Trade Hounds VP of Marketing Jeanette Abrahamsen presented the B2B Influencing Playbook at the NAED Marketing Summit in August 2026. After working with more than 100 electrician social media influencers, one thing is clear: influencer marketing in the electrical industry is not just a trend to watch. It is already changing how people discover products, learn from experts, and decide what to buy.

A quick room poll told the story immediately. Everyone in the session had used social media in the previous 24 hours. That is not surprising for a room full of marketers, but the bigger point is that our customers have caught up with us. A new study by YouGov of 38,000 adults found that 88% of Americans have used social media in the last 24 hours, and 26% are considered super users, meaning they spend at least two hours a day on social platforms.

And people are not only scrolling anymore. They are buying. In the room, half of attendees said they had bought a product or service through a social media influencer sponsored post. According to Sprout Social, almost a third of consumers have bought a product through an influencer, including 48% of millennials and 53% of Gen Z.

Trust is shifting too. Sprout Social found that 36% of consumers trust content they see on social media more than traditional search engines. Among millennials, that number is 44%. Among Gen Z, it is 51%. This is not just happening in B2C. B2B is catching up fast. Inside Trade Hounds, we ran a poll and found that 70% of our users are more likely to buy a product if they see it in the Trade Hounds app.

That matters because the next buyer is already different from the buyer many brands built their marketing around. A statistic we share all the time is that 50% of American electricians are going to be retiring in the next ten years and will be replaced by buyers who are 40 years younger. They will expect to find products, expertise, and recommendations on social platforms, not only through traditional B2B channels.

The Social Feed Is Becoming a Commerce Channel

Social commerce in America is expected to surpass $100 billion in sales this year. According to Goldman Sachs, the global creator economy is expected to reach $500 billion by 2027.

This is no longer just organic social media. Brands are increasingly amplifying organic influencer content with paid ads. In 2026, paid amplification of creator content is expected to jump 48%. Creator ad spend is growing four times faster than the overall media industry, and a CreatorIQ study found that creator content now makes up 44% of paid media creative. In that same study, 87% of respondents said creator content outperforms traditional brand ads.

B2B marketers are responding. In 2020, only 34% of B2B marketers were using influencer marketing. By 2026, that number has grown to 85%. Influencer marketing is not a side experiment anymore. It is becoming part of the B2B marketing mix because it helps brands reach more buyers and make more sales in the channels where buyers already spend their time.

Start With Education, Because That Is What Buyers Want

If you are wondering what kind of content to create, start with education. According to Sprout Social State of Social Media in 2026, education is the number one type of content consumers want to see from brands. For B2B companies, that is a huge advantage because you already know a lot about the products you sell, and your audience actually wants that information too.

Education should be the foundation of your content strategy and influencer strategy. Your audience wants to understand what a product does, how it works, where it fits, what problem it solves, and why it matters in the field. That is where trade creators shine. They can explain products in the language of the people who actually install, troubleshoot, sell, and use them.

A strong example is Kevin Martinez, better known online as KSPARKY. He is a San Diego electrician who recently became a contractor and has built a following across social media. His audience is made up of other professional electricians. His goal is to provide value while also building a business around his content.

In a short vertical video, Kevin explained a Siemens load manager in a practical way, showing how it monitors energy levels and helps add new electrical loads to a home without needing a service upgrade. That kind of 60-second video works well on shorts, Reels, and social feeds because it is fast, visual, and useful.

But short videos are only one format. Longer videos can be just as valuable. Steven Madrosen, known as Mad Electrician, created a longer product review video explaining a Siemens diagnostic tool. In that style of content, he walked through why circuit breakers trip, how electricians troubleshoot nuisance tripping, and how a tool can help identify issues faster in the field. This longer format is useful for YouTube, LinkedIn, websites, branches, will call areas, event booths, and sales enablement.

Think About YouTube, Search, and AI From the Beginning

When you work with influencers, think carefully about where the content will live, how long it should be, and how it supports your broader AI and search strategy. YouTube content and long-format content are becoming important again because Google owns YouTube. YouTube does not only help with SEO. It can also help content surface in Google AI summaries and in popular chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot.

