People don't want more choices
They want more trust in the choice they make
The amount of software available to marketers is exhausting and will probably only to continue to get worse.
The global software market is set to hit $1.4 trillion by 2030, growing at 11.5% per year. That means more options, more features, more tools.
More buzzwords.
More AI this. More AI that
But does anyone actually want more?
Not me.
With thousands of tools flooding the market, buyers don’t need more choices—they need more confidence in the choices they make. And that’s harder than ever.
So where do buyers turn? Who and what do they trust?
Platforms like G2 and Trustpilot are still wildly popular and growing….BUT at least within my B2B bubble, most folks view these with some skepticism these days.
Influencers have become a huge part of the equation, with the influencer marketing industry projected to surpass $21 billion this year…BUT all of these thinly veiled influencer posts stick out like a sore thumb and aren’t exactly swaying my decisions.
But the real influence? It’s happening in all the places you can’t track.
Private Slack groups. Exit 5. WhatsApp chats. DMs between friends.
People don’t trust brands. They trust people. More specifically they trust the people they know. In fact, 50% of B2B prospects purchase the products their friends recommend.
So what’s a marketer to do?
Here’s how to build trust with buyers in a world drowning in noise:
Cut the fluff. Buyers can spot BS a mile away. Show, don’t tell. Real use cases. Real testimonials. Real valuable content. Real product-in-action. Don’t give me a crappy blurry screenshot, a generic guide or one of those bad animated videos.
Build a good product. It’s harder than ever to market a bad product. The best marketing is actually having a product that delivers. B2B is small - everyone knows the legit products in their world and having one that delivers seems to be more and more rare as the choices have grown.
Prioritize word of mouth. Your happiest customers are your best marketers. Make it easy (and worthwhile) for them to spread the word. If you haven’t yet - check out thatsnoble.com, they are actually productizing word of mouth marketing in crazy creative way. *
*I know what you are thinking - did you just slip in one of those thinly veiled influencer post you warned us about? No, I wasn’t paid to mention them. But I am an advisor to them, and love what they are building.
So in the crowded market we are all competing for attention in, it’s not about having the best features or the lowest price. Buyers want confidence, trust, and validation before they make a decision.
Give them that, and they’ll choose you every time.
Thanks for reading!
Adam
P.S. If you’re tired of the usual marketing fluff and want a team that actually gets B2B growth, check out Growth Union. We’re not for everyone—if you just need someone to run some ads, we’re probably overkill. But if you want a team that digs deep, builds real demand, and drives results, let’s talk.