promotionand more like a genuine
recommendation.
Content quality and nicheauthority have become essential.
These influencers typicallyproduce deep dive content like
tutorials, webinars and casestudies and software reviews
that resonate with B2B buyers.
This approach not only helpspositions a brand as a trusted
(17:44):
solution provider, but alsoincorporates affiliate links
seamlessly into educationalcontent, which is a win-win.
By 2025, we're seeing aconvergence where traditional
influencer tactics merge withaffiliate models.
This creates a dynamicecosystem where expertise driven
content can generate leads andsales while building genuine
relationships with customers.
So yeah, micro influencer I mean, even though I'm not one yet
(18:07):
technically in the realm offollowers or downloads.
The reason why MichiganRenaissance Festival wanted to
sponsor me is because I'm local,right, so they're hitting a
local target area.
A lot of companies other thanbig corporate brands or, you
know, maybe publicly tradedbrands, don't care about mega
influencer area, because aplumber, let's just say, or even
(18:28):
Michigan Renaissance Festivaldoesn't care about anyone
outside of, maybe, ohio.
They'll bring people in fromohio, but maybe outside of the
great lakes region, right?
So who cares about folks in newmexico?
It doesn't.
I mean, they'll never drive allthe way to michigan to go to
the michigan ren fest, they justwon't.
So why pay for that?
So they're hitting up thesesmaller you know, small
(18:50):
newspapers, podcasters, things,things like that, and then
they'll put ads in there.
Makes sense, and all they haveto do is exchange tickets for
mentions.
Genius, why not?
I mean, they're making moremoney by bringing people in the
gate anyway, by selling moreturkey legs and beer, right?
So more people in the gate, thebetter Content and quality
(19:14):
plays a pivotal role in makingall this possible.
In technology, ai-drivenautomation tools, for instance,
help optimize affiliatecampaigns in real time by
analyzing data and adjustingstrategies to improve
performance.
Predictive analytics guidewhere to focus marketing efforts
for best returns.
Marketing efforts for bestreturns.
(19:35):
At the same time, privacyregulations and the decline of
third-party cookies forcemarketers to adopt advanced
tracking and attributiontechnologies.
These ensure that affiliatesare fairly compensated while
respecting their user privacy.
This is especially important inB2B, where purchase cycles are
longer and involve multiplestakeholders.
And then another trend is theuse of short-form video
(19:58):
platforms like TikTok andYouTube Shorts for affiliate
content.
While traditionally, b2bmarketing relied heavily on
long-form content, snippets ofengaging, quick insights help
brands grab attention and directprospects to more detailed
resources.
First-party data suggests that,also gaining traction, b2b
companies are investing in waysto collect and use their own
(20:18):
customer data, building loyaltyand personalized experiences
without relying on invasive techtracking.
By integrating thesetechnologies, b2b marketers can
create more efficient,measurable and compliant
affiliate programs that adapt tothe modern buyer's expectations
.
If you're thinking aboutlaunching or refining your own
affiliate program in 25,authenticity has to be at the
(20:39):
core.
Start small by identifyingthree to five trusted
influencers or content creatorsin your niche.
Look for people who value signsof their brand, who are already
engaged with the kind ofaudience you want to reach.
Building relationships withthese partners is crucial.
Engage with their contentofferer, support and collaborate
on campaigns, ideas that feelnatural rather than forced.
(20:59):
Avoid the temptation to cast toowide of a net or use a
one-size-fits-all recruitmentstandard strategy.
Those usually lead to genericcontent that doesn't convert.
Track performance closely withclear metrics and commission
structures.
Use this data to optimize yourprogram.
Encourage different types ofcontent, like depth and product
reviews and educational webinars, are client success stories,
(21:22):
and continuously nurture youraffiliates.
Remember, successful B2Baffiliate marketing is about
quality over quantity, genuineconnections and delivering real
value to both your partners andcustomers.
So, in closing, to sum it up,affiliate and influencer
marketing and B2B is no longerniche strategy.