Anywhere people are searching for your products, you want AI systems to be able to find credible content about your brand. YouTube is one strong way to do that because it gives search engines and AI tools more information to index, understand, and connect to your brand narrative.

Another way to get more value from influencer content is to ask creators to post the content on their websites or blogs when they have one. Do not only think about their social platforms and YouTube channels. When credible people in your industry mention your brand on their own sites, it can send useful signals for SEO and AI discoverability. If a creator has a website, consider adding that deliverable to the contract.

Where to Find Creators

Finding creators is getting easier as platforms build more infrastructure for B2B social commerce. LinkedIn announced a creator marketplace in beta that will allow B2B marketers to find professionals in their industries and track organic and paid content. Meta has also announced a creator marketplace to help brands find and partner with creators.

One of the benefits of marketplace tools is that they connect creator discovery to campaign reporting and KPIs inside the platforms themselves. This is still new, but it points to a larger trend: more infrastructure is coming to help brands manage creator campaigns directly within social platforms.

Trade Hounds has been building a creator community. People in the app or on platforms like Instagram and Facebook can apply to join. They submit a video showing themselves talking about a product, doing an install, or demonstrating their ability to explain something clearly. They also share information that helps brands evaluate fit, such as whether they work residential or commercial, where they are located, and whether they are an apprentice, journeyman, or master.

The exciting thing about a creator community is that it does not only focus on the biggest influencers. It also creates an entry point for people who may not consider themselves influencers but can still create valuable content for brands. That is especially important as nano influencers become a major trend in influencer marketing.

Nano Influencers Can Be Powerful Because They Are Close to the Work

Big influencers with significant reach can be great for your brand, and there are creators in the electrical space who can deliver tremendous visibility. Lex the Electrician is a strong example of a large creator with broad reach. She is more expensive, but for certain campaigns, she can be worth the investment.

At the same time, the market is putting more emphasis on smaller creators. The word influencer has picked up baggage in some industries, so many people now use the word creator instead. In this context, creators are professional tradespeople who are making content from real expertise. They have gone to school, earned certifications, worked in the field, and can talk about products with credibility.

Nano influencers may only have 1,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok, or Trade Hounds, but those followers can be highly concentrated with other tradespeople. That can make them valuable for conversion. A smaller creator may have more actual peers in the audience, while a larger creator may have more reach but a broader mix of followers, including homeowners, DIYers, and people outside the trade.

That does not mean one is better than the other. It means the strategy should match the product, the audience, and the goal. If you want to reach professional electricians for a higher-end product, a larger professional trade creator might make sense. If you are trying to reach smaller contractors, prosumers, or a lower price point audience, a group of nano creators may deliver better value.

Your Employees Are Already Influencers

One of the most overlooked places to find influencers is your own payroll. Employee advocacy is going to grow tremendously in the coming years, and we are already seeing a shift in how social media algorithms treat employee accounts versus brand accounts.

If you run social media platforms, you may have noticed that brand page reach is going down and paid ads are getting more expensive. That is not a coincidence. Social platforms are trying to protect the community feel that made people use them in the first place. As brand accounts have grown, they have also filled feeds with corporate language. Platforms are now working to keep real people at the center.

LinkedIn, for example, often gives more reach to employee posts than brand page posts. That does not mean you should stop posting on your brand account. It means you should also encourage employees to repost with their own thoughts or create content themselves.

Employee advocacy can look different depending on the employee. Your CEO, a product leader, a branch manager, a will call counter person, and a field expert will not create the same kind of content. But each can contribute to brand awareness, trust, and sales in a different way.

TikTok's partnership with Starbucks around employee-generated content points to where this is heading. The concept is simple: employees post content, the brand gains visibility into performance, and the brand can amplify the strongest posts with paid spend. That effectively turns employees into social media influencers. The infrastructure is still early, but brands do not need to wait for every platform to make this easy. They can start now.

