Author: Intercept

The AI Confidence Gap

A B2B marketing AI paradox: Confidence is dropping as skills rise

Marketers are learning the tools. But they’re still unsure of their place.

Between January and mid-April 2025, Watchtower—Intercept’s proprietary AI-powered research platform—analyzed public digital conversations from over 328,000 B2B marketers worldwide to uncover signals shaping how teams are thinking, talking, and feeling about AI.

Skill development is clearly on the rise: B2B marketers are actively exploring new tools, building AI into daily workflows, and refining prompting techniques. Content solutions are accelerating and gaining sophistication. Many teams are finding ways to integrate AI into campaigns and production.

However, momentum hasn’t translated to stability. In the study’s six adoption pillars, Job Confidence—how secure and supported marketers feel in their roles—ranked lowest.

Meanwhile, Individual AI Proficiency was among the highest ranked. These represent the widest gap across any category pairing in the index.

Without shared standards or clear direction from leadership, even experienced marketers are raising important questions:

• What does success with AI look like?
• Where should I take initiative, and where is guidance still needed?

Marketers are requesting specific AI guidelines, flagging friction in role designations, and hesitating to fully adopt tools without leadership endorsement. While AI use is spreading organically, many teams lack frameworks to assure long-term legitimacy.

Leaders can define purpose

Confidence doesn’t come from tools alone. It demands context—clear explanation about what AI is for, how it fits, where it’s going. It’s here that leadership can play a clarifying role.

Framing the “why” behind AI

While most teams are familiar with what AI can do, fewer have a sense of why they’re using it—beyond improving efficiency.

A shared narrative can help connect adoption efforts to broader goals. Whether AI is being introduced to scale content, free up creative time, or accelerate speed to market, purpose matters. When teams understand the bigger picture, adoption can feel more intentional.

Delineating roles and responsibilities

After getting access to tools, teams could benefit from explicit guidance about how responsibilities are divided between AI and human input.

This might include mapping tasks across the marketing function and considering:

• Where can AI help scale or simplify repeatable work?
• Where is human insight, judgment, or nuance required?
• Where might human-AI collaboration be most effective—with appropriate oversight?

Outlining these boundaries can support more consistent execution, and reduce ambiguity about how roles evolve.

Revisiting performance metrics

Traditional KPIs may not fully reflect the value of AI-supported work. For example, a marketer using AI to accelerate iteration or refine messaging might be creating more impact—without increasing output volume.

In these cases, updating metrics to reflect new workflows and outcomes could provide a more accurate view of contribution. Or support a culture where thoughtful use of AI is encouraged, not merely as a means to speed production.

Bringing teams into the conversation

Rather than introducing AI top-down, many organizations are creating space for teams to share input and shape adoption efforts. Examples include internal AI working groups, department-level leads, or regular forums to exchange use cases, challenges, and learnings.

When teams feel included in the process, they’re often more engaged by the results.

From experimentation to alignment

The Q2 Brief makes one point clear: AI in B2B marketing isn’t slowing down. But without organizational clarity, adoption can feel more like improvisation than strategy.

If marketers are gaining skills but losing confidence, it’s not a sign of resistance. It’s a signal that teams are moving faster than their frameworks—and that leadership needs to catch up.

That’s why the Q2 Trends Brief doesn’t stop at insight. It poses five strategic questions designed to help teams move from scattered tool usage to intentional, aligned adoption. These aren’t checklist items. They’re conversation starters meant to help leaders shape structure, provide direction, and guide meaningful change.

Conversation is what turns experimentation into strategy. Our brief is designed to help you get there, with suggestions for practical dialogue that can build confidence over time.

Want the full breakdown of how B2B marketers are navigating AI?

Download the Q2 AI Trends Brief





The Next Era of AI-powered Research

Time’s up for traditional research


Why AI-powered insight is the next competitive advantage for B2B marketers

In a world where decisions have to be made fast, many marketers still rely on outdated research tools that weren’t built for today’s pace.  
Traditional surveys. Static panels. Small sample sizes. Slow cycles. The data is often skewed, delayed, or simply inaccurate.