It's becoming mainstream growthdriver, powered by trust,
(21:43):
authentic voices and smarttechnology.
If you're not exploring howthese partnerships can enhance
your sales funnel, 2025 is theyear to take the plunge.
Thank you for joining me today.
I hope this gives you freshideas on how to build your own
affiliate program and tap intothe influential voices in your
industry.
Stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll explore AI,
(22:03):
innovations and sales and somecreative barter marketing
strategies shaping the future ofB2B.
Until then, whatever you do outthere, be good or be good at it
.
Hello and welcome to the Trading Post podcast, where
we unlock the secrets ofbusiness-to-business trade, dive
into powerful networkingstrategies and share my exciting
journey of using a podcast tomarket my business instead of
relying on SEO.
I'm your host, trader Stu.
Hello everyone and welcome backto the Trading Post with your
(00:27):
host, trader Stu, trade Tuesday.
Here we are.
If you were in the MetroDetroit area yesterday, you
would know that it was a truepain to get home.
I think we got 3.3 inches in 42minutes or something like that
is what I heard on the radio.
42 minutes or something likethat is what I heard on the
radio, and I don't think thatwas the official, but the DJs
(00:48):
were saying you know, the people, the geeks that are, the
weather folk that have the raingauges, took measurements and
reported that.
And it was crazy, dude, my carwas basically up to the rims in
water and then to get home I hadto turn around one time because
the fire department blocked offa road, because three cars were
hydro-locked and stalled out inthe middle of the water and the
(01:09):
road and the main road, andthen another one, a subdivision.
I didn't know how deep thewater was and I want to risk it
and total my car.
It's paid off and I got PLPD onit, so I'm not going to risk it
.
For you know, wading water foran unknown depth of water and
then another one was anothermain road and I probably could
(01:30):
have made it.
But I was going into it and itwas just getting deeper and
deeper and deeper and I wasgetting up to the bottom of the
car and I could feel it and Idon't want to, like I already
told a truck out one time forwater, getting into the car and
into the truck, and so I don'twant to do that with this car
and get the carpeting all wetand get mold and mildew problems
(01:52):
in it.
So I turned around, took me anhour and a half to get home and
that was.
It was a rough one.
Everything was underwater and Imean there was flash flood
warnings, but I get that.
But what's wild is that itwasn't even the river.
The Clinton River didn't evenoverflow really as bad as it has
before in the past.
It was all.
The drains for some reason werenot draining quickly enough and
(02:16):
in my case up in Rochester thedrains were going the other way.
So the one that I park on is upon a hill actually, and it was
erupting like a fountain theparking lot drain, so I had to
take a video of it.
I've seen that before, but itwas in lower areas, not like up
(02:36):
on a hill.
It was wild anyway.
So I didn't see many chemtrailsin the sky yesterday.
It's funny, my mom just askedme.
I didn't see many chemtrails inthe sky yesterday.
It's funny.
My mom just asked me hey, haveyou seen much chemtrails in the
area lately?
I haven't, and I did not.
And sure enough that next day,the next morning, it rained like
crazy.
So there must have been somekind of cloud seeding in the
(02:58):
area.
I truly think that we're next inthe area here for a next flood.
I actually went and boughtflood insurance.
I would suggest you do that.
I'm in FEMA flood zone, onewhich is basically I shouldn't
have to worry about it.
But lo and behold, yesterdayour street did flood, so it
doesn't take much more for thatwater to come up our way up the
(03:20):
street a bit more and then floodout our basement or whatever.
So for I think it was 700 bucksa year.
I have peace of mind knowingthat at least I'll get a quarter
million dollars for my house.
It's not going to take care ofeverything with today's costs,
but it's better than being justout of luck and you know, anyway
I digress.
I'm probably on some kind oflist now, I'm sure, because I
(03:42):
mentioned cloud seeding andwhatever.
I guess we all are.
It doesn't matter anymore.
But at any rate, I wanted toget into a couple of things
today about B2B and B2C.
So business to business andbusiness to consumer, and how.
