75% want peer opinions first

Hey, Paige here!

Before we get into today’s best marketing research… 

In today’s release: 

• Why coworkers and customers are more influential than influencers (and what to do about it)

• The content type outperforming brand posts (hint: it doesn’t come from your marketing team)

• What only 4% of B2B marketers trust about AI, and how it’s reshaping content strategies

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DEEP DIVE

Let’s start with a question: When was the last time you made a B2B decision because a chatbot told you to?

Exactly.

In a sea of AI-generated noise and branded perfection, it turns out the most effective, influential force in B2B marketing right now… is still people. The coworkers, customers, creators, and colleagues we actually know and trust.

And no, that’s not a gut feeling—the data is lining up behind it.

What the data says: 

→ 43% of professionals say their network is their #1 source for advice at work — ahead of AI tools and search engines.

→ 84% trust friends & family for brand info, 80% trust “customers like me,” and 63% trust brand employees (more than CEOs or influencers)

→ 71% of B2B buyers are now Millennials or Gen Z. And 75% of 18–24-year-olds say AI still can’t replace the intuition and insight they get from trusted colleagues.

→ 83% of people trust the creators they follow. And 48% of “social-first” brands say creator partnerships deliver the highest ROI.

→ Just 4% of B2B marketers say they highly trust gen-AI content outputs.

People still hold the power… especially with work decisions.

AI tools are growing in functionality, but not in trust. Professionals are turning inward: to Slack threads, LinkedIn posts, internal DMs, and peer communities (like Reddit and Discord).

Coworkers and customers are more influential than influencers. (82% of buyers trust coworkers most. Industry influencers? 44%.)

Watch for: more brands shifting from mass appeal to micro credibility—activating SMEs, practitioner creators, and internal evangelists.

Younger buyers want to self-serve, but not solo.

Millennials and Gen Z now make up a huge part of the B2B buyer mix. They’re confident, curious, and want to figure things out for themselves… but also quick to seek feedback and recs from peers.

One prediction says over half of $1M+ B2B purchases will soon go through digital self-serve. But rep-free purchases are more likely to drive buyer’s remorse.

Lesson: Build frictionless digital journeys, yes… but layer in community proof: customer reviews, expert Q&As, and access to real people when things get complex. Monitor what others are saying about you, too… Reddit is massive for brand sentiment. 

AI fatigue is real, and people are tuning it out.

Work is more fragmented than ever. The average employee is interrupted every 2 minutes. Salesforce reports trust in companies’ AI use has dropped 16 points in two years.

No wonder 51% of professionals say learning AI feels like another full-time job. Many are looking for guidance… but they want it from humans they trust, not just another automated tip sheet.

Opportunity: Use AI to scale, sure. But make sure the front of your funnel feels credible, human, and contextually helpful.

Creators, employees, and customers are outperforming your brand posts.

This isn’t about hot takes or virality. It’s about trusted people showing up consistently with value. Brands are finally getting the memo:

• 80% of marketers are upping their community-driven content investment 

• 63% of buyers trust brand employees over CEOs or influencers

• Creator collabs and employee advocacy are now core components of B2B content strategies, not just experimental side plays.

Try this: Take one upcoming product or feature launch and map out how to distribute it without using the brand handle at all. Think: SME LinkedIn posts, customer walkthroughs, or expert interviews.

The big takeaway: AI will keep getting better. Platforms will keep evolving. But in 2025, B2B growth is about who your audience will actually believe when they hear it.