LinkedIn research suggests Singapore B2B marketers view trust and professional networks as more effective than marketing spend in winning over younger buyers. The findings point to a potential advantage for smaller businesses targeting Gen Z decision-makers.
Among 500 marketers surveyed in Singapore, 88.2% said their company's future growth depends on influencing younger decision-makers. Another 79.6% said Gen Z buyers are more likely to consider a brand when it is recommended or validated by someone in their professional network.
The results suggest credibility is becoming more important in business purchasing decisions as younger professionals gain influence. For smaller firms and founders, that shift could narrow the advantage long held by larger companies with bigger advertising budgets.
Nearly four in 10 respondents, or 38.4%, said sharing expertise and thought leadership from founders and employees was the most effective way for small businesses to win new customers. That compared with 13.8% who chose paid advertising and brand awareness campaigns.
Trust signals
Other survey findings reinforced that pattern. Some 74.4% of respondents agreed that brand credibility is becoming more important than brand visibility, while 77.4% said brands must show up in trusted professional networks to prove credibility.
In addition, 79.2% said brands with active professional communities have an advantage in how buyers discover and evaluate them. Half of those surveyed, or 50.8%, said content from expert voices is more effective than traditional campaigns at helping buyers move from awareness to consideration.
The data also touched on the role of artificial intelligence in marketing communications. While AI tools are spreading across content creation and campaign planning, 71.6% of respondents said buyers trust human expertise more than AI-generated content.
That points to a tension facing marketing teams in Singapore and elsewhere. Companies may be able to produce more material with automated tools, but buyers still appear to place a premium on identifiable expertise, peer validation and direct experience.
LinkedIn VP of Marketing Davang Shah said the results showed younger buyers are not ignoring brands, but judging them by different standards.
"It's not that Gen Z isn't paying attention, they've raised the bar for what earns their trust," Shah said. "Today's buyers look to their community of peers and experts to help them make decisions, and that's why focusing on just visibility without credibility in your marketing strategies falls short. Right now, there is no more valuable currency in the world than trust. The brands that win will show up creatively, through the people and channels their audiences trust most."
Small business opening
The findings come as younger entrepreneurs in Singapore launch businesses, startups and side ventures in a market where customer acquisition costs can be a challenge. If marketers are right that buyers are increasingly influenced by recommendations and expert voices, newer businesses may be able to compete by building authority and relationships rather than relying on large campaign budgets first.
That could favour companies whose founders are visible in industry discussions and whose staff contribute practical insights to professional communities. Testimonials, customer recommendations and endorsements from mentors or sector specialists may also carry more weight in the evaluation process than polished brand messaging alone.
LinkedIn framed those themes around practical steps for entrepreneurs, including encouraging customers and employees to share their experiences, publishing useful insights drawn from direct knowledge, and taking part in the professional communities where potential buyers and partners are active.
The survey focused on marketers at junior manager level and above who are involved in business-to-business marketing across Singapore. Its emphasis on B2B buying behaviour means the findings reflect a professional purchasing context rather than consumer retail habits.
Still, the results indicate a broader shift in how influence is built. In a market saturated with content and advertising, respondents pointed to trust, recognised expertise and network validation as factors that are becoming harder to replace with spend alone.
For firms seeking to reach younger decision-makers, the survey suggests a credible voice inside a trusted network may matter more than a broader campaign without that endorsement.