Affiliate and influencermarketing in 2025 for business
(04:03):
to business as a continuous,basically a narrative for going
into B2C, you know, like thetry-ons and my shopping trips
and my haul, things like thatnature, so let's just get right
into it.
So the topic that's reshapingthe way business to business
(04:24):
companies or B2B companiesapproach marketing and sales.
By the way, real quick,sponsored by Michigan Restaurant
Festival, I got my 20 tickets,so I'll be giving those away
soon and I got those in the mailPretty exciting.
And, of course, metro TradingAssociation.
So anyway, affiliate andinfluencer marketing was once
seen as a playground forconsumer brands.
It's now making serious wavesin the business and business
(04:46):
world.
As we move further in the 2025,those lines between traditional
marketing, influencerpartnerships are blurring,
opening the exciting new doorsfor business growth.
Over the next 20 minutes or so,we'll explore why affiliate
marketing is expanding into B2B.
Like I was saying, affiliatemarketing is like the B2C right.
(05:07):
So how influencer models areevolving, fits in the space and
the role of technology plays and, finally, how you can build an
authentic and successfulaffiliate partnerships for your
business.
And that's the big thing too,because affiliate partnerships
are what people buy from people,right, and in the end.
So ai is moving into the tariff, yes, but I think in the end
(05:31):
we're a few more years down theline at least where you can
capitalize on leveraging ai tohopefully boost you up and maybe
get in the windfall of itbefore it just takes everything
out, because I truly think that,well, it's already putting
engineers out of business and ittook, I think, me.
(05:51):
I might have been in the playerof how a company I came from
might be trying to utilize AI touse for technical services.
Basically, you know, with thejob I did every year, I had my
top 10 most common tech issuesright, and so once you got those
(06:11):
nailed, you can talk to anybodyabout it and you know, look
like a genius of how you fixedit, but really all you're doing
is repeating the last call thatyou had, because you know what
the next call probably will be.
So once you train an AI programabout the top 100 most common
(06:31):
issues or whatever you know, yougot 10 years right there of
tech services that you don'tneed a human to pay for anymore.
So, anyway, one thing I alwaysdid get complimented of is at
least I was an English speakingperson when they called tech,
because they thought I'd be likein Indonesia or India or
something like that and theywere ready for a language
(06:52):
barrier.
But here I am, you know, livingin Metro Detroit and helping
out, so anyway.
So why is affiliate marketingexpanding into B2B?
So let's unpack that inmarketing of itself.
The affiliate marketingexpanding into B2B so let's
unpack that itself in marketing.
And of itself, the affiliatemarketing.
Many of us recognize thatmostly from consumer brands or
(07:12):
anyways, where bloggers andinfluencers promote products for
commissions.
But the B2B companies, which isaffiliate marketing, is
becoming a powerful tool forlead generation and customer
acquisition.
The COVID-19 pandemicaccelerated digital
(07:33):
transformation across industriesand, with more buying decisions
happening online, b2b companieshad to find innovative ways to
reach their prospects.
And that's the other thing.
You know, I saw there's achannel I watch not really watch
, but it's on my feed and it's aguy that lives in Vegas and I
guess he loves Vegas and he hasa whole channel dedicated to
downtown Las Vegas and he'stalking about how nobody's there
(07:54):
, no more, and he shows videosand there's nobody in the
background.
Nobody's in the background onthe strip, even on Fremont
Street.
It's desolate.
It looks like a zombiewasteland.
It's wild.
I've been to Vegas at least ahalf dozen times and it was
always packed.
When I was there.
There was always peoplewatching the Bellagio Fountains
(08:15):
or what's, the Treasure Island,the pirate fighting, and then
the MGM had the volcano andFremont Street forget about it.
You can hardly walk down there,you know.
And this guy is showing thesevideos and there's nobody around
.
It's wild.
And he's talking about how therestaurants are closing and
where is everybody at, whereeveryone go, and he's blaming it
(08:36):
on the fees, the resort fees of.
They boosted them from 85 bucksto fit from 55 or something
like that.
And I don't think so.
