B2B brands are increasing their use of creator video to stand out from AI marketing slop, thereby improving their reputation with customers who rely on AI recommendations.
Use of creator video by B2B companies jumped 55% over the past year and nearly quadrupled since 2023, according to creator marketing platform Billo. Real people talking about what they know give brands something harder to manufacture: credibility.
That credibility carries weight when AI enters the buying process. IAB found credible creator reviews increase confidence in AI recommendations for 65% of consumers.
For B2B marketers, creator marketing doesn’t have to mean finding someone with a massive audience. Expertise matters more than reach.
Look for experts, not pop stars
When IAB asked what makes creators trustworthy enough to inform AI recommendations, consumers put a proven track record first at 46%, followed by consistency at 40% and demonstrated expertise or product experience at 36%. A large audience or follower count came in at just 21%.
The people consumers trust tell the same story. Everyday customers sharing real experiences ranked first, followed by professional reviewers and subject-matter experts. Celebrities came last.
That gives B2B brands plenty of options beyond traditional influencers. A customer can show how the product works in the real world. A practitioner can explain the problem it solves. An industry expert can put the product and its claims in context. They don’t need huge audiences if they have something buyers want to know.
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That’s a lesson B2C marketers have yet to learn: Two-thirds of consumers made at least one purchase in the past year directly based on an influencer recommendation, according to Sprout Social’s “2026 Influencer Marketing Report.” Nearly a third did so 10 or more times, and 81% of Gen Z made at least one influencer-driven purchase. Yet half of marketers say brand awareness is a primary reason for using influencer marketing, compared with just 24% who cite direct sales and conversion.
Create for research, not reach
Creator content is most useful when people are making a decision. IAB found consumers value it for discovering products, comparing alternatives, narrowing their choices, and sorting through product information and reviews.
That’s where B2B creators can do more than promote a brand. They can answer the questions buyers ask when they’re seriously considering a purchase: How does this work? What is it good at? Where does it fall short? How does it compare with the alternatives?
AI makes credible answers to those questions even more valuable. More than half of all consumers prefer AI shopping recommendations informed by creator or influencer reviews, among Gen Z and millennials that rises to 65%.
So don’t treat creator video as another way to fill a social feed. Give creators enough substance to produce something buyers can use. Product demonstrations, comparisons, implementation stories, and candid discussions of tradeoffs can all give buyers evidence rather than another sales pitch.
Look beyond views and clicks
B2B companies also need to give creator content time to work. Billo found that software marketers initially approached creator video like consumer advertising, expecting a short path from view to purchase. But B2B buyers may start a trial, research alternatives, involve colleagues, and return weeks later.
That makes views and clicks useful but incomplete measures. Trials, signups, qualified opportunities, and pipeline can tell marketers whether creator content influenced outcomes beyond engagement.
For B2B marketers, the opportunity isn’t to add more content to an already crowded market. It’s to find people with experience buyers value and give them something useful to say.
