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Creators Can Help Fix It.\",\n  \"author\": \"Adrian Langhans\",\n  \"date\": \"2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z\",\n  \"slug\": \"b2b-credibility-problem-creators-help-fix-it\",\n  \"cover_image\": \"09226_septblog_bg.png\",\n  \"categories\": [\"Tips\"]\n};\nvar layoutProps = {\n  _frontmatter: _frontmatter\n};\nvar MDXLayout = \"wrapper\";\nreturn function MDXContent(_ref) {\n  var components = _ref.components,\n      props = _objectWithoutProperties(_ref, _excluded);\n\n  return mdx(MDXLayout, _extends({}, layoutProps, props, {\n    components: components,\n    mdxType: \"MDXLayout\"\n  }), mdx(\"p\", null, \"B2B buyers don\\u2019t need more brand messaging. They need reasons to believe it. New LinkedIn research shows how creators, executives, employees, and customers can help brands build credibility, and what actually makes their content work.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-wrapper\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"position\": \"relative\",\n      \"display\": \"block\",\n      \"marginLeft\": \"auto\",\n      \"marginRight\": \"auto\",\n      \"maxWidth\": \"1100px\",\n      \"margin\": \"0\"\n    }\n  }, \"\\n      \", mdx(\"span\", {\n    parentName: \"span\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-background-image\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"paddingBottom\": \"52.36363636363636%\",\n      \"position\": \"relative\",\n      \"bottom\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\",\n      \"backgroundImage\": \"url('data:image/png;base64,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')\",\n      \"backgroundSize\": \"cover\",\n      \"display\": \"block\"\n    }\n  }), \"\\n  \", mdx(\"img\", {\n    parentName: \"span\",\n    \"className\": \"gatsby-resp-image-image\",\n    \"alt\": \"B2B Has a Credibility Problem. Creators Can Help Fix It.\",\n    \"title\": \"B2B Has a Credibility Problem. Creators Can Help Fix It.\",\n    \"src\": \"/static/d92c0f4f8235f55700b6694797747377/99f37/09226_septblog_bg.png\",\n    \"srcSet\": [\"/static/d92c0f4f8235f55700b6694797747377/6b2ea/09226_septblog_bg.png 275w\", \"/static/d92c0f4f8235f55700b6694797747377/dd45a/09226_septblog_bg.png 550w\", \"/static/d92c0f4f8235f55700b6694797747377/99f37/09226_septblog_bg.png 1100w\", \"/static/d92c0f4f8235f55700b6694797747377/c1b63/09226_septblog_bg.png 1200w\"],\n    \"sizes\": \"(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\",\n    \"style\": {\n      \"width\": \"100%\",\n      \"height\": \"100%\",\n      \"margin\": \"0\",\n      \"verticalAlign\": \"middle\",\n      \"position\": \"absolute\",\n      \"top\": \"0\",\n      \"left\": \"0\"\n    },\n    \"loading\": \"lazy\",\n    \"decoding\": \"async\"\n  }), \"\\n    \")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"B2B marketers spend a lot of time figuring out how to get in front of the right people. We target the right job titles, build the right audiences, serve the right ads, retarget, and repeat. But there\\u2019s another problem targeting alone can\\u2019t solve: Does your audience actually believe you?\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"That was one of the biggest themes from LinkedIn\\u2019s recent \", mdx(\"a\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"href\": \"https://business.linkedin.com/advertise/resources/b2b-institute/credibility-code\"\n  }, \"The Credibility Code: Creators Drive Trust at Scale\"), \" webinar. According to research shared by LinkedIn, \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"40% of B2B deals are lost to indecision rather than competitors\"), \", and the average B2B sales cycle lasts 272 days once a buyer is actually in-market. That means brands aren\\u2019t just competing against other companies. They\\u2019re competing against uncertainty.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"LinkedIn calls the solution \\u201Cbuyability,\\u201D or building collective confidence across the buying group so your brand is discoverable, credible, and proven to drive real business outcomes.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"We\\u2019d put it a little more simply: B2B has a credibility problem. And more corporate content probably isn\\u2019t going to fix it.\"), mdx(\"h2\", null, \"Credibility Is a Team Sport\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"One of the most interesting ideas LinkedIn shared was its \\u201Ccredibility stack.\\u201D The basic idea is that credibility doesn\\u2019t come from a single source. \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"The brand sets the point of view, employees humanize it, customers and peers validate it, and creators scale it.\")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"That matters because the definition of a B2B \\u201Ccreator\\u201D has expanded far beyond traditional influencers. An industry expert with 100,000 followers might be part of your creator strategy, but so might an \", mdx(\"a\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"href\": \"https://brandglue.com/blog/key-ways-social-media-revolutionize-executive-thought-leadership\"\n  }, \"executive building thought leadership on social media\"), \", an employee explaining a complicated topic, or a customer showing how they actually use your product.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"The data shows why those voices matter. LinkedIn shared that employee networks have \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"12x the reach of company page followers\"), \", and activating employees as creators can generate a \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"6x engagement lift\"), \". Yet only 3% of employees are currently sharing relevant company content on their feeds.