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What you’ll find in this article
- Millennials and Gen Z take over B2B buying committees
- From visibility to credibility: the new B2B paradigm in the age of AI
- Expert voices: the ultimate weapon at the consideration stage
- Short videos and Thought Leader Ads: the winning formats on LinkedIn
- Where will B2B budgets go in the next 12 months?
- Analysis and support from the agency Les Années Folles
B2B marketing is going through a profound shift. Traditional acquisition methods now hit a wall of indifference.
A recent exclusive LinkedIn study, unpacked by Amandine Martin Briand (Director of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions France) in the French media outlet INfluencia, sheds light on the new B2B influencer marketing trends.
As the first agency to specialise exclusively in B2B influence on LinkedIn, Les Années Folles analyses these key lessons.
1. Millennials and Gen Z take over B2B buying committees
Decision-making committees have become radically younger. Millennials and Gen Z now hold manager and decision-maker roles in them.
According to the LinkedIn study revealed by INfluencia:
- 89% of B2B marketing professionals in France say their company’s future growth depends directly on their ability to influence these young decision-makers.
These new generations of buyers rely 81% on validation from a member of their professional community before placing their trust in a solution.
2. From visibility to credibility: the new B2B paradigm in the age of AI
With content generated automatically by artificial intelligence multiplying, visibility alone is no longer enough: credibility is becoming the real driver of conversion.
- 64% of B2B marketing professionals now believe a brand’s credibility matters more than its visibility alone.
- 69% of decision-makers consider it essential to be present in trusted professional networks.
3. Expert voices: the ultimate weapon at the consideration stage
To build this trust, B2B influencer marketing relies on expert voices (B2B content creators, executives and employees).
| Marketing funnel stage | Impact of traditional campaigns | Impact of expert voices |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness (Top of Funnel) | 25% perceived effectiveness | Strong attention hook |
| Consideration (Middle of Funnel) | Low reassurance | 46% peak impact |
Overall, 52% of B2B specialists already working with opinion leaders and LinkedIn influencers find this content clearly more effective than traditional advertising.
4. Short videos and Thought Leader Ads: the winning formats on LinkedIn
- 53% of B2B marketers favour short video formats (1:1 or 9:16) to capture young buyers.
- Adoption of Thought Leader Ads is growing +40% year on year, generating click-through rates (CTR) up to 2 times higher than static ads.
5. Where will B2B budgets go in the next 12 months?
- 37% of B2B marketing leaders will increase their budgets for content carried by expert voices.
- 43% will increase their spending on optimising for AI-assisted search (Search AI / GEO).
6. Support from the B2B influence agency Les Années Folles
These trends confirm the vision of the agency Les Années Folles: B2B influence is the cornerstone of modern marketing.
As our client case studies with Alan, Cegid and Harmonie Mutuelle show, a successful B2B influence campaign takes rigorous matchmaking, in-depth co-creation and 360° orchestration.
To keep up with the latest in B2B influence, follow our B2B influence newsletter.
Want to go further? Download our free Playbook: B2B Influence on LinkedIn in 2026.
Source: “Les nouvelles tendances du marketing d’influence B2B selon LinkedIn”, INfluencia (in French).
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