Ask an IT leader how often they refresh devices, and they’ll likely say “every three years”. But real-world data shows it’s clearly four. That’s not deception, it’s recall bias. And it’s everywhere in conventional research.

People also tend to respond aspirationally, not accurately. They answer based on what they think they should do, or what they believe someone in their role would say. It’s not dishonest; it’s just human. But still a problem. 

Even when the data is clean, it only tells you what happened at a single point in time. What you need is a trajectory of patterns over time. 

And consider conflicts of interest. When data and insights shift based on who’s commissioning the research, it stops being market truth and becomes marketing content. 

We need to stop asking and start listening 

Ethnography has long been the gold standard in qualitative research. Researchers would embed themselves in real environments, observing what people actually do. It was powerful, but slow. And not scalable. 

Today, AI has changed that. We can observe how people communicate across the digital channels they use every day. No prompts, no panels. Just the raw voice of the market.

Instead of asking people what they think, we analyze what they’re already saying. We tap into live, always-on digital behavior. Instead of survey bias, we get statistically sound signals, drawn from a constantly refreshed audience of over 10 million real users.  

Enter Watchtower 

Watchtower is our proprietary AI-powered research platform.  

It starts with a constantly refreshed panel of over 10 million users who post and engage regularly across social platforms.  

Watchtower scans Reddit, X, TikTok, Threads, and more to surface live, unprompted conversations from B2B buyers across roles, industries, and regions. (LinkedIn support is coming later this year.) 

Watchtower is designed to: 

– Define the audience you care about (by job role, company size, region, etc.) 

– Find relevant conversations using both keyword and semantic search 

– Filter out the noise, so you only get what matters 

– Track how sentiment evolves 

Where traditional research gives you answers weeks later, Watchtower provides clarity in minutes. 

Real-world use cases 

Watchtower has already helped: 

  • A leading chipmaker understand how IT buyers perceive AI PCs, including their use cases, buying triggers, and blockers 
  • A global software company create dynamic personas, updated quarterly, based on shifting behaviors and preferences 
  • A major enterprise tech brand track KPIs with a 600,000+ sample—far beyond what any panel could deliver 

These insights serve as strategic inputs that drive smarter messaging, faster GTM decisions, and more relevant campaigns, content, and creative. 

Human + AI: Better together 

Let’s be clear. We’re not replacing researchers. We’re amplifying them. 

Watchtower blends AI scale with human strategy. Machine learning uncovers the patterns. Our strategy team reviews and refines every output, turning machine-discovered trends into clear, confident guidance. 

Yes, AI is changing everything. But what hasn’t changed is this: the marketers who understand their audience more deeply build better campaigns and drive better results. 

Watchtower turns the largest living dataset in the world into a constant stream of actionable insight. 

Want to dive deeper? [Download the full e-book →] 

How to Turn a Hero Asset into a High-Performance Campaign in 9 Clicks

Every B2B marketing team knows what it takes to create “hero assets.” After pouring weeks into perfecting a white paper, it gets its moment in the spotlight on social, and then what? It’s filed away with other assets that never get the opportunity to perform.

It can feel like you’ve run a marathon only to head back to the starting line to do it again. This content creation cycle can seem relentless, especially given today’s fast-paced market and the growing content appetites of B2B buyers.

There’s got to be a better way

This is where Jasper steps in with its handy feature called Campaigns. Imagine being able to transform your hard-earned hero asset into a full-fledged campaign with just a few clicks. It’s possible today.

Here’s a quick look at how we use it. One of our research studies is called Nology, which surveys 500 technology buyers on their digital transformation maturity, buying needs, and B2B marketing preferences. After producing a hero white paper, we felt it had more potential and turned to Jasper for some extra content production support.

Creating a campaign in 9 clicks

We started by naming our campaign, selecting a voice, and uploading our hero asset.


We then chose the type of content we were looking to produce to support our digital campaign and hit “Generate Campaign.”


