Takeaways
- B2B social media is still human-to-human. B2B brands often assume their audience is different, but on social, B2B tends to trail B2C by a few years. Influencers are only now becoming a B2B staple. Look past the industry and competitors and learn from the wider social landscape. In the end, it’s all relationships, and people want to hear from people.
- The most trusted influencers may already be on the team. The best content often puts people front and center. We trust the waiter’s recommendation because they know the menu best. An employee with 500 of the right connections, or an executive who loves to show up, can build trust that ads can’t always match. Reach matters, but trust and loyalty make it count.
- Authenticity takes a little risk. In an attention economy, polished and safe gets scrolled past. Audiences can tell when a leader is posting what they were handed, and authentic content isn’t always perfect. Test on organic social, and when a post sparks conversation, build on it. Not everyone has to like a brand, and that’s okay.
So, what now?
B2B buyers trust people, and that’s a big opportunity for brands. Start with the voices already in the building: leaders and teams. Give them room to sound like themselves, test what gets a reaction on organic social, and build on what works. Measure success by trust, growth, and reach.
Like What You Heard?
Striking Stats
Content shared by employees sees 561% greater reach than the exact same posts shared by official brand accounts. (MSLGroup & LinkedIn Employee Advocacy Benchmark Data)
75% of B2B marketing leaders now invest in creator/influencer programs, with 49% reporting it builds brand credibility and 40% confirming measurable sales pipeline growth (Ogilvy: The Global Rise of B2B Influence Report).
56% of consumers and professional buyers say they trust what creators and influencers say about a company much more than what the brand says about itself in advertising (Edelman: Trust Barometer Special Report: The New Cascade of Influence).
On Our Radar
Instagram Goes Long: Instagram is moving further into YouTube’s territory. It’s testing horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long with a small group of U.S. creators, and its TV app is now on Apple TV. Other updates include episodic Series on creator profiles, up to eight Reels that point to one longer video, and Lives that can be found in the Reels tab. One gap remains: unlike YouTube, Instagram doesn’t share ad revenue with creators yet, though it says it’s exploring ways for creators to earn over time.
Why it matters: Instagram is no longer just for quick hits. Podcasts, interviews and series now have a home on the platform, which opens new formats for brand and creator partnerships. Since creators aren’t earning ad revenue there yet, brand deals may matter even more to them.
Lightning Round
- CEO and Founder Jeremy Heilpern took the Adweek Adhouse stage during Advertising Week NYC in a session called The Leaders Behind ADWEEK's Fastest-Growing Agencies. Read his takeaways: How Indie Agencies Are Setting AI Guardrails to Keep Their Cultures Human.
- This month, Ammunition strengthened its ties with The University of Georgia and gave students a first look at what’s ahead. On October 16, the agency hosted 15 New Media Institute students for presentations and workshops.
- Ammunition then returned to UGA’s Grady College AdPR Connection for the fourth year running. The week opened with a Young Alumni Mixer, where the team shared news about the Ammunition Agency Innovation Lab, launching in 2027. It continued with a Lunch & Learn led by Jeremy Heilpern, and panels featuring Ammunition team members.
- Emily Kurek and Jenna Rohrbach celebrated their 2-year Ammoversaries.
