b2b brand | B2B Buyers Are Doing Their Homework—Make Sure They Cheat Off You

How to Be the Brand Buyers Learn From (Not Just Buy From)

1️⃣ Buyers Want Answers Before They Want a Demo

Before they ever fill out a contact form, buyers are reading reports, comparing benchmarks, and searching for credible insights that help them make the right decision.

🔍 67% of the buyer’s journey is now completed digitally (Forrester). By the time they engage with sales, they’ve already formed opinions about potential solutions.

💡 How Marketers Can Help:

• Be where research happens. Buyers don’t start on vendor websites—they turn to industry reports, newsletters, and third-party insights first.

• Make your content accessible and engaging. No one wants to wade through a 50-page PDF. Clear, visual insights make a bigger impact.

🔎 Real-World Example:
When Gartner and Forrester release their annual Magic Quadrants and Wave Reports, buyers take notice. These reports, based on extensive market research, help decision-makers evaluate vendors before ever reaching out. Companies featured in these rankings gain instant credibility because they’re presented within a trusted, third-party analysis—making them far more persuasive than a self-published whitepaper.

2️⃣ Buyers Trust Experts, Not Just Brands

Nobody likes a sales pitch, but they do want guidance from trusted sources. That’s why B2B decision-makers put more weight on independent research and thought leadership than branded content alone.

📌 81% of B2B buyers say thought leadership content increases their trust in a brand. (Edelman)

📌 But here’s the challenge, only 17% of B2B marketers believe their content is truly differentiated. Many brands are pushing out the same generic messaging, making it harder to stand out (Edelman).

💡 How Marketers Can Help:

• Go where trust already exists. Third-party media, industry newsletters, and expert-led reports carry more weight than brand blogs alone.

• Lead with value, not a sales pitch. Educational insights, market data, and unbiased comparisons keep buyers engaged without pushing them away.

🔎 Real-World Example:
When HubSpot launched its annual "State of Marketing" report, it didn’t focus on selling software. Instead, it became a go-to industry resource packed with data-driven insights, benchmarks, and expert commentary. By consistently publishing valuable, non-sales-driven content, HubSpot built authority and became a primary source for marketers making strategic decisions, proving that expertise earns trust.

3️⃣ Data-Driven Marketers Stay Ahead

Not all content works equally. Knowing what topics and formats engage buyers the most is key to making your content strategy effective.

📌 Marketers who use audience data to tailor content see 2x higher engagement and conversion rates. (Forrester)

💡 How Marketers Can Help:

• Use audience insights to guide your content strategy. Instead of guessing, track what decision-makers are actually reading and engaging with.

• Prioritize the right distribution channels. Some content works best in industry newsletters, others in reports—understanding buyer behavior gives you an edge.

🔎 Real-World Example:
Contentive’s Audience Intelligence Reports provide real-time insights into what decision-makers in finance, marketing, and accounting are engaging with.

💡 What They Did Right:

• Analyzed audience behavior to reveal the most relevant industry topics.

• Pinpointed where decision-makers engage most: newsletters, reports, or industry articles.

🔎 What You Can Learn:
Instead of guessing, marketers can place their content where buyers are already paying attention, leading to better engagement and ROI.

👉 Get the latest Audience Intelligence Report here.

The Bottom Line

B2B buyers aren’t waiting for sales to guide them, they’re guiding themselves. The question is whether they’re learning from you or your competitor.

🚀 Be where buyers do their research.
📊 Offer insights that actually help them make decisions.
🎯 Use data to make sure your content is landing in the right places.

📩 Want to see what B2B decision-makers are actually engaging with? Contentive’s Audience Intelligence Reports provide real-time insights into the content trends shaping your industry.

👉 Get the latest Audience Intelligence Report here.