While it’s not magic, it does take the edge off starting from square one. One of our copywriters was able to take the initial outputs and refine them to ensure they were accurate, engaging, and on-brand.

The Impact: More Than Just Time Saved

Embracing Jasper has led to several impressive results:

  1. Efficiency: Speedy draft generation means we can take on more without our teams feeling swamped.
  2. Quality: Letting AI handle the heavy-lifting means our team can focus on finessing the content, adding that essential human touch.
  3. Empowerment: With the bulk of content generation sorted, team members can expand their horizons and tackle new projects, leading to professional growth and job satisfaction.
  4. Focus: Our team can zero in on their core roles, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks.
  5. Streamlined Briefing: Jasper drastically cuts down the time spent wrangling multiple case studies and makes onboarding new team members a breeze.
AI as an Enabler of Human Creativity

Rather than replacing human jobs, AI tools like Jasper play a crucial role in the workplace by enabling professionals to focus on more creative and strategic tasks.

In the context of writing and producing content, this means less time spent on drafting and more on refining to ensure the final output is high quality and on-time.

The Future of AI-Driven Content Creation

As AI continues to evolve, businesses at the enterprise and mid-market levels will further realize its integral role in content creation and management and as a tool for innovation.

For companies looking to scale up their content production without compromising quality, feature-rich solutions like Jasper are a game-changer. They bring consistency, efficiency, and a certain level of creativity that, when combined with human oversight, can consistently produce exceptional results.

Looking to leverage Gen AI in your B2B marketing operations? Get in touch for more insights.

Boost Your B2B Content Engine with AI: How Jasper Can Help

B2B marketing teams that are doubling down on generative AI are seeing big results. According to McKinsey, AI high performers are 2X more likely to use the technology to generate new business or launch additional revenue streams.  

They are not using AI primarily for cost-cutting or supporting a scarcity mindset. Instead, these organizations recognize the potential for AI to drive innovation, explore untapped markets, and grow the business.

Ready to embrace a growth mindset? Keep reading for insights on how Jasper can help you elevate the quality of your content at scale.

Why Our B2B Marketing Agency Chose Jasper 


With platforms like ChatGPT, you must repeatedly train it with the desired context to get a meaningful output. Whereas with Jasper, you can set it and fine-tune it over time.

Here are three of our favorite built-in capabilities that make producing on-brand, on-point content faster and easier.

Brand Voice

Jasper’s “Brand Voice” feature analyzes content and stores a description of it to be applied for later use. You can think of it like a saved prompt, albeit a bit more sophisticated, that ensures everything Jasper generates adheres to the correct tone, perspective, and knowledge level.

The Brand Voice functionality eliminates the need for repetitive inclusion of background details in your prompt. By applying any voice or knowledge entry to your content, you can provide Jasper with background information to generate on-brand content about your topic. 

Prompt Support 

The prompt enhancer built within Jasper is a feature that helps you get better results from the AI. It does this by adding a few sentences before your actual prompt to guide the AI in the direction you want.

For instance, if you’re looking to write an informative blog post about the use of low-code/no-code platforms in application development, you might enhance your prompt like this: “Write a detailed yet easy-to-understand blog post that explains what low-code and no-code platforms are, their differences, and how they have revolutionized application development. Include real-world examples and discuss their pros and cons.”

The prompt enhancer doesn’t change the content of your output, but it provides clearer instructions to the AI about what you’re looking for, which can result in more relevant and high-quality content. It’s like giving the AI a more detailed brief before it starts writing.

Quick tip: Always review and edit your newly generated prompt after you use the enhanced prompt function.

Style Guide Creation 

Create a style guide that includes helpful terms, proper grammar and punctuation, capitalization rules, and quick ways to find and replace words. Once inputted into the Knowledge Base, Jasper can easily apply it to every piece of content you produce. 

Using Jasper to Feed Content-Hungry B2B Buyers

One of the biggest challenges for B2B marketing teams? Not having enough high-quality content.

We conducted a study with 500 business and IT decision-makers in the United States and Canada, and the results were clear. They expressed a strong desire for more content. 