I think that if you'recommitted to a trip to las vegas
a cruise ship or whateveryou're already got money
earmarked and thirty dollarsdifference in a fee isn't gonna
make or break you.
What's really happening here, Ithink, is online gambling.
(08:58):
Why would I go pay and travel,you know, halfway across the
country for putting 50 on blackor whatever?
Right, I don't.
You just don't got to do thatanymore.
They need a different draw.
They buried themselves and areprobably making way more money
with online gambling than theywere, I know, when I was.
(09:23):
This is back in 2001, maybe2002, 2003.
I was online gambling back whenit became legal for the first
time and it was sponsored.
The servers, the loopholes ofservers, were in Vegas, so it
was legal.
I got a lot of wind down and alot of craps that I played
online.
(09:43):
I would play for hours from thecomfort of my home and my own
booze, right, and I had to drivenowhere and I had to stay in
hotels and deal with people, andit was just something to go do
on a weekend if I didn't want togo out to the nightclubs and
spend a bunch of money and getinto a bunch of trouble weekend,
if I didn't want to go out tothe nightclubs and spend a bunch
of money and get into a bunchof trouble.
So they've dug their own hole,or have they, you know.
(10:05):
So that's the thing.
I think they're making way moremoney now because now they're
getting a global impact ononline gambling and sports
betting than the whatever thehotel can fill, basically.
Anyways, that's my take on it,and I don't know.
I remember when the internetcasinos were happening they're
all over Flint and these guyswould buy out these old,
(10:30):
run-down, dilapidated stripmalls and put in these slot
machines in there, and theyweren't winning money.
You were winning gift cards,and that was the loophole.
You weren't winning cash.
It's not cash, you're notwinning cash.
We were giving gift cards away,you know, and so that was the
loophole for that, but that gottaken out.
I don't know if that got takenout due to legalities or if just
that it didn't work.
(10:50):
It wasn't an attractive offerfor people to go in and get gift
cards instead.
I don't know what happened withthat, but back when I was
working for ADT Security, I wasputting a lot of video cameras
and a lot of alarm systems inthose places.
That was good money, dude.
I was making so much money backin.
When was that?
08?
No, yeah, 08, 09, 010,something like that, or 010.
(11:14):
10.
I was working for that smallbusiness, adt Security.
And let me tell you what, dude.
I was back in Flint, michigan,and that was during that
recession and people werestealing copper pipes and
breaking into businesses andthere were the internet casino
gambling things happening andthe head shops just started to
get not, it was hydroponicstores were getting going.
(11:37):
It was a good time, dude.
Let me tell you what, and Iwould do all the pot growers'
homes and their businesses,their basements.
It was wild dude.
I saw a lot of cool things.
Anyway, I digress.
Companies like Oracle and Asana,for example, implemented
affiliate programs that rewardpartners for driving qualified
(11:57):
leads, software trials and demos.
What makes affiliate marketingso attractive in B2B is its
performance-based nature.
Unlike traditional advertising,which requires a big upfront
investment, affiliate marketingallows companies to pay for
actual results, meaning leads orconversions, so budgets stretch
further.
It also amplifies reach bytapping into trusted networks
(12:19):
outside the usual sales andmarketing funnel.
Combining affiliate programswith traditional outreach and
paid ads creates a multifacetedapproach that can drive
measurable ROI.
So let's talk about theinfluencers then.
Influencer marketing has longbeen associated with lifestyle
and consumer brands, but the B2Bspace is embracing it with a
(12:40):
twist.
Been associated with lifestyleand consumer brands, but the b2b
space is embracing it with atwist.
Instead of mega celebrities,successful b2b companies focus
on micro influencers, subjectmatter experts, consultants and
industry thought leaders whohave similar but highly engaged
audiences.
I would be considered a I guess,a micro influencer.
Hopefully, you know, because Idon't have a huge following, I
don't have 20 25 millionsubscribers like Blippi does.
(13:01):
He's a major influencer and soit'd be like Beast and you know
all those guys millions offollowers.