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Customers and peers bring another layer of credibility. According to the research, \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"82% of buyers say peers are their most trusted source\"), \", and buyers are three times more likely to choose a recommended vendor over a cheaper alternative.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Then there are external creators. LinkedIn reported that \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"82% of B2B buyers say creator content influences their decisions\"), \", while four in five say creators can reach niche or hard-to-access communities.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Put all of that together, and B2B influencer marketing starts to look less like a standalone tactic and more like part of a much larger credibility strategy.\"), mdx(\"h2\", null, \"Follower Count Isn\\u2019t a Strategy\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"This is something \", mdx(\"a\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"href\": \"https://brandglue.com/blog/b2b-social-hot-takes\"\n  }, \"we\\u2019ve been saying for a while\"), \", and LinkedIn\\u2019s research gives us even more reason to stand by it: The biggest creator isn\\u2019t necessarily the best creator.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"LinkedIn analyzed 11,000 creator-led Thought Leader Ads, looking at characteristics ranging from creator type and tone to branding, audio, environment, and visual style. The ads were then evaluated for brand recall, consideration, and longer-term brand impact.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Overall, B2B creator-led ads were predicted to drive \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"1.2x stronger consideration and 1.5x stronger long-term brand impact\"), \" than average short-form ads without creators.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"But some creator types performed particularly well. Educators generated \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"1.5x stronger brand impact\"), \", while creators with a clear point of view saw a \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"43% median engagement uplift\"), \". Executives also stood out, generating \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"1.4x stronger brand impact and 1.3x stronger consideration\"), \".\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"For B2B brands, that reinforces something important about influencer selection. Reach matters, but expertise, relevance, credibility, and the ability to communicate a real point of view can matter just as much, if not more.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Sometimes the person your audience needs to hear from isn\\u2019t the person with the largest following. It\\u2019s the person who actually knows what they\\u2019re talking about and can make the audience care.\"), mdx(\"h2\", null, \"B2B Video Doesn't Need to Feel So B2B\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Video was another major theme of LinkedIn\\u2019s research. The platform is currently seeing \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"3x more engagement on video than other formats\"), \", along with 1.5x more video views from decision-makers.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"But before you book the studio, write the teleprompter script, and start planning a 14-person production crew, there\\u2019s an important catch: The less corporate content often performed better.\\xA0\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"LinkedIn found that content combining good production basics with a more natural, lo-fi creator style performed \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"52% above engagement benchmarks\"), \". Handheld and walk-and-talk content also drove \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"1.4x stronger brand impact and consideration\"), \".\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"The takeaway isn\\u2019t that B2B brands should start publishing poorly produced videos. Good lighting, clear audio, and thoughtful execution still matter. What doesn\\u2019t always help is polishing the personality out of the person on camera.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"The best creator content feels like it came from an actual person because it did.\"), mdx(\"h2\", null, \"The First Three Seconds Matter\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Getting someone to watch your video is one thing. Getting them to stop scrolling in the first place is another.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"LinkedIn found that strong opinions, hot takes, and other pattern interruptions in the opening seconds drove a \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"40% engagement uplift\"), \", along with 1.5x stronger brand impact and consideration.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"That doesn\\u2019t mean every executive needs to start posting rage bait. But it might mean we can retire a few videos that begin with, \\u201CHi, I\\u2019m \", \"[\", \"Name], and today I\\u2019m excited to talk to you about\\u2026\\u201D\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Instead, start with the interesting part. What does the creator disagree with? What is the industry getting wrong? What happened that changed their perspective? What would make someone scrolling LinkedIn stop and think, \\u201CWait, what?\\u201D\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"The hook doesn\\u2019t need to be controversial. It just needs to give people a reason to keep watching.