In this episode of @truthliesb2bgrowth we talk through why growth has plateaued for many B2B firms. We explore the seismic shifts driven by AI and changing buying behaviour, and how they are impacting marketing strategies. Almost overnight, many B2B marketing functions have found themselves stuck in legacy mode. As a result, their tactics are seeing diminishing returns - fewer leads, reduced ROI and less and less impact on pipeline. We’ve made this episode to help CEOs understand what’s happened and what they can do to start playing catch-up. We look at the key external trends, why B2B marketers are struggling and share the modern approaches to marketing that work in the AI-era.In this episode, you’ll learn:
The Strategic Shifts:
- How the dark funnel has made your buyers invisible: LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit & network communities are where buyers go to educate
- Authority and trust has shifted to people, not companies: founders and experts now trump faceless corporate brands
- Why short-term campaigns have given way to long-term programmes: consistent, compounding programmes with constant iteration - aligned to the 95:5 buyer reality
- How buyers are self-serving further: which means its key to show up in their research with useful buyer-enablement content
- Fragmentation gives way to orchestration: CRM-first platforms enable humans and AI to collaborate with structured and unstructured data
- SEO evolves to AEO: optimise for LLMs by building their trust, if you want to be sourced in their answers
- Content formats shift: prioritise short-form video, podcasts and peer insights where buyers actually consume them
- Websites become buyer-enablement hubs: offer assessments, ROI tools, demos and interactive or conversational experiences personalised to each visitor
- Generic outbound loses impact: switch to precision, signal-based engagement powered by CRM and AI
- CRMs become smart and AI-enabled: auto-enrich data, surface real-time intent and drive hyper-personalised outreach at scale
The Tactical Shifts:
- SEO evolves to AEO: optimise for LLMs by building their trust, if you want to be sourced in their answers
- Content formats shift: prioritise short-form video, podcasts and peer insights where buyers actually consume them
- Websites become buyer-enablement hubs: offer assessments, ROI tools, demos and interactive or conversational experiences personalised to each visitor
- Generic outbound loses impact: switch to precision, signal-based engagement powered by CRM and AI
- CRMs become smart and AI-enabled: auto-enrich data, surface real-time intent and drive hyper-personalised outreach at scale