Micro influencers is the newthing that companies are looking
to sponsor because they have aniche market.
I think micro influencer let melook that up.
What that means means how manyis considered a micro influencer
.
Is it followers, maybeconsidered a micro influencer?
(13:28):
I'm just actually ai-ing thisreal quick.
What does it say?
It's generally oh wow, Ithought it was less than 1,000
followers, but really in 25, I'mnot even a micro-influencer,
I'm far from it.
So you've got to have between10,000 to 50,000 followers is
considered a micro-influencer Inthe B2B context, though more
(13:51):
broadly, range can extend to100,000 followers, depending on
the platform and niche, becausedespite their modest follower
count, they maintain a highlyengaged niche audience and are
viewed as authentic andtrustworthy voices, for example,
in B2B influencer, marketingand micro-influencers are valued
for their close connectionswith specific industries and
(14:13):
their ability to influencepurchase decisions credibly.
Their engagement rates aresignificantly higher than those
of macro or mega influencers.
Jesus, what's the differencebetween those?
Often around three to 8% onplatforms like Instagram.
Okay, so a lot of Instagramfolk are considered micro.
So for a B2B podcast or B2Bmarketing efforts, target
(14:37):
influencers with 10 to 50,000followers is ideal for building
authentic and effectiveaffiliate partnerships in 25.
And that's because you can tellby having someone with, like, I
guess, less than 50,000,they're probably not paying for
the click farms.
Like then China.
They have all those cell phonesthat auto follow, auto click
and auto comment, and it'sthat's how you get millions of
(14:59):
comments or whatever, and likesfor a stupid video.
That makes no sense at all asto why I would get that much
traction.
It's because it was sponsored,probably by china.
You know what's?
Let me do this real quickdifference between macro and
mega, the difference betweenmacro and mega, the difference
(15:20):
between macro and mega.
That caught my eye.
I have to know.
So here we go.
A macro influencer has 100,000to 1 million followers.
They often have a broad reachand recognizable presence in
their field or niche.
(15:40):
They're ideal for brandslooking for scale, company or
campaigns that reach a wideaudience.
Macro influencers offer abalance of authenticity and
professional content, but theirengagement rates are usually
lower.
So those of smaller influencersbecause their audiences are
more generally and less tightlyconnected.
The mega influencers are peoplewith over 1 million followers.
(16:02):
They include celebrities,well-known internet
personalities or viralsensations.
Mega influencers offer massivevisibility and are best suited
for brands hoping to achievelarge-scale brand awareness or
impact across multipledemographics.
However, their engagement rateper follower tends to be lowest
and the collaborations oftencome with much higher fees.
(16:22):
While mega influencers canamplify brand exposure quickly,
they usually lack the personalconnection and niche influence
that smaller creators provide.
Okay, so it's like macro ormicro, macro, mega.
It depends on what you want andwhat you're trying to achieve.
That's cool.
I didn't know that.
(16:43):
See, we just learned somethingnew together.
It's funny.
Last week I learned somethingnew as well while I was talking.
So it's kind of like learn bydoing, and really I mean it's
cool because otherwise I wouldhave never gotten into that.
For some reason, I just don'tnever even considered it, or not
, that I didn't care, justwhatever.
The question never came upright.
(17:04):
So here we are.
Let's do this.
Here, the influencers matterbecause authenticity and trust
are paramount in B2B buyingdecisions.
Buyers want to hear from peoplewho understand their challenges
and can offer real insights,not just sales pitches.
Brands partnering with expertscan create affiliate programs
(17:24):
that feel like a cold promotionand more like a genuine
recommendation.
Content quality and nicheauthority have become essential.
These influencers typicallyproduce deep dive content like
tutorials, webinars and casestudies and software reviews
that resonate with B2B buyers.
This approach not only helpspositions a brand as a trusted
(17:44):
solution provider, but alsoincorporates affiliate links
seamlessly into educationalcontent, which is a win-win.
By 2025, we're seeing aconvergence where traditional
influencer tactics merge withaffiliate models.
This creates a dynamicecosystem where expertise driven
content can generate leads andsales while building genuine
relationships with customers.
So yeah, micro influencer I mean, even though I'm not one yet
(18:07):
technically in the realm offollowers or downloads.
The reason why MichiganRenaissance Festival wanted to
sponsor me is because I'm local,right, so they're hitting a
local target area.
A lot of companies other thanbig corporate brands or, you
know, maybe publicly tradedbrands, don't care about mega
influencer area, because aplumber, let's just say, or even
(18:28):
Michigan Renaissance Festivaldoesn't care about anyone
outside of, maybe, ohio.
They'll bring people in fromohio, but maybe outside of the
great lakes region, right?
So who cares about folks in newmexico?
It doesn't.
I mean, they'll never drive allthe way to michigan to go to
the michigan ren fest, they justwon't.
So why pay for that?
So they're hitting up thesesmaller you know, small
(18:50):
newspapers, podcasters, things,things like that, and then
they'll put ads in there.
Makes sense, and all they haveto do is exchange tickets for
mentions.
Genius, why not?
I mean, they're making moremoney by bringing people in the
gate anyway, by selling moreturkey legs and beer, right?
So more people in the gate, thebetter Content and quality
(19:14):
plays a pivotal role in makingall this possible.
In technology, ai-drivenautomation tools, for instance,
help optimize affiliatecampaigns in real time by
analyzing data and adjustingstrategies to improve
performance.
Predictive analytics guidewhere to focus marketing efforts
for best returns.
Marketing efforts for bestreturns.
(19:35):
At the same time, privacyregulations and the decline of
third-party cookies forcemarketers to adopt advanced
tracking and attributiontechnologies.
These ensure that affiliatesare fairly compensated while
respecting their user privacy.
This is especially important inB2B, where purchase cycles are
longer and involve multiplestakeholders.
And then another trend is theuse of short-form video
(19:58):
platforms like TikTok andYouTube Shorts for affiliate
content.
While traditionally, b2bmarketing relied heavily on
long-form content, snippets ofengaging, quick insights help
brands grab attention and directprospects to more detailed
resources.
First-party data suggests that,also gaining traction, b2b
companies are investing in waysto collect and use their own
(20:18):
customer data, building loyaltyand personalized experiences
without relying on invasive techtracking.
By integrating thesetechnologies, b2b marketers can
create more efficient,measurable and compliant
affiliate programs that adapt tothe modern buyer's expectations
.
If you're thinking aboutlaunching or refining your own
affiliate program in 25,authenticity has to be at the
(20:39):
core.
Start small by identifyingthree to five trusted
influencers or content creatorsin your niche.
Look for people who value signsof their brand, who are already
engaged with the kind ofaudience you want to reach.
Building relationships withthese partners is crucial.
Engage with their contentofferer, support and collaborate
on campaigns, ideas that feelnatural rather than forced.
(20:59):
Avoid the temptation to cast toowide of a net or use a
one-size-fits-all recruitmentstandard strategy.
Those usually lead to genericcontent that doesn't convert.
Track performance closely withclear metrics and commission
structures.
Use this data to optimize yourprogram.
Encourage different types ofcontent, like depth and product
reviews and educational webinars, are client success stories,
(21:22):
and continuously nurture youraffiliates.
Remember, successful B2Baffiliate marketing is about
quality over quantity, genuineconnections and delivering real
value to both your partners andcustomers.
So, in closing, to sum it up,affiliate and influencer
marketing and B2B is no longerniche strategy.
It's becoming mainstream growthdriver, powered by trust,
(21:43):
authentic voices and smarttechnology.
If you're not exploring howthese partnerships can enhance
your sales funnel, 2025 is theyear to take the plunge.
Thank you for joining me today.
I hope this gives you freshideas on how to build your own
affiliate program and tap intothe influential voices in your
industry.
Stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll explore AI,
(22:03):
innovations and sales and somecreative barter marketing
strategies shaping the future ofB2B.
Until then, whatever you do outthere, be good or be good at it
.
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