# Thought Leaders, Influencers and Advocates | Introducing the B2B Matrix of Influence

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-influence-in-b2b-7231194/thought-leaders-influencers-and-advocates-introducing-the-b2b-matrix-of-influence
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-influence-in-b2b-7231194/thought-leaders-influencers-and-advocates-introducing-the-b2b-matrix-of-influence.md
Podcast: [Trust & Influence in B2B](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-influence-in-b2b-7231194)
Published: 2026-02-25T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://joelharrison1.wpenginepowered.com/draft-episode-ep-47
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/5a322288-0afe-4d4b-b8c7-910e91202c01.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/trust-influence-in-b2b-7231194/episodes/thought-leaders-influencers-and-advocates-introducing-the-b2b-matrix-of-influence
Duration seconds: 2040

## Resource

In this episode of Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing, Joel Harrison sits down with Katy Howell, Founder and CEO of Immediate Future, a social media agency she has led since 2004. Together, they tackle one of B2B marketing's most persistent blind spots: the difference between thought leaders, influencers, and advocates — and what happens when brands get it wrong. Are you unknowingly leaving your most powerful trust-building channels completely unused? ➡️ Katy brings deep, practical experience in influencer strategy and pulls no punches. She and Joel explore why B2B marketers default to treating influence like a media buy — focused on reach and clicks — rather than asking how each persona actually shapes buyer decisions and builds lasting credibility. Joel also introduces his new B2B Matrix of Influence, built from analysis of over a thousand B2B marketing awards entries, mapping five distinct trust personas and how they should be deployed. They dig into why customer advocates are used in just 11% of campaigns, why employee advocates are chronically undervalued, and how brands can stop over-controlling the very people they need to trust them. Katy's closing soundbite says it all: influence is not a content tactic — it's a trust system. If you want to rethink how your brand earns credibility in a world drowning in AI-generated content, this episode is essential listening. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to the B2B Matrix of Influence 01:02 - Why Marketers Confuse Thought Leaders, Influencers & Advocates 02:09 - Treating Influence Like a Media Plan: The Problem 04:21 - Why the Trust Problem Has Gotten Worse 06:47 - Internal vs. External Voices: Understanding the Difference 09:04 - The Jazz Metaphor: Giving People Freedom Within a Framework 12:37 - Research Findings:…

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