Indian B2B marketers turn to influencers and creators as buyer behaviour evolves

New Delhi: In India’s increasingly competitive B2B marketing environment, influencer and creator partnerships are moving from the sidelines to the centre of strategy. New research from LinkedIn shows that 72% of Indian B2B marketers feel their campaigns are incomplete without such collaborations. A significant 84% also believe these campaigns will directly result in sales by the end of the year.

The findings come from LinkedIn’s 2025 B2B Marketer Sentiment Research, which surveyed over 3,000 marketers globally, including in India. The trend aligns with broader shifts in B2B purchasing behaviour. According to Forrester’s 2025 B2B Marketing and Sales Predictions, younger B2B buyers — many of whom are now in decision-making roles — consult more than 10 external influencers, including peer networks and social media, before making purchasing decisions.

These shifts are pushing marketers to rethink traditional formats and storytelling techniques. The focus now is on building trust and authenticity through voices that feel more accessible and relatable than corporate messaging alone.

“With attention spans shrinking and competition intensifying, B2B marketers need more than just creative stories, they need content that grabs eyeballs, earns trust, and drives action. The opportunity lies in pairing high-impact social video with relevant influential voices to turn passive scrolls into meaningful views, and eventually into buying decisions,” said Sachin Sharma, Director, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, India.

Alongside influencer partnerships, short-form video content is gaining ground. The research notes that 82% of Indian marketers believe video helps them build trust with audiences and reach key decision-makers.

However, despite widespread acknowledgement of creativity’s importance, challenges remain within organisations. About 72% of CMOs and VPs surveyed describe their leadership as risk-averse, often forcing teams to stick with traditional strategies over more experimental approaches.

Even so, marketers are finding ways to work around internal resistance by embracing formats that bridge performance and brand building. LinkedIn, for instance, has recently introduced new video ad formats, including First Impression Ads and Reserved Ads, designed to boost visibility among targeted professional audiences.

While those innovations are platform-driven, the real shift appears to be cultural: B2B marketing in India is becoming more human, more social, and more aligned with how younger buyers consume content and make decisions.