UK workers trust peer-to-peer spaces the most, finds new Brands2Life B2B Influencer report

New PUNCH Creator Dashboard to be unveiled today

London, UK – 29 September 2025: More than half (55 per cent) of UK workers say their most trusted online source when researching a new product or service online is now peer-to-peer recommendations, such as comparison sites, social media or online professional communities like LinkedIn, according to a new Brands2Life study. It also found that 1 in 2 workers have unfollowed a B2B business because of their content – finding it repetitive (29 per cent), generic (25 per cent) or too frequent (21 per cent).

The findings come within the B2B Social & Influencer Trends report¹, a new annual study based on bespoke survey data of UK workers and B2B marketers in the UK and US. It explores how trust, credibility and influence are being reshaped in the B2B social landscape, and their impact on influencing new generations of buyers. In short, people are turning to each other for recommendations – and discovery is happening in human-led spaces.

The report also uses data and insights from LinkedIn’s ‘B2B Marketing Outlook’ research to inform the shifting sentiment among B2B marketers globally and the rising importance of authentic voices, communities, and professional networks to inform decision making. The research reveals that 76% of marketing leaders say that as AI floods the internet with content, it’s becoming more important for brands to lead with authentic voices.

Brands2Life is also today announcing its new PUNCH Creator Dashboard, an interactive platform that helps brands identify, evaluate and track influencer performance. The PUNCH dashboard offers clients a bespoke scoring system that evaluates creators based on authority, relevance, impact and authenticity. Clients can access their data in real time and better evaluate the influencers they work with.

The hunger for authenticity

This is a pivotal time for marketers. On one side, AI is driving an unprecedented surge in content production at speed and scale. On the other hand, audiences are pushing back – screen fatigue, scepticism and a hunger for authenticity means that connection, intimacy and trust have become premium currency.

It’s no surprise that LinkedIn’s ‘Global B2B Marketing Outlook’ research² revealed that the #1 most trusted source for professionals isn’t AI or search engines – it’s their professional network. Seventy-seven per cent of B2B marketing leaders say audiences don’t just vet brands through the company’s channels — they rely on their network.

Redefining how buyers engage with brands

Against this research backdrop, the report identifies five major shifts redefining how buyers engage with brands:

Content wins attention when it offers value, not just visibility
Influence flows from insiders and experts embedded in the process
Employees are among the most trusted voices a company has
Search is being rewritten to reward relevance, authority and human perspective
Brands that lead with trusted and authentic conversations are the most successful in influencing new generations of buyers

For B2B marketers, the lesson is clear: focus less on output, and more on input. Partner with creators for the long-haul and embed them into the process early on, so they can speak with authenticity to a more engaged audience.

A new way to work with influencers

The new PUNCH Creator Dashboard gives brands the tools they need to engage with their audience effectively. The new dashboard benefits include:

Smarter creator selection: A customised scoring criteria and matrix to ensure brands pick the most relevant creators for B2B and B2C campaigns
Data-driven decisions: An interactive interface with instant access to real-time scoring data making it easier to compare key influencer insights
Better audience targeting: Creator demographic breakdowns to reach the right people with the right message
Clear campaign planning: Creator fee bracket expectations to better plan and manage influencer campaigns and budgets

“Influencer marketing is constantly evolving, and brands need the right insights to ensure measurable impact from their partnerships. As our report shows, buyers value conversations over campaigns, peers over polish and lived experience over lofty credentials,” said Kinda Jackson, Digital & Social Managing Director at Brands2Life. “With the PUNCH dashboard, we’re empowering our clients to make smarter, data-driven decisions about the creators they work with, ensuring maximum return on investment.”

The Brands2Life B2B Social & Influencer Trends 2025 report is available to download here.

Brands looking to elevate their influencer marketing strategies can request a demo of the PUNCH Creator Dashboard today. Discover more and book your demo here.

¹Research methodology: The data is largely based upon a survey of a panel of UK workers commissioned by Brands2Life and conducted by market research agency, Opinium, in August 2025 – as well as analysis of a custom audience panel of 5,000 English-speaking B2B marketers across the US and UK on LinkedIn. All search data in this report is sourced from My Telescope. The report also uses data and insights from LinkedIn’s ‘B2B Marketing Outlook’ research to inform the shifting sentiment among B2B marketers globally and the rising importance of authentic voices, communities, and professional networks to inform decision making.

² LinkedIn Global B2B Marketing Outlook: This research was conducted by Censuswide, with 7000 B2B marketers (aged 18-77; middle management +) in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, India, US, Spain, MENA (Saudi Arabia+UAE), Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, Sweden, Ireland and Singapore, between 03.07.2025-15.07.2025. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles. Censuswide are members of the British Polling Council.