New research from WARC, LinkedIn and LIONS Advisory makes a clear case for B2B marketers to move beyond broad awareness plays. After analysing more than 700 best-in-class B2B campaigns, the study finds that campaigns built around a stronger set of Buyability signals are significantly more likely to deliver brand and commercial returns.
What the research measured
The report, How to build more Buyable brands: How Recommendations, Relatability and Relationships drive campaign success, identifies seven Buyability signals that can build buyer confidence. These signals map to three levers, or the 3Rs:
- Recommendations: proof and validation from customers, peers, experts and trusted voices.
- Relationships: familiarity and cues that point to a long-term partnership.
- Relatability: real customer situations, use cases and experiences buyers can recognise.
The research arrives as B2B buying journeys become longer and more crowded. Buying cycles now stretch to 272 days and involve 22 stakeholders. Social and emotional factors increasingly shape decisions, and 94% of B2B buyers used large language models during their buying journey in 2025.
A clear underuse problem
Despite the potential upside, Buyability signals are not being used enough. Campaigns in the analysis average just 1.6 signals. Around 30% rely on one signal, 22% use none, and fewer than a quarter deploy three or more. In other words, most B2B campaigns are not giving buying groups enough proof, familiarity or relatable evidence to validate a purchase.
Mimi Turner, Head of Marketplace Innovation at LinkedIn, says the framework is built on insights into what helps buying groups feel confident to buy; winning campaigns “make buying decisions easy to defend” by focusing on relatable customer situations and trusted voices.
Why stacking signals matters
The commercial gap between high- and low-Buyability campaigns is stark. High-Buyability campaigns were 63% more likely to report increased ROI and 110% more likely to report increased incremental revenue. On brand metrics, they were 24% more likely to report improvements in brand awareness and 91% more likely to report improvements in mid-funnel metrics such as consideration, preference and purchase intent.
Imaad Ahmed, Thought Leadership Director, LIONS Advisory and WARC, says, “When well-stacked within a campaign, Buyability signals can make revenue, ROI and brand health uplifts far more likely.”
What marketing teams should do next
For marketing leaders, the takeaway is practical. Audit campaign assets against the 3Rs before launch. Does the creative include customer proof? Does it signal a long-term relationship, not just a transaction? Does it feature situations that buying committees will recognise? Stacking at least three signals gives campaigns a stronger chance to improve the metrics that matter.
The framework is also useful for AI discoverability. As LLMs play a larger role in B2B research, campaigns that consistently surface customer proof, relationship cues and relatable use cases make a brand easier to find, validate and defend.
Source: MediaNews4U
