B2B marketing is not corporate or – dare I say it – boring anymore. For buyers and marketers alike, the world of B2B has become a buzzing marketplace. Discovery is social first, and decision-making has turned digital.
In fact, so much has changed — from the profiles of B2B buyers to how they research and discover potential vendors — that most B2B marketing playbooks need a rewrite.
That’s because traditional B2B marketing now struggles to generate leads or engage decision-makers. We need new solutions that make it easier to ‘break into the work chat’ – and one very impactful way to do that is to collaborate with creators in the b2b space.
The Role of Social Media in B2B and the Changing Buying Group
It is simply time to learn a lesson from consumer marketing, because social media is now playing a crucial role in the B2B space: more than 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make purchasing decisions, according to a much-cited IDC study. There are a three key drivers of this transformation:
1. The Rise of Digital Natives
According to HBR, 75% of the workforce are now digital natives, and this digitally savvy generation is reshaping decision-making in their organisations – and increasingly holding budgets of their own.
They have a different set of values, expectations and behaviours as they consume information and research the market place. For example, many now use TikTok and Instagram like a search engine, and that has a direct impact on the B2B marketer’s playbook.
2. The ‘TikTokification’ of B2B
We’re all now spending more time vertically scrolling social media content – to learn about world events, fashion trends, new shows and the latest technologies. This change of behaviour has started to influence the mainstream, and I call it the TikTokification of social, with LinkedIn its latest victim.
LinkedIn recently introduced a vertical video format plus a new video tab, bringing this addictive, yet curiously natural way of consuming short form content to the B2B world in a big way. This is paving the way for creators and key opinion leaders to thrive on the world’s leading professional network.
3. We’ve all become curators and purveyors of social content for our networks.
As a result, even B2B decision-making is turning into a vertical short form of entertainment:
- We’re curating our own feeds full of influencers.
The algorithms are giving us more and more of the things that hook us in. - We’re batting reels to and from friends, family and colleagues like a never-ending digital tennis match and perhaps most interestingly, we’re taking a lot of this content off platform and into our private channels.
However, this video-first, social-first approach does not mean that successful B2B creators are short-form storytellers only; for most, their authority and credibility also rests on the long-form content they make – starting with producing podcasts, curating events or drafting more traditional forms of B2B content like white papers.
Understanding Social Messaging
According to Forbes, an astounding 84% of outbound sharing is done through private messaging or ‘dark’ social platforms. “Dark social” includes everything that doesn’t live in the public domain. This could be anything from WhatsApp chats, Teams or Slack channels to private forums.
As a result, the majority of the content sharing and discussions about brands happens in places that marketers can neither see nor easily measure. Much of this activity is falsely attributed, which is not just a measurement black hole, but also a significant behaviour that’s often overlooked especially by B2B brands.
Decision-makers are not just shortlisting vendors or sharing thought leadership and other professional content — they’re also sharing gifs, memes, reels, and more. This goes beyond simple knowledge sharing: it’s about building internal relationships, entertaining colleagues, and, quite simply, having a little more fun at work.
And who doesn’t like getting love on their internal posts?
For B2B companies, this part is particularly significant. Buying groups within organisations don’t discuss potential vendors or business challenges on public social channels. They do so on their private channels. But what if your brand’s thought leadership and campaign content could work harder and break into the work chat to better influence decision-makers?
The Role of Trusted B2B Creators
In a world where trust in traditional institutions is waning, B2B creators are emerging as vital trust-builders. Edelman’s Trust Barometer shows that people increasingly trust individuals and experts.
With declining trust in traditional institutions like politics and media, people are putting their trust in their communities, and in other people. That means that the familiar face of an influencer is a key brick in building trust for your brand.
Speaking from my personal observations, I see great content from key AI creators like Allie K Miller, and Brian Evergreen (to name a few) regularly break into the Edelman work chat and internal channels. That’s because they are trusted voices who are shaping the narrative of a fast-moving AI landscape.
And frankly, their content is highly engaging. They bring context and relevance to the topic of AI, in new and modern formats that are quick, easy and enjoyable to consume. Yes, it’s snackable content, but also deeply B2B.
A New Format for B2B Marketing
Creators are redefining B2B marketing, because they can help brands to reach and influence decision-makers in a manner that reflects the social-first nature of modern buying groups.
Traditional marketing content is still relevant, because it provides the breadth and depth of information that’s ultimately required by decision-makers. But now is the time to enrich your existing content engine with expert and creator content.
By partnering with trusted voices, B2B brands add value to their existing operations, gain third-party authority, stay relevant and ensure that their message is seen, heard, and shared in the spaces where key decisions happen, ultimately breaking into the work chats of your customers and prospects.