Additionally, B2B buyers spend less than 20% of their time meeting with potential suppliers.1 Most of their time (81%) is dedicated to consuming content, conducting independent research, and engaging in discussions with the buying committee.2  

The point is that you need more content than you might initially think. Simply having someone download your eBook is not enough; you need a robust lineup of content to support the buying journey. Jasper can help with this. In our experience, it excels with mid-form and long-form content. Some of the formats we use it for include blog posts, emails, website copy, and eBooks/white papers.

Get More Mileage from Hero Assets with Gen AI

We also use it for something we refer to as “derivative assets” or repurposed content.

Most of our clients have a hero asset. We help them maximize its potential by using Jasper to create alternative formats leveraging the same core content.  For example, if you conducted a research study and used it to write an eBook, there’s much more content there than just one eBook.  

With Jasper, we can create additional assets that break the content into bite-sized pieces for emails and snackable content for social media posts while maintaining your brand’s voice, knowledge base, and style guide. 

Most B2B marketing teams are losing prospective clients due to a content gap. We know the ins and outs of Jasper and can help you fill that void with consistent, efficient, and effective content. 

If you’re interested in leveraging gen AI in B2B marketing and are wondering where to start, let’s have a conversation. 

To view some of our award-winning campaigns with enterprise clients, check out our case studies page. 

1Gartner, Gartner B2B Buying Report, 2023.

2Forrester, Accelerate Your Buyer’s Journey By Dynamically Curating Relevant Content, 2021.

Drive Impact in 2024: 5 Award-Winning Tech Campaigns from Intercept

CMA awards

As you look ahead to the second half of the year, we want to share some award-winning campaigns from the past year to inspire your thinking. These notable campaigns drove results and raised the bar on innovative marketing strategies for this year and beyond. Here are five campaigns that show how to turn challenge into opportunity.

Winning Campaign #1

‘Dev Zone’

Microsoft wanted to keep the developer community engaged in a post-pandemic world where fewer in-person meetups are the norm. Busy developers often struggle to attend events due to packed schedules. We turned this pain-point into an engaging experience with an innovative approach that met the demands of developers’ schedules while honoring the value of their time. Through an exclusive screening for an exclusive audience, developers consumed Microsoft Build content while being among the first watch the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. Based on its success, it was scaled out globally to reach developers around the world and served as a guiding light for other major Microsoft events like Ignite, Inspire, and Envision.

Winning Campaign #2

‘Subscription Overload’

In the rapidly evolving tech landscape, companies face a deluge of “as-a-service” solutions, which drive innovation but also lead to subscription overload and escalating expenses. HP recognized this challenge as an opportunity to introduce HP Subscription Management Service. The challenge was to educate businesses on how it would streamline their cloud subscriptions. We employed a multi-channel strategy of leveraging display, search, YouTube, content syndication, and publisher-direct media buys to successfully engage the audience while exceeding our target objective.

Winning Campaign #3

‘Surface Show and Go’

Microsoft Surface devices are considered premium offerings, and their price point demands an in-person experience for buyers to fully appreciate their value. To address this challenge, we created Microsoft’s first-ever hybrid device showcase kit to showcase the premium nature of the Surface devices through both physical and digital experiences. The campaign’s success, innovative approach, and premium offering have set a new standard for how Surface devices are experienced in the modern workplace.

Winning Campaign #4

‘To the Cloud’

In the ever-evolving tech industry, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) play a crucial role in managing businesses’ IT infrastructure. With the introduction of cloud technology, MSPs are faced with an important imperative: innovate before you’re forced to. TD SYNNEX recognized this pivotal moment and embarked on a new initiative to empower MSPs with the knowledge and tools required to successfully embrace the cloud. New MSPs had minimal experience selling cloud solutions and had barriers around knowledge, skills, and processes. Existing MSPs struggled with scaling their cloud practice, while navigating the multitude of TD SYNNEX programs and resources.  To address these unique challenges, we engaged new MSPs with a 7-step guide to building a profitable cloud practice. To empower existing MSPs, we partnered with IT World Canada to create an exclusive webinar that covered the latest trends and strategies to accelerate their business transformation. As a result, the campaign in-market period was extended to extract every ounce of value from this high-performance campaign. 

