Nine in 10 B2B marketers say growth hinges on younger buyers, report finds

Professional recommendations influence how Gen Z consider brands.

Nearly nine in 10 (88.2%) Singapore B2B marketers believe their company's future growth depends on influencing younger decision-makers such as Gen Z and Millennials, according to research commissioned by LinkedIn.

"It's not that Gen Z isn't paying attention; they've raised the bar for what earns their trust," said Davang Shah, vice president of marketing at LinkedIn.

The report found that 79.6% said Gen Z buyers are more likely to consider a brand when it has been recommended or validated by someone in their professional network.

"Today's buyers look to their community of peers and experts to help them make decisions," Shah added.

The research was conducted by Censuswide amongst 500 Singapore marketers at junior manager level or above who are involved in B2B marketing. Fieldwork was carried out from 21 July to 6 August.

Professional networks also featured prominently in how marketers said buyers evaluate brands, the report revealed.

Some 77.4% cited that brands need to show up in trusted professional networks to establish credibility, whilst 79.2% said brands with active professional communities have an advantage in how buyers discover and evaluate them.

Meanwhile, 74.4% said brand credibility is becoming more important than visibility, and 75.6% said active professional networks have become more important than audience size or reach.

Human expertise also held an edge over artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, with 71.6% of respondents saying buyers prefer it.

Another 58.2% said they rely more on their professional networks today than they did two years ago to understand AI-related changes affecting their work.

Over the next 12 months, 47.4% expect their organisations to increase investment in AI search optimisation, whilst 40% expect higher investment in content from employees, creators, and thought leaders.

Just over half, or 50.8%, said content from expert voices is more effective than traditional campaigns in moving buyers from awareness to consideration.

For small businesses, 38.4% said sharing expertise and thought leadership from founders and employees is the most effective way to win new customers, compared with 13.8% who pointed to paid advertising and brand awareness campaigns.

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