Simple Employee Content Works Because People Want Behind-the-Scenes

Employee advocacy does not have to be complicated. At Trade Hounds, one example is a simple vertical vlog shot at IEC. Claire grabbed her phone and captured a quick behind-the-scenes video at an ABB exhibit with a fun gamification moment. The point was not to make a polished commercial. The point was to scale the investment in the booth and let people who could not attend the event still experience it.

This is the kind of content anyone with a cell phone can create. It can be shot quickly, edited lightly, and posted in a format people already understand. You just have to realize that it is something you can and should be doing.

Behind-the-scenes content consistently performs because people like seeing the humans inside a company. At Trade Hounds, the Bartko brothers work behind the scenes, and they were encouraged to get on camera even though they did not love it at first. Eventually people get used to it. Audiences like seeing real people at work.

Another example was a behind-the-scenes video from a Siemens manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The Trade Hounds team was already there to shoot content, so they created a vlog while walking through the facility and learning about Sm@rtGear. People on Trade Hounds love that kind of access. They want to know what the inside of a factory looks like, how products are made, and who is behind them.

The lesson is simple: if you visit branches, factories, customer locations, events, or booths, capture content while you are already there. You have already made the investment to be in the room. Make the moment work harder.

Use the First Three Seconds to Earn Attention

When creating employee or expert content, the first three seconds matter. In one Siemens video, Donnie talked about being in the field and knowing what it is like to experience an arc flash. That immediately spoke to danger electricians face on the job.

The video was not shot as a perfectly scripted performance. The team asked questions for about 15 minutes, helping him warm up by talking about himself, his career, and the product. Then the best parts were edited into a more compelling order. A useful rule is to save some of the most important questions for the middle or end of the interview, once the person has had time to settle in and get comfortable.

When the audience is electricians, the hook should be something electricians care about. Start with the problem, the risk, the code change, the jobsite frustration, or the practical detail that makes them stop scrolling. Then explain the product or solution.

Visual credibility matters too. In research with Siemens, tradespeople were more likely to watch a video when the person in the video or image was wearing high visibility gear or safety glasses. People even mentioned it in comments. If you are creating content for tradespeople, put on a vest or safety glasses. It can make the content feel more relevant and believable.

Events Are Content Studios If You Treat Them That Way

Events are one of the easiest places to create product content because you already have people trained to talk about the product. If someone is working a booth, they are already prepared to explain a product in a way that has likely been approved by your company. Capture that explanation.

One quick Legrand example focused on a kitchen countertop outlet tied to a recent code change. The video started with the code issue because code and safety are consistently strong topics for tradespeople. It was a quick product explanation filmed at an event, and it worked because it gave the audience useful information fast.

A short event video can be posted on Trade Hounds and across other social platforms. The employee or expert should also post it on their own account when possible. Then the brand can tag them, collaborate, and amplify reach through the algorithm.

Longer demos have a different role. At the same event, two Siemens experts gave a more in-depth product demo. That content was shot horizontally with three cameras, edited from about 30 minutes of footage into a more polished long form video, and repurposed on the website. That kind of content works well for YouTube, LinkedIn, websites, sales teams, and deeper product education.

The takeaway is that every interactive booth or exhibit is a content opportunity. If people can see a product work in person, people online can benefit from seeing it too.

Different Platforms Need Different Personalities

Not every platform should sound the same. Jonard Tools is a strong example of a brand that understands its audience on Instagram. Their content is funny, edgy, and built around employee personality. It works because the target audience responds to humor, and the brand is willing to loosen its grip a little.

That does not mean every brand should copy the exact tone. It means every brand should understand what its audience expects on each platform. The Trade Hounds Instagram account has a very different vibe than the LinkedIn account because the audiences are different. What works on Instagram may not work on LinkedIn, and what works on LinkedIn may feel too stiff somewhere else.

Employee advocacy can also include thought leadership. A senior leader at ABB, for example, can create content about data centers, electricity demand, American-made solutions, energy consumption, drives, motors, and infrastructure modernization. That is a completely different style of employee advocacy than a humorous short from a tool brand, but both are valuable when they match the person, the audience, and the platform.

The goal is not to force every employee into the same format. The goal is to find the right format for the person. Let the funny people be funny. Let technical experts teach. Let executives lead with perspective. Let branch teams show what happens on the ground.

Do Not Over-Polish User-Generated Content

User-generated content can come from people who are smaller than nano influencers, including regular customers who may not have much of a following at all. They can still create powerful UGC because they are authentic and close to the work.

In one ICM Controls example, a tradesperson created a product install video without a microphone, without perfect lighting, and without a polished production setup. For people with traditional video production backgrounds, that kind of footage can be hard to accept. We were trained to use tripods, perfect lighting, microphones, clean cables, and controlled environments.

But social content has changed. That less polished content can feel more trustworthy than the polished content marketers love to make. It can get views, and it can help drive sales. In many cases, the fact that it looks real is the reason it works.

UGC does come with risk. If you send free product in exchange for content without a contract or payment, some people may take the product and disappear. That is part of the tradeoff. But others will create great content, become stronger brand advocates, and potentially continue creating content for you in the future.

Your customers can be part of this. Ask whether they want a free product in exchange for creating a video, posting it on social, or giving you permission to repurpose it. Content creators are everywhere now. Everyone has a phone, and those phones shoot high quality video. The content does not always need to look perfect. Sometimes that helps.

Run Campaigns to Generate More Content

One way Trade Hounds generates user-generated content is by running campaigns. Examples include a Wesco and Eaton giveaway with a branded Bluetooth speaker, City Electric Supply campaigns giving away Milwaukee drills, and Siemens campaigns giving away energy monitor products in exchange for content.

You do not have to run campaigns through Trade Hounds. You can do this on your own Instagram, Facebook, email list, or at will call with signs. The basic idea is to give people a reason to create content, comment, post photos, or share testimonials.

There are different ways to structure the incentive. You can select one person or a small group, send them product, and ask them to create content. Or you can run a broader competition that increases reach on the platform. In the Wesco example, users posted Eaton products with a Wesco hashtag all week, which created repeated visibility for Wesco and Eaton in the feed.

Content does not have to be video. Klein Tools repurposed content from Trade Hounds by asking users to grab their Klein tools and share demos or reviews. City Electric Supply used a giveaway where the call to action was to comment and share what users loved about City Electric Supply. That campaign generated more than 400 comments, including testimonials that could be used across other channels.

Photos, comments, quotes, product reviews, and testimonials are all content assets. The more easily you make it for customers to participate, the more material you can generate and repurpose.

How Marketers Accidentally Kill Authenticity

The first best practice is simple: stop killing authenticity. Marketers love control. We want everything to be perfect. But if we get too involved, we can take away the magic that makes authentic creator content work.

Do not send them a full script and expect it to sound natural. Scripts are useful in some contexts, but the language that works for a TV anchor will not necessarily sound right coming from an electrician. Instead of a script, give talking points, product value, audience context, and the freedom to say it in their own voice.

Do not contact a creator and say, 'We will send more info later' or 'We can talk payment later.' B2B influencers are often real electricians with full-time jobs. They are not sitting at a desk all day reading emails. They may see your text after a 13 hour day, and they may or may not have the energy to respond. Respect that reality.

Also, do not assume email is the best channel. Many creators are more likely to respond to an Instagram DM or text than an email. Meet them where they are.

What to Include Before You Reach Out to a Creator

The goal is to reduce touch points. Be mindful and respectful of the creator's time. Compile the important information in one clear communication and know what you are asking for before you reach out.

1. Define what you want. Are you asking for UGC that you can use on your own channels? Or are you asking an influencer to create the content and post it on their platform? Those are different things. If you want them to post on their channel, you are paying not only for content creation but also for access to their audience.

2. Know whether you need licensing rights. Paying a creator to create and post a video does not automatically mean you can put that video on your website, turn it into an ad, display it at will call, or use it in sales materials. Those usage rights need to be part of the agreement.

3. Be clear about every deliverable. Which platforms should they post on? TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, their website, or all of the above? If they do not have a TikTok, do not ask them to post there. Review their channels before you reach out.

4. Define the format and duration. Do you need vertical video, horizontal video, or both? Do you need a 30-second video, a 60-second video, a 12-minute video, or a written post? Each option takes different effort and should be priced differently.

5. Be honest about deadlines. If the content is tied to a product launch, event, or announcement, say that. If the deadline is flexible, say that too. Do not create a false deadline that might make a creator turn down the opportunity.

6. Explain product logistics. When will the product arrive? Where should it be shipped? Does the creator need to install it in a residential, commercial, or industrial setting? If a product must be installed in a commercial facility, do not send it to a residential electrician and expect the right content to appear.

7. Explain the review process. Will your team provide feedback? Will legal review it? Are revisions expected? Could revisions require a reshoot? Creators need to know that before they quote the project.

8. Finallstate when the content should be published. If the product has not been announced yet, do not assume the creator will know that. Make publication timing explicit so you do not accidentally leak a launch.

Contracts, Compliance, and Feedback Loops Matter

Contracts should spell out licensing, usage rights, FTC disclosures, deadlines, deliverables, and whether the content will be boosted or used as paid media. If content is sponsored, creators need to disclose that. Brands are being sued when influencers fail to disclose sponsored relationships, so this cannot be treated as an afterthought.

If you plan to boost an organic post, clarify whether that paid spend is included in the creator's flat fee or funded separately. Also clarify how much budget will be used and where the post will be amplified.

Feedback loops are another opportunity. A reported 85% of influencers never hear back from brands after working on a campaign. That is a missed chance. If you post their video on your website, display it at will call, use it in a branch, or turn it into a social ad, tell them. Send a screenshot. Tag them. Collaborate with them. Make them feel like a partner, not a vendor you forgot about.

The best creator relationships are built through clarity, respect, and follow up. When creators feel that you value their time and their expertise, they are more likely to want to work with you again.

Audience Q&A: Nano vs. Mega Influencers

One audience question was whether it is better to spend a budget on a few macro influencers or stretch it across more smaller influencers. The honest answer is that it depends on the product, the audience, and the price point.

For a lower price point or prosumer product, nano influencers may be a better fit. For a higher end professional product, a large professional creator may make more sense because the audience is more likely to include the level of buyer you need to reach. But big creators may also have exclusivity deals that prevent them from working with certain brands. Nano creators usually do not have those arrangements, which can make them easier to access.

The right mix might be both. Use larger creators when you need authority, reach, and polished execution. Use smaller creators when you need density, authenticity, peer credibility, and more content volume.

Audience Q&A: Data Center, Utility, and Industrial Influencers

Another question focused on whether there are influencers in the data center or power utility space, or whether influencer marketing is primarily residential and commercial. There are industrial creators, and Trade Hounds has a large industrial audience. The bigger challenge is often not finding the people. It is getting access to the place where the content needs to be shot.

Industrial facilities often have stricter rules about filming than residential or commercial jobsites. If you are a distributor or manufacturer with access to a facility, that can be a major advantage. You can help a creator get access to the right environment and create content that would otherwise be difficult to capture.

Even if a creator cannot film inside a facility, they can still talk on camera about the product, the application, the problem it solves, and the kind of environment where it matters. The key is to match the content plan to the access you actually have.

Final Takeaway

The social feed is where the next generation of B2B buyers already is. The question is whether your brand will show up there in a way that feels useful, credible, and human.

Influencer marketing in B2B is not about copying beauty, fashion, or consumer trends. It is about translating the same trust dynamics into a professional environment where expertise matters. Electricians, contractors, branch teams, product experts, executives, and customers all have a role to play.

The opportunity is much bigger than one sponsored post. It is creator content, employee advocacy, customer testimonials, event video, product education, YouTube strategy, AI discoverability, paid amplification, and long-term community building.

The brands that win will be the ones that stop treating social as a side channel and start treating it as part of how buyers learn, compare, trust, and buy. The social feed is where the next generation of B2B buyers already is. The question is whether your brand will show up there in a way that feels useful, credible, and human.