B2B creator Rob Mayhew discusses LinkedIn’s untapped influencer potential

B2B brands are underutilizing creator marketing on LinkedIn, according to Rob Mayhew, a creator who left his agency leadership job to make funny B2B social media videos full time. "LinkedIn is the channel that everyone's sleeping on [for creator marketing], and it's got huge opportunity, especially for B2B," Mayhew said.

Mayhew leverages his experience as an agency creative director to make viral social videos about the world of marketing on LinkedIn and TikTok, and will be launching a longer-format YouTube show next month filmed in different office spaces around New York. For example, he works with B2B brands to create sketches about workplace issues those companies can solve, like his video lampooning the challenges of hot-desking, which was sponsored by TikTok for Business.

“Five years ago, there weren't a lot of B2B creators. There weren’t any good case studies or best practices,” Mayhew said. "Now that's changed.”

Some 77% of B2B marketers say their brand has a dedicated influencer marketing budget, with 53% saying that budget is growing in 2025, per September 2024 data from Ascend2 and TopRank Marketing.

Influencer marketing on LinkedIn

While TikTok remains an excellent platform for any kind of creator marketing, including B2B, LinkedIn's professional environment creates an ideal context for business-focused messaging. And the platform appears to be emphasizing social video algorithmically, according to Mayhew.

"My engagement on LinkedIn is wild, hundreds of thousands of views and hundreds of comments," Mayhew shared. "Whereas with TikTok, you can be a little bit more at the mercy of the algorithm."

Indeed, 68% of marketers worldwide say they have increased their organization's use of LinkedIn in the past 12 months, with just 3% saying they’ve decreased use, per August 2024 data from MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute (CMI).

That doesn’t mean B2B brands have to choose between platforms; Mayhew cross-posts the same content on both LinkedIn and TikTok. But the professional mindset of LinkedIn users may make them more receptive to business solutions.

Expanding platforms and an expanding market

B2B brands that establish creator partnerships now have an opportunity to differentiate themselves in a space that's still developing. Mayhew expects to see former B2C marketers bringing their expertise to B2B companies, resulting in increasingly creative approaches to traditionally dry business topics.

"I would like to see bigger and better creators in the B2B sector doing more interesting things," Mayhew said. He envisions B2B brands developing their own podcasts, YouTube shows, and establishing longer-term partnerships with creators.

Reaching all employees

Unlike B2C influencer marketing that might target individual consumers, effective B2B creator content needs to resonate with multiple stakeholders involved in purchasing decisions.

"Let's say you're looking to buy a cloud operating system, there's going to be lots of people in the decision-making process there, from the receptionist, to an account director, to the finance director, to the founder," Mayhew explained.

That means B2B social media content should connect with various roles within an organization. Relatable content is also sharable content. "If I can get off the platform and into their Slack channel, then I've really hit on something," Mayhew said.

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