\"), mdx(\"h2\", null, \"Proof Beats Promotion\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"If there was one theme running through nearly all of LinkedIn\\u2019s findings, it was that buyers want proof, not promises.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Stating a creator\\u2019s credentials drove \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"1.3x stronger brand impact\"), \", while personal or peer stories drove \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"1.4x stronger brand impact\"), \". Personal anecdotes also delivered a \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"31% engagement lift\"), \".\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Showing the product in action mattered, too. Content featuring screen shares, physical product interactions, live interfaces, and other demonstrations generated \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"1.4x higher brand impact\"), \". Content addressing real pain points or providing proof also saw 15% higher engagement.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"That creates an important distinction for B2B influencer marketing. The goal shouldn\\u2019t be to find someone your audience trusts and hand them a list of product talking points. It should be to give that person the information and access they need to show why the product matters in a way their audience will actually believe.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Instead of telling someone, \\u201CThis platform helps finance teams work more efficiently,\\u201D show the task that used to take three hours and how the creator does it now.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"One is a claim. The other is proof.\"), mdx(\"h2\", null, \"What This Means for B2B Influencer Marketing\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"The biggest takeaway for us is that B2B brands shouldn\\u2019t think about influencer marketing, executive social, employee advocacy, and customer advocacy as completely separate worlds. They\\u2019re different pieces of the same credibility engine.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"We\\u2019ve seen that firsthand in the B2B influencer programs we manage. The strongest-performing creator partnerships are rarely the ones where a brand hands over a script and asks for a product mention. They\\u2019re the ones where the creator has a genuine connection to the topic, a clear point of view, and enough flexibility to explain the value in a way that feels natural to their audience.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Across our programs, we\\u2019ve also seen that highly relevant niche creators can outperform larger names when the audience fit is stronger. \", mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"In B2B, credibility and context often matter more than raw follower count.\")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"A strong brand point of view gives people something worth talking about. Executives and employees put actual humans behind that point of view. Customers validate it through real experience. External creators bring independent expertise, established trust, and access to communities the brand might struggle to reach on its own. Paid media can then help the strongest content reach even more of the right people.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"And brands don\\u2019t need to activate every piece of that ecosystem at once. LinkedIn\\u2019s recommendation was to start small with executives and build from there. The same approach can work for a B2B influencer program: Find a few credible voices who genuinely fit your audience, give them room to sound like themselves, test different formats and hooks, put paid support behind what resonates, and learn before you scale.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Because the next phase of B2B marketing probably isn\\u2019t about brands figuring out how to talk louder.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"strong\", {\n    parentName: \"p\"\n  }, \"It\\u2019s about giving the right people something worth saying and letting them say it like actual humans.\")), mdx(\"p\", null, \"Ready to build a B2B creator program people actually trust?\"), mdx(\"p\", null, \"From finding the right voices to building partnerships, developing content, and amplifying what works, BrandGlue helps B2B brands create influencer programs built around credibility, not just reach.\"), mdx(\"p\", null, mdx(\"a\", {\n    parentName: \"p\",\n    \"href\": \"https://brandglue.com/contact/\"\n  }, \"Let\\u2019s talk about your influencer strategy\"), \".\"));\n}\n;\nMDXContent.isMDXComponent = true;","excerpt":"B2B buyers don’t need more brand messaging. They need reasons to believe it. New LinkedIn research shows how creators, executives, employees, and customers can…","frontmatter":{"author":"Adrian Langhans","categories":["Tips"],"cover_image":{"name":"09226_septblog_bg","childImageSharp":{"resize":{"src":"/static/d92c0f4f8235f55700b6694797747377/f3583/09226_septblog_bg.png","height":627,"width":1200}}},"date":"October 05, 2026","slug":"b2b-credibility-problem-creators-help-fix-it","title":"B2B Has a Credibility Problem. Creators Can Help Fix It."}},"site":{"siteMetadata":{"siteUrl":"https://brandglue.com"}}},"pageContext":{"slug":"b2b-credibility-problem-creators-help-fix-it","breadcrumb":{"location":"/blog/b2b-credibility-problem-creators-help-fix-it/","crumbs":[{"pathname":"/","crumbLabel":"Home"},{"pathname":"/blog/","crumbLabel":"blog"},{"pathname":"/blog/b2b-credibility-problem-creators-help-fix-it/","crumbLabel":"b2b-credibility-problem-creators-help-fix-it"}]}}},
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