What role do influencer partnerships or referral programs play in a C2B marketing framework for B2B brands?

In a C2B framework, influencer partnerships and referral programs turn customer trust into pipeline by making buyers and experts your primary distribution channel. According to JJ La Pata, Chief Strategy Officer at TSC, these programs work best when they’re tied to measurable conversion events like demo requests, webinar attendance, and sales-qualified opportunities. A practical example is a partner/referral landing page with unique tracking links and a defined incentive (e.g., a 10% revenue share on first-year contract value) to attribute sourced pipeline in your CRM.