2025 B2B思想领导力影响力报告：隐形影响力——释放隐性买家潜力

InvisibleInfluence:Unlocking the Power ExecutiveSummary More than 40% of B2B deals stalldue to internal misalignment within buying groups. A major cause: hidden buyers—internal stakeholders who significantly influencebusiness purchases even if they are not the primary users of a product or service. This study is the seventh annual collaborationbetween Edelman and LinkedIn examininghow thought leadership influences buyingbehaviors among B2B decision-makers andC-suite executives. Our research confirms the Unlike target buyers, who are the functionalusers of specific products and services,these hidden buyers are often overlookedby traditional sales and marketing efforts,yet they play a pivotal role within the buyinggroup. In fact, thesehidden buyers exert They value original insights, are deeplyengaged with thought leadership content,and are even more open to disruptive ideasand challenger brands than their more just as much influence over purchasingdecisions as their target-buyer counterparts.With economic uncertainty ahead, suppliers Both hidden and target buyers agree:high-quality thought leadership is moreeffective than traditional marketing orproduct informationin conveying asupplier’s capabilities, thinking, and value.For hidden buyers in particular, the right In our 2025 survey of nearly 2,000management-level professionals, wefocused on key sub-samples of targetdecision-makers, hidden decision-makers,and hidden decision-influencers. Thestudy reveals thesehidden buyers are not In today’s crowded marketplace,high-quality, memorable thoughtleadership isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a critical lever for earning trust, Key Learnings Terminology Audiences in this Report Thought Leadership Hidden Decision-Makers Thought leadership refers to contentthat offersexpertise, guidance, or aunique point of view on a topic or ina field.It includes content like thoughtpieces, social media posts, videos,webinars, live presentations, PowerPoint People who, when the organization they work for is in the market for a service orproduct, are a final decision-maker in group purchasing decisions and are primarilyinvolved as a representative of a function that does not require in-depth knowledge In this context,“thought leadership”does not include content that isprimarily focused on describing anorganization’s products or servicesor thought leadership that you pay to Target Decision-Makers(or “Target Buyers”) People who, when the organization they work for is in the market for servicesor products, are both a final decision-maker and are primarily involved as anexpert in the service or product being offered. They bring their direct, in-depth Aboutthe Study To help B2B companies understand the impactof thought leadership, Edelman and LinkedInsurveyed 1,934 global business executives across actively discover, consume,and evaluate thought leadershipjust like target buyers. Hidden buyers may be hidden, butthat doesn’t mean they’re passive. In fact, hidden buyers consume just as muchthought leadership content as target buyers. 63%of hiddendecision-makers 64%of target spendmore than an hour onaverage per week consumingthought leadership. dothe same. Just like target buyers, hidden buyers usethought leadership to evaluate vendors. 56%of targetdecision-makers 55%of hiddendecision-makers usethought leadership aspart of their vetting process. dothe same. Why do consultancies or tech firms lose deals theythought they'd win? Because they didn't fully understandthe internal dynamics of their customers.Hidden buyerswere at play: people who were unknown—and possibly Anthony MarshallSenior Research Director,Thought Leadership, But how do you turn that around? How do you impactthe opinions of individuals you may not even be able toidentify? Traditional marketing won't do it. But qualitythought leadership can.By providing bold, clear, insightful,objective, and independent content, thought leadership 2. buyers that marketingand sales typically do not. Hidden buyers are less likely to take sales meetings. High-qualitythought leadership serves as a Trojan horse, building credibility Hidden buyers are typically harderthan target buyers for sales to reach. saythey have relatively little or no interaction with sales. Strong thought leadership makes hiddenbuyers more likely to welcome sales outreach. saystrong thought leadership makes them more receptive to sales and marketing outreach. Thought leadership is more effective at influencinghidden buyers than traditional marketing materials. 71%of hidden agreethat thought leadership is more effectivethan conventional marketing or sales materials trustthought leadership content more thanmarketing materials and product sheets when (65%of target decision-makers feel the same.) (73%of target decision-makers feel the same.) C-suite endorsement createstop-down momentum with Both target and hidden buyers saythat a C-suite executive hasencouraged them to considerwork