Winning Campaign #5

‘Winning Future SMB Owners’

Intuit faced increasing competition from modern cloud-native rivals in reaching the young startups. To secure the future of small business customers, Intuit needed to engage customers earlier in their journey to ensure QuickBooks was chosen as they entered the workforce. We developed an integrated digital strategy targeting university and college educators, recognizing them as influencers. By engaging with educators in focus groups, we gained insights into their methods for evaluating tools and resources for their curricula. Leveraging this, we used concise and punchy quotes and data from these educators as key proof points to incorporate QuickBooks into their curriculum.

Want to learn more about B2B marketing best practices? Request a free Nology session with us for practical insights to guide your campaign strategies.

Jasper Names Intercept a World-Class AI Marketing Agency Partner

“Now is not the time to wait and see. ‘Marketing’ has been given a new superpower. The question is, what will I do with it?”

Andrew Au, Managing Partner at Intercept

Jasper recently announced their list of world-class marketing agencies for their AI Solutions Partner Program, and we’re proud to say Intercept is among the global top 20.

To earn this accolade, we focused on B2B marketing in the global tech sector. Our deep understanding of generative AI (gen-AI) and its transformative potential set us apart.

Becoming a recognized leader in gen-AI marketing

Our AI journey started in 2017 with white papers and eBooks that explored possibilities for Big Tech clients. As early adopters, we leveraged AI tools internally for content creation and testing. Microsoft’s investment in Open AI validated our path, spurring further exploration.

By early 2023, we expanded into other gen-AI platforms like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Midjourney, focusing on textual and text-to-image capabilities. Our comprehensive research evaluated tool functionality alongside data privacy and security. This led to a curated suite of tools, each chosen for their unique strengths, from infographic design to analytics insights.

In this mix, Jasper became a central tool in our approach to marketing, excelling in several areas:

  • Output consistency
  • Data privacy
  • Content control
  • Mitigating hallucinations
  • Maintaining a consistent knowledge base

Tailored Jasper solutions for every need

We understand that every business is at a different stage in adopting and leveraging gen-AI technology. Whether you’re looking to take full control in-house or prefer a fully managed option, we offer a spectrum of Jasper-related services.

  1. Bring Jasper in-house: We provide comprehensive guidance to jumpstart your Jasper journey, specializing in training models, building knowledge bases, defining brand voice, and optimizing naming and tags. This package includes all the guidance and support your marketing team needs to access Jasper’s capabilities with confidence.
  1. Gain hands-on control with expert support: This offering combines the automation power of Jasper with our agency’s expertise.  We help build your in-house capabilities by providing comprehensive training, strategic guidance, and tailored copywriting support.
  1. Stay hands-off and focused on strategic priorities: In this full-service offering, we handle everything – from turnkey license management and setup configurations to campaign strategy and content production.  You’ll gain the peace of mind that comes from having an award-winning B2B agency managing your marketing needs, ensuring efficient and impactful results.

Embracing the gen-AI revolution

“The new program is purpose-built to incorporate AI functionality into marketing workflows, removing the barrier to experimentation and disrupting the traditional hours-based model with a move towards value-based pricing.”

Al Biedrzycki, Director of the Solutions Partner Program at Jasper

If your organization is not keeping pace with AI, then it’s falling behind. This isn’t about job loss; it’s about job evolution. Using gen-AI purely as a content factory is not enough. The real opportunity lies in a strategic, creative, and critical approach.

The landscape of outsourced services is changing too.  As traditional hourly billing makes way for value-based pricing, a shift in mindset becomes vital for future partnerships.

Navigating data security, ethics, and bias

“People often think of humans as unbiased and rational, whereas machines are seen as more biased. But in reality, human bias is harder to spot.”

Andrew Au