Almost 90% of B2B buyers prefer content from trusted B2B influencers over sales messages from B2B brands. That’s a statistic from a recent survey by LinkedIn and it echoes what Demandbase CMO Kelly Hopping recently told us: “They’re going to trust hearing from that guy, versus the Demandbase brand.”

But just who is “that guy”? It’s clear, of course, that B2B influencers fulfill a different role than B2C influencers. Picking the latter is as much a matter of budget as judgment. Brands know that Kourtney Kardashian or Justin Bieber reach hundreds of millions of people and can evaluate the likely demographics of their audiences. But not many brands, one assumes, can afford Kourtney or Justin. Expectations must be tempered by reality.

The B2B influencer space is different. What’s important is partnering with an influencer who successfully reaches the much more niche audience a B2B brand is hoping to engage and convert. As Yolanda Zaw of LinkedIn writes, B2B influencers are “not here to entertain with viral dance routines or trendy challenges. Instead, they bring deep expertise and credibility to the table.” Platforms like G2 and TrustRadius may serve to aggregate opinions in the B2B technology space, for example, an influencer puts a face and reputation behind his or her views.

6 things to look for. Zaw’s LinkedIn article lists six important traits to look out for in B2B influencers as identified by 1,700 technology buyers across the U.K., U.S., and India:

1. Subject matter expertise (53%). A no-brainer; an effective influencer must make it apparent that they know what they are talking about.
2. Trustworthiness (52%). Perhaps a more subjective assessment but also really hard to distinguish from 1 above.
3. Network of connections (52%). This goes just beyond having followers — although reach is important. It implies being engaged with other subject matter experts in the same or related fields.
4. Diversity of content (49%). Perhaps the most counter-intuitive of the traits. If you’re selling CDPs, do you really care if the influencer also writes fluently about CRMs or AI? It looks like the audience does.
5. Engagement with followers (44%). We live in a world where having a large megaphone is not enough; influencers have to listen and respond too.
6. Authenticity (36%). A relatively low score for what should be an important factor. It perhaps reflects the assumption that influencers do often get paid.

“It’s a channel for authenticity,” said Demandbase’s Hopping. “It almost serves like a G2 or a Peer Insights, a third-party reviewer, even though you can see influencers are getting paid to some extent.”

More advice. Here are some more considerations in selecting an influencer to partner with, according to Zaw. Identify “micro-influencers” within the space of interest. There are the Gary Vaynerchuks and Seth Godins but they are likely to be expensive and unlikely to manifest laser-like focus on the audience a B2B brand wants to reach. Look out for experts who might not present themselves primarily as influencers: analysts, for example, and conference speakers.

Also, look close to home. Among your own executives there might be individuals who are influencers in the space beyond being a spokesperson for your own brand. The same goes for your customers.

Finally, the period when influencers are most effective is during research and consideration. They are less important in both the discovery and purchase phases. The LinkedIn research is clearly focused on B2B technology selling and buying, but the suggestions are relevant to B2B across the board.

Dig deeper: Why influencer marketing is critical in B2B