Forrester has published new research indicating that social media now plays a central role in business-to-business buying behavior — and that this holds true even as artificial intelligence tools reshape how buyers gather information.

The report, titled "Social Media Takes Center Stage In B2B Buying — Even In The AI Era," argues that B2B buyers increasingly rely on social platforms throughout the purchase process, despite the widespread assumption that AI assistants and search tools are displacing traditional channels.

For a sector long accustomed to measuring demand through search traffic, email campaigns, and sales outreach, the finding carries practical weight. If buyers are spending their research time on social platforms, vendors need to show up there with substantive content — not just promotional posts.

What the research signals

The Forrester title alone makes two claims worth noting. First, social media has moved to the center of the B2B buying journey. Second, the rise of AI has not changed that dynamic.

That second point cuts against a common narrative in marketing circles. Since generative AI tools went mainstream, many vendors have pivoted budgets toward optimizing content for AI-generated answers, treating social channels as secondary. Forrester's framing suggests that shift may be premature.

For marketing operators, the implication is straightforward: social presence remains a demand-generation asset, and buyers who encounter a vendor on social platforms are evidently further along in their decision process than conventional wisdom assumes.

Why it matters for operators

B2B purchase decisions typically involve multiple stakeholders, long evaluation cycles, and heavy research phases before anyone contacts sales. Social media fits into that research phase — buyers follow vendors, industry commentators, and peers, and they form judgments well before the first sales call.

If Forrester's finding holds across segments, marketing teams should expect continued pressure to maintain active, credible social channels. That means budget for content production, community management, and executive visibility — line items that some teams had flagged for cuts as AI-driven search gained attention.

The research also raises questions for measurement. Attribution models that credit only search and direct traffic will undercount social's contribution if buyers discover vendors on social platforms and convert later through other channels.

The AI angle

The "even in the AI era" qualifier is the report's most pointed claim. AI tools summarize vendor information, answer comparison questions, and increasingly influence shortlists. Some observers predicted that would flatten the role of social media, since buyers could ask an assistant instead of scrolling feeds.

Forrester's data suggests otherwise. Social media retains its grip on buyer attention even as AI-assisted research grows. The two channels appear to coexist rather than compete, at least for now.

For vendors, that points to a dual-track content strategy: material that performs well in social feeds, and material structured so AI tools can retrieve and represent it accurately. Teams that treat these as either-or choices risk losing visibility on one front while chasing the other.

What to watch

The full Forrester report will likely include segment breakdowns — by company size, industry, and buyer role — that determine how far the finding generalizes. Marketing leaders should watch for those details before reallocating budget.

The headline conclusion, though, is clear enough: reports of social media's decline in B2B have been exaggerated. Buyers are there, AI or no AI, and vendors that stepped back from social channels may want to reassess that decision.

Mart Signal will continue tracking B2B buying research as it lands.