We're living in an era in which AI can execute tasks in one minute what it would take a marketing team to produce in a month. But instead of feeling more informed, B2B buyers are feeling more overwhelmed—and more skeptical.
The problem isn't volume. It's trust.
As AI-generated content floods our feeds, a new dynamic is taking hold: Buyers are questioning not just what's being said but who is saying it and why they should believe it. That's the trust gap.
And according to recent data, it's growing wider, especially when marketing messages feel too polished, disconnected from real-world experiences, or even regurgitated.
This article explores what's really driving that skepticism, what kind of content buyers trust today, and how marketers can build credibility in a noisy, AI-first world by leaning into one thing competitors can't replicate: the authentic voice of the customer.
The Trust Gap: When Volume Doesn't Equal Value
AI can accelerate execution for many tasks, and marketers are using AI most often to produce content. However, more content doesn't equal more trust.
If anything, we're seeing the reverse: B2B buyers are sifting through an avalanche of AI-generated content that looks good on the surface but often misses the mark in substance. It's overly polished, it lacks context, and it rarely reflects real-world use.
That disconnect is what we call the trust gap—the space between marketing claims and what buyers actually believe.
As outlined in Bridging the Trust Gap: B2B Tech Buying in the Age of AI, trust today isn't about volume; it's about voices. Buyers want to hear from people who've actually used the product, not just the people selling it. They're looking for proof to make a confident decision.
What B2B Buyers Trust in 2025 (Hint: It's Not You)
The data makes it clear: Not all content carries the same weight in the attempt to earn buyer trust. Buyers are gravitating toward three key sources they consider credible:
- Third-party reviews from real, verified users
- Customer case studies that highlight real outcomes
- Peer recommendations in communities where they already spend time
What's falling flat? Brand-authored content that feels scripted, overly polished videos, and websites and blog posts stuffed with buzzwords.
Buyers aren't looking to be sold—they're looking to be informed. They want to see how real users in similar roles, at similar companies, are solving the same challenges.
That's why many buyers skip straight past vendor websites and head to third-party platforms before they even think about booking a demo. Trust isn't being built on your homepage—it's being earned where your customers already are.
Three Trust-Building Tactics for an AI-First Search Landscape
Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT plugins are quickly becoming the new front doors to the B2B buyer journey.
And although discovery is important, being trusted once you're found is what really moves the needle. That means marketers need to rethink not just what they create, but how and where it shows up.
Here are three tactics we've seen deliver real results.
1. Make your content machine-readable, not just human-friendly
AI surfaces content based on structure and clarity, not fluff. Schema markup, especially on product pages, review content, and FAQs, helps your most valuable insights get picked up by AI tools. Verified reviews and customer outcomes need to be easily crawled to show up in tools like Google's AI Overviews.
It's not about stuffing in keywords—it's about structuring your content and data so large language models (LMMs) can connect the dots much like a human would. We are going back to writing for humans instead of a search algorithm.
2. Don't just ask for reviews—build them into the journey
Reviews work when they're part of the customer lifecycle, not tacked on as an afterthought. The most effective brands ask customers to leave them reviews after onboarding, major wins, or renewal points—and they make it easy. A thank-you message or small incentive can go a long way.
Then comes the amplification. Don't let those reviews sit on a third-party platform collecting dust. Use them in nurture campaigns, sales decks, and even pricing pages.
When a peer says it, it carries more weight than any headline ever will. Your best customers can help you win your future best customers.
3. Let customers tell the story—unfiltered
Polished brand stories are losing their shine; and because of the use of AI, messaging can all start sounding the same among competitors. So what's resonating now? Candid customer-led storytelling, such as our customer spotlights at TrustRadius. That sort of unscripted content centered on real people and real results simply works.
The point isn't to make your brand look perfect—it's to show that it works in the real world.
Some customers even share these spotlights as part of their personal portfolios, which says a lot about the value of leading with their voice. When your customers are proud enough to put their experience with you on display, that's the kind of social proof AI—and people—will always trust.
Building Internal Trust to Power External Credibility
Marketers often focus so heavily on outbound messaging that they miss a foundational truth: Trust starts internally. Cross-functional alignment between marketing, sales, and product teams ensures messaging reflects reality, not just aspiration. Every touchpoint across the buyer's journey is a brand touchpoint and an opportunity to build trust.
For example, my marketing team uses common objections in the sales process to craft proactive thought leadership campaigns. One sales objection—"We only need one review platform"—inspired content that explained the ROI of managing multiple review sources. The result? Tighter alignment on messaging and fewer objections during the sales cycle.
A consistent feedback loop ensures that content is not only credible but also responsive to actual buyer concerns.
The Future of Trust in an AI-Driven Market
As AI gets baked into every step of the B2B buying journey, we're headed toward what can only be described as a flight to quality. It's no longer about who can publish the most—it's about who buyers believe. In this new landscape, trust and relevance are your most valuable SEO assets.
AI needs to be able to find and understand your content. If your product pages and reviews aren't structured for AI tools to pick up, you're missing out on visibility via Google's AI Overviews, among others. Verified user feedback, pricing details, and FAQs—all of it should be crawlable, cleanly tagged, and easy for LLMs to read, much like a human would.
Community should be at the center of your GTM strategy. Buyers don't want to hear your pitch—they want to hear from people who've been in their shoes. Whether it's peer review platforms, industry Slack groups, or customer-led spotlights, your go-to-market plan needs to be rooted in community voices. That's the only channel today's buyers truly trust.
Trust isn't a brand slogan. It's something you prove through transparency, authenticity, and consistency. In oversaturated markets, with AI-generated noise, the brands that win will be the ones that put proof before promotion.
Final Takeaway
AI can write faster than any marketer, but that's not what builds trust. In B2B today, the real differentiator isn't how polished your content is—it's how believable it is.
Buyers want validation from people they relate to, not just messaging from brands.
Your role now? Less about producing more, and more about amplifying voices your audience already trusts: their peers.
More Resources on the Role of Trust in B2B Marketing
Build B2B Marketing Trust With Evidence-Based Content | Marketing Smarts Live Show
Breaking Through to Reach Buyers: How Education-Led Marketing Is Redefining B2B Marketing
Brand and Trust: Becoming a Trusted B2B Voice | Marketing Smarts Live Show
