Ogilvy PR says that it is already using the new offer with clients including IBM, Samsung Business and Vodafone Business to build their business influence campaigns globally.

"Using influence in business is not new but many businesses have only been utilising a small portion of its potential and focused on the conversion stage," adds James Baldwin, business influence director at Ogilvy PR.

"Extending business influence impact across an end-to-end business landscape unlocks exponential value that companies can't always access through other channels," says Baldwin.

Business influencer marketing is predicted to generate USD$11.7-billion in revenue by the end of 2022. This represents a shift in brand mindset.

By using credible industry individuals with a proven track record, businesses can address issues from face-value sales and reputation management to fully integrated business builds and employee advocacy, according to the agency.

While some of the world's biggest legacy B2B brands use influencers, business influence remains in its infancy. Ogilvy adds that it has set up a team of business influence specialists who have been partnering with clients in the business influence space for years.

"Business influence is the new frontier in influencer marketing. Similar to consumer audiences, authentic credibility has overtaken hard sales when it comes to increasing trust and B2B growth," says Titus.

"Those companies and brands who get this right are poised to reap the benefits of an ever-growing creator economy. The future of business influence is around real people driving real impact. Own your conversation, or someone else will," adds Titus. 

According to Forbes, 90% of today's sales-driven B2B audiences no longer trust sales messages but 92% of B2B buyers agree they would engage if the professional were a known industry thought leader.

The authentic credibility of business influence has overtaken hard sales as the foundation of B2B growth, yet help is still needed to unlock the potential: 74% of B2B marketers agree that influencer marketing improves relationships with brands, yet only 19% are running ongoing influencer programmes. 

"In the African context, influence in the B2B space is yet to be mined for its true potential. We are delighted to bring this innovation from our global network and excited about its prospects for our PR&I clients," concludes Vikas Mehta, CEO of Ogilvy Africa.

For more information, visit www.ogilvy.co.za. You can also follow Ogilvy on Facebook or on Twitter.