# Hot Take: Chris Savage on B2B Influencers

- **Episode:** [144](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/144.md) (2024-11-12)
- **Type:** hot-take
- **Tags:** b2b, influencers, marketing
- **Time:** 15:59–25:29 (start 959s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/144?t=959](https://truthliesandwork.com/144?t=959)

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[15:59] Al Elliott: Okay, after this very short break, we'll be back with our hot takes and of course our world-famous weekly workplace surgery. Do not go anywhere
[16:06] Leanne Elliott: Did you know that the UK's number 1 management podcast— that's us, by the way— yeah, yeah, and the UK's number 1 marketing podcast are both on the same podcast We actually have a lot in common
[16:17] Al Elliott: We both use behavioral science to help people do better at work
[16:23] Al Elliott: And 2 out of 3 of us are devilishly good-looking. And you're not gonna say which. Fel, host of Nudge, UK's number 1 marketing podcast. It's brought to you— we need to do this in 3s—
[17:18] Al Elliott: It can
[17:26] Leanne Elliott: But come back
[17:27] Al Elliott: Yeah, come back. Definitely come back because Nudge isn't as good as this
[17:29] Leanne Elliott: So come back. I'll cut that out
[17:32] Al Elliott: Keep that in
[17:36] Leanne Elliott: Welcome back to our Hot Takes segment, where we uncover the truth and lies of work with the help of thought leaders, business owners, and influencers. We are asking them for their boldest insights, whether it's a controversial prediction or an unpopular opinion. Nothing is off limits. What's really happening in the world of work? What is broken? And what on earth is coming next? This week's hot take comes from the co-founder of Wistia, the video marketing platform for business, and the co-host of Talking Too Loud, a hilarious podcast where Chris and Sylvie speak to entrepreneurs the highs and lows of building a human brand
[18:09] Al Elliott: My name is Chris Savage. I'm the co-founder and CEO of a company called Wistia. We are a video marketing platform, so really just trying to make it easy for anyone who's using video to communicate, to market, um, to share their stories externally, internally. And that looks like hosting and analytics on how your video's performing, no ads in the player, fastest player out there, um, but then lots of tools to help you quickly edit, help you record, help you put on live events
[18:34] Leanne Elliott: And I'm gonna Dive straight into it, Chris. What is your hot take?
[18:38] Al Elliott: Yeah, my hot take is that B2B influencers are here now. And I think like we're all used to as consumers in the— on the B2C side of things, like looking at TikTok, looking at Reels, looking at Shorts, and finding people who speak to us, who we trust on different topics. So for me, it might be I have a home gym. And so I follow home gym influencers and really feel like I know them and trust them. And if they suggest something that I feel like is going to fit, I'm like, I'm going to run and get that. But for a long time, we haven't really had this model in B2B. And it almost feels weird because like the people who are talking about the home gyms, they're really talking about fitness. They're talking about this very broad thing that anyone who wants to be in shape or even thinking about being in shape would find an interest in. And a lot of B2B stuff feels very niche. And so it's like, why would someone be talking about these like really niche like B2B topics? And I'd say what I'm seeing is that this is happening now, um, and people are figuring out that actually if you can educate people and help people and inspire them around things with their work, you can have a really meaningful impact on their life, you know, like you can have a meaningful impact on what earn, on how they interact with others, on what their career progression looks like. And I'm seeing a big shift starting to occur there. And I think that if you're running a B2B business, it's something that you need to pay attention to. But it's also something, if you are someone who wants to be a content creator, I think you need to pay a lot of attention to it because there's huge, huge opportunity. And I imagine that in 3 to 4 years from now, this is going to be really obvious. Uh, but today it's not. And so therefore it's like a good time to jump into it. There's a guy named Dave Gerhardt who runs a like content community called Exit 5 that basically is like educating and inspiring like B2B marketers. And so if you follow him, he's showing stuff that's happening in his life. He's showing not just B2B marketing things, um, but that's a part of what he talks about and can have a real influence. And so there's, I see a lot of When he recommends a product, like people like raise their head up and like pay attention and look at it. Scott Clary is somebody who is really focused on like entrepreneurs and marketers writ large, which is a little bit of like a trend from folks who might want to be starting a business to people who are actually in the thick of it doing it. And he's built this like massive, engaged, like really like optimistic audience. And so, um, when we've done stuff with him, for example, uh, he, it gets in front of huge eyeballs and can really move the needle. Um, and I'm, I'm seeing it all over the place. Uh, but yeah, those are a couple examples
[21:28] Leanne Elliott: Is it something that you think Wistia will start to do?
[21:30] Al Elliott: Yes. I mean, it's something that I've been doing basically. Um, lots of people have talked about this as like founder brand because I think that's what it seems like historically, right? Like a lot of the biggest companies that are out there, We end up hearing about some of their CEOs and how they think, and that brand gives us a guess at how the company will act. And so it's something— I used to tell our story a lot in the early days, and then I kind of stopped. And a few years ago, I was like, you know, this is something— you know, you should always be trying to look for the things that only you can do. And this is something that I think only I can do, and I actually enjoyed doing it in the early days. And so recently I've been posting a ton, sharing a lot about the behind the scenes of what it's like to manage and run Wistia. And that looks like, you know, talking about sometimes our planning processes, talking about the products we're launching, why we're launching them. We have a brand campaign that went live today that I'm about to post about that I'm like so excited about. It's super creative and fun. And the other side benefit, if you go out and do this, Is that actually you just get a closer connection with customers? Because when people feel like they know you, they're much more likely to give you feedback, especially if it's a negative piece of feedback or it's on the border of like, I don't know if I should share this or not. And I love that. It's like unbelievably useful. You can tell when someone is going too far. And so what we're actually seeing, and actually LinkedIn also has this like vertical video tab now. What I'm seeing is that people are using it. As like you're scrolling through TikTok or something like I feel like I should probably educate myself or like do something I'm going to feel like a little bit better about because it's maybe work related and they'll go to LinkedIn and do the same thing. And so the content that does work there is something where you can leave feeling like inspired or educated or empowered to do something that you wouldn't do otherwise. So if it's a piece of content that's like an egregious, you know, clickbaity thing. That doesn't really deliver. And if it's something that is in your life, but like might actually be relevant to a lot of other people going through a similar experience, that is the type of thing that I think does better. I could go on because I also think that like that content about walking your dog might do great on, on Instagram. Like the context really matters, right? So where it is, is going to deeply impact how people perceive it. Yeah, Chris, I mean, I totally agree. I suppose that Leanne and I and you and Sylvie are trying to be B2B influencers in a way. I think the, the, not the concern, but the question I would have is if we are talking about someone who is promoting software or big financial decisions, then this could affect pretty much the impact or impact the future and the direction of an entire business. We're not just talking about someone recommending a new iPhone case here. Well, is this gonna be harder to build trust? Should people build trust? Do you even think this is morally acceptable seeing as it could impact so many jobs and livelihoods?
[24:27] Leanne Elliott: So yeah, what you're asking, Al, is, is it dangerous for some people to have too much power online. Influencers, maybe people like Joe Rogan perhaps, um, is one that popped out at the end of the election there, wasn't he? Um, it's interesting, it really is. It comes down a lot to trust, isn't it, and authenticity and truth in what people are saying. And yeah, speaking, speaking of trust, Chris made, um, that prediction as well, that it's going to take about 3 to 4 years for this to become mainstream, for this, these B2B influencers to be mainstream. But what platform are they gonna use? Um, logic does say LinkedIn, but let's be honest, not many of us scroll through LinkedIn for fun, do we? Sometimes, maybe. I do sometimes
[25:06] Al Elliott: Do you? You're a very odd individual. Um, here's something I'd like to have your, uh, your thoughts on, Lee, though. Um, Chris mentioned how content needs to fit the platform, so like dog walking on Instagram or business insights on LinkedIn. But how do you think leaders should handle that? Where's the line between having an engaging personality and not doing stupid dances to sell something like accountancy software, for example?