A study by Ogilvy found that 93% of CMOs are planning to invest more in B2B influencers. But what does that actually mean?

We thought we’d take a crack at a few actionable tactics that teams can actually use.

Influencer marketing isn’t just for lifestyle brands anymore.
In B2B, “influencers” means speakers, SMEs, thought leaders, and trusted practitioners—the people your audience already listens to.

So what does it look like when a CMO actually invests in influencer strategy?

Here are 8 things leading B2B teams are doing right now:

1. Involve Speakers Early to Align on Message and Purpose

‍Event marketing teams can dramatically improve the impact of a session by involving speakers earlier in the planning process.That means sharing:

• The overall theme of the event
• Why their session fits within a particular track
• What the team hopes the audience will take away

This early collaboration helps the speaker:

• Frame their talk in a way that’s more aligned with the event’s goals
• Understand what’s important to the event team
• Open the door to improve or elevate the session together

Yes, this takes more time.But that’s exactly why event teams should be looking for ways to automate and save time elsewhere—so they can invest in moments like this that truly shape the quality and credibility of the event.

2. Use Events as Tentpole Moments—Not Just One-Time Content Dumps

Events are powerful catalysts, but they shouldn’t be seen as your entire content engine.
They’re tentpole moments in your broader campaign—high-concentration, high-visibility opportunities to generate content and momentum.

Yes, you should repurpose what’s happening on stage:

• Blog posts, highlight reels, snackable video clips
  
• Speaker soundbites turned into pull quotes
  
• Panel takeaways transformed into guides or lead magnets

But stopping here is where most teams fall short.

3. Let Events Spark the Next Wave of Conversation

Events should ignite ongoing conversations, not tie a bow on existing ones.

After the event ends, smart teams ask:

• What topics got people talking in sessions or on social?
  
• What new questions emerged that deserve deeper coverage?
  
• Which speakers could return for follow-ups—podcasts, webinars, newsletters?
  

Events should kick off sustained storytelling, not a content cooldown.

When you involve your speakers and SMEs in the post-event strategy, you turn a one-time talk into a multi-touch influence engine.

4. Match Influencers to the Buyer Journey

Not every influencer needs to be on stage.

• Top-of-funnel? LinkedIn posts, blog collabs, podcast guesting
  
• Mid-funnel? Webinars, whitepapers, product roundtables
  
• Bottom-of-funnel? Customer testimonials, advisory councils
  

“Map your influencers to your funnel—and make sure you're not overusing them at one stage and neglecting others.”

5. Use AI to Support Your Influencers—And Make Their Content Even Stronger

AI isn’t just for internal workflows.
It’s becoming an amplifier of expertise—helping organizers and speakers collaborate to deliver more credible, compelling, and connected content.

Here’s how smart teams are using AI today:

• Audit for E.E.A.T. (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust): AI can review speaker submissions and session drafts to ensure they hit modern content trust signals.
  
• Add research and data: AI can supplement speaker content with fresh research, stats, and examples—saving time while improving quality.
  
• Contextual alignment: AI can connect topics to outside thought leaders, recent reports, or emerging trends—adding depth and context.
  
• Personalized feedback loops: Organizers can deliver AI-assisted suggestions to improve clarity, tighten focus, or increase relevance—without rewriting it themselves.
  

“AI helps great speakers become even more compelling, and helps event teams deliver a more polished, strategic agenda.”

In the future, AI won’t replace subject matter experts—but the best ones will use it to go further, faster, and with more impact.

6. Understand What the Speaker Wants—And Help Them Get It

‍Most speakers at B2B events aren’t paid. So why do they do it? Because the right stage can build their visibility, credibility, and influence. When event teams understand those goals and support them, everyone wins.Start by asking:

• What does the speaker want to achieve?
• How does this session fit into their larger message or platform?
• What kind of exposure or engagement would be meaningful to them?

Then give them the structure to succeed:

• Before the event: Promote the session with short videos, podcast clips, or blog content that teases their key ideas and helps attendees self-select
• During the event: Highlight their talk as part of the larger campaign narrative—not just a one-off
• After the event: Offer follow-up formats like interviews, replays, or “deep dive” content based on their talk
• Suggest follow-on topics or research so attendees can choose their own adventure and go deeper into the subject they just invested 45 minutes exploring. This can easily tie to your marketing content strategy as well.

When you treat the speaker’s message as a journey, not a moment, you elevate the content, increase session engagement, and give attendees more meaningful ways to connect.

By focusing on what matters to your speakers, they’re more likely to show up in the ways that matter to your event.

7. Give Someone Ownership

This often gets overlooked.

If influencer strategy is everyone’s job, it quickly becomes no one’s job.

Teams that win here have:

• A Head of Thought Leadership
  
• A Director of Influencer Strategy
  
• Or someone within Content or Events explicitly owning this program
  

“Someone needs to own the relationships, the roadmap, and the results.”

8. Build a Speaker & Influencer CRM

This is the backbone of the entire strategy.

Relying on spreadsheets, email chains, or memory doesn’t scale.

You need a centralized system to:

• Track who’s spoken, submitted, and succeeded
  
• Filter by expertise, industry, location, or session feedback
  
• Power faster sourcing, better matchmaking, and repeatable workflows
  

“Whether you build it internally or use something like Sessionboard, a Speaker CRM is essential to turning influencer strategy into a system—not a scramble.”

Final Thought

If 93% of CMOs are increasing investment in B2B influencers, the real edge won’t come from doing it—it’ll come from doing it well:

• Co-create with your experts
• Use events to kick off campaigns, not just fill agendas
• Extend the post-event conversation
• Map influencer content to the buyer journey
• Use AI to enhance—not replace—expertise
• Offer creative value
• Assign ownership
• Build systems to scale and sustain the strategy

B2B influence isn’t about big names.

It’s about building networks of trust, credibility, and momentum—and making them work long after the keynote ends.