Singapore — Most business-to-business (B2B) content may deliver its message, but it often falls short of influencing the people it seeks to reach, according to a new research by marketing agency AIM B2B.
The study found that some 69% of surveyed business leaders in Japan and Asia-Pacific (APAC) agree that most B2B content communicates but rarely influences, highlighting a challenge for marketers seeking to turn content engagement into business impact.
The findings point to a gap between sharing information and changing how business leaders think, build relationships or make decisions. While content can introduce organisations and establish credibility, its ability to influence depends on factors beyond the message itself.
71% said content had led them to contact or connect with someone, while 63% said it had influenced a business preference or decision. However, among respondents who believe good content has an effect, only 12% said it changes what people ultimately decide or do.
This suggests that content can open doors, but it may not be enough to move prospects towards a business decision. For B2B marketers, the challenge is to create content that does more than attract attention or start conversations; it must also give audiences a compelling reason to trust a brand and consider its solutions.
Trust appears to be central to that process. Some 82% of respondents said trust and reliability turn a business connection into a relationship, while useful and relevant content ranked last among the factors, at 9%. Additionally, 80% said relationships carry more influence than connections.
These findings highlight the importance of building credibility through consistent interactions, reliable expertise and meaningful relationships, rather than relying on content volume alone. Content can support those efforts, but marketers need to connect their messaging with evidence and genuine business value.
The quality and distinctiveness of content also matter. More than half (51%) of respondents said high-quality content can significantly influence perceptions or decisions. Among those who believe most B2B content fails to influence, 50% attributed this to a lack of distinctiveness, ahead of competition for attention at 39%.
For marketers, this presents a clear challenge as businesses compete to publish more content across channels. If an article, report or campaign could easily be produced by a competitor, it may struggle to leave a lasting impression. Thus, distinctive insights, credible expertise, and real business experience can help brands stand apart from generic messaging.
Storytelling can also contribute to influence, but it needs substance. Around 74% of respondents saw a link between storytelling and influence. However, useful insights ranked as the strongest factor at 48%, followed by credible expertise at 32%, ahead of storytelling itself at 31%.
This suggests that storytelling works best when it helps audiences understand a relevant business problem or see the value of a solution. For B2B brands, compelling narratives should be supported by practical insights, evidence and expertise rather than relying on emotional appeal alone.
A significant gap exists between lead generation and strategic impact in content marketing measurement, with 64% of organizations evaluating content by generated leads—compared to just 22% measuring shifts in audience perception—and 25% of C-suite executives judging content by relationship-building versus merely 6% of marketing leaders.
Robert Heldt, CEO and Co-Founder of AIM B2B, said, “Leaders told us they don’t trust content, then admitted they act on it. That tells me content works, but we keep asking it to do the wrong job and judging it on the wrong number.”
“Content earns credibility. People, proof and trust close the decision. The brands that build influence in Asia will be the ones whose content is distinctive enough to matter, and who check whether it changed anyone’s mind,” added Heldt.
“AI makes the production of content sludge at scale cheap, fast and nasty,” said Dr Greg Story, President of Dale Carnegie Training Japan. “Authentic storytelling written from our hard-won experiences will be the one bulwark against this Tsunami.”
For B2B marketers, the priority is therefore to move beyond producing content simply to maintain a presence. Testing whether an idea is genuinely distinctive, supporting claims with evidence of business value and tracking changes in audience perceptions can help brands understand whether their content is doing more than communicating — and whether it is actually influencing the people who matter.
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