Measurement
Part of How to run B2B influencer marketing measurement without guesswork
Where B2B influencer marketing benchmark data sits and how to judge it
This article explains where B2B influencer marketing benchmark data sits in public data, how to test a figure before citing it, and how to build an internal series.
What to take away
- Statista's media market data, the Influencer Marketing Hub benchmark report, IAB UK's adspend research and studies from Onalytica and Traackr cover most of the ground.
- A citable figure names its publisher, publication date and population; miss one and you label it illustrative.
- B2B samples are small, so plan to pair one external market figure with your own campaign history.
- ICO guidance on business-to-business marketing limits what you may store about named professionals.
- Refresh market-level figures annually and internal numbers quarterly.
Where B2B benchmark data actually sits
No single body publishes a B2B influencer benchmark. Four publishers cover most of the ground, and each answers a different question.
Statista's media market data tracks advertising, publishing and content spend across markets and updates on a rolling basis, which makes it the steadiest figure to cite. Statista media market data
Influencer Marketing Hub publishes an annual benchmark report drawn from a practitioner survey. It gives directional ranges and weak sector detail.
IAB UK's adspend research sizes UK digital spend as a whole, which helps you show what a B2B programme competes against.
B2B-specific datasets are scarce. The narrower splits usually come from platforms such as Onalytica and Traackr, or from a sector trade body that commissioned its own survey. Treat vendor framing as commercial and the sector splits as informative.
If you need to compare those platforms as tools rather than as publishers, B2B influencer marketing providers in England sets out what each one actually measures.
Comparing the main benchmark sources
The table shows what each publisher gives you, so you can match the source to the decision rather than to the price.
Benchmark sources compared
Syndicated market data
- What it gives you
- Market size, spend direction
- Main limitation
- Broad definitions
- Best used for
- Framing content spend
Regulator guidance
- What it gives you
- Lawful basis, consent, records
- Main limitation
- No performance figures
- Best used for
- Deciding what to collect
Your own data
- What it gives you
- Cost per lead, engagement
- Main limitation
- Small sample, internal bias
- Best used for
- Internal trend lines
What it gives you
- Statista media market data
- Market size, spend direction
- Influencer Marketing Hub report
- Practitioner survey ranges
- IAB UK adspend research
- UK digital spend totals
- Onalytica and Traackr studies
- Sector and topic splits
- ICO and ASA guidance
- Lawful basis, disclosure duties
- Your own campaign history
- Cost per lead, engagement
Main limitation
- Statista media market data
- Broad media definitions
- Influencer Marketing Hub report
- Self-selected respondents
- IAB UK adspend research
- All sectors combined
- Onalytica and Traackr studies
- Vendor framing
- ICO and ASA guidance
- No performance figures
- Your own campaign history
- Small sample, internal bias
Best used for
- Statista media market data
- Framing content spend
- Influencer Marketing Hub report
- Directional comparison
- IAB UK adspend research
- Budget context
- Onalytica and Traackr studies
- Provider shortlists
- ICO and ASA guidance
- Deciding what to collect
- Your own campaign history
- Internal trend lines
Price is not the deciding factor either. A free regulator page can settle a compliance question better than a paid report does.
How to test a figure before you cite it
- Find the publisher and the publication date. If either is missing, label the number illustrative and say so.
- Identify the population. "Professionals who responded" describes those respondents; a programme aimed at 400 named buyers is a different thing.
- Check the range. A benchmark published as one average hides how far respondents sat from each other.
- Ask whether a colleague could rebuild the figure from the source alone. If not, keep looking.
The reporting method those tests feed into is covered in B2B influencer marketing measurement and reporting.
Example: what a usable benchmark line looks like
A defensible line separates the external frame from your own result.
External: sector media spend is moving, per a named Statista dataset with its date. Internal: our £2,000 monthly creator budget produced this many qualified conversations.
State plainly which half is published and which half is yours. Reviewers argue with interpretation, not with a gap you disclosed.
Rules that limit what you can measure and store
The Information Commissioner's Office explains when corporate subscribers fall inside electronic marketing rules, and what that means for consent and records, in its business-to-business marketing guidance. You need a retention position before engagement data reaches a dashboard.
The advertising codes set the disclosure standard a citable benchmark should not contradict. The ASA also names firms that have not complied with rulings, so check before holding a creator up as a safe model.
Building your own reference series
Most mature programmes end up creating the benchmark they could not find. Fix the definitions early.
Keep the series small. Six measures tracked consistently beat twenty tracked sporadically. Record the definition in the same cell as the figure, because a renamed metric is the usual reason a trend line breaks. Give the series a named owner.
The measures worth standardising are listed in B2B influencer marketing key metrics in England, which covers definitions before dashboards.
Common questions
Can I use consumer creator benchmarks for B2B programmes?
Only as directional context. Consumer studies cover larger audiences and different conversion paths, so they rarely survive comparison with a B2B pipeline.
Do I need to buy a research report?
No. Public datasets, regulator guidance and your own history answer most board-level questions. Paid reports rarely settle internal debates.
How often should benchmarks be refreshed?
Annually for market-level figures, since publishers update on their own cycle. Review your internal series quarterly so broken definitions are caught early.
What if I can only find a single average?
Say so, and treat the number as a midpoint rather than a target. Ask the publisher for the underlying range, or fall back on your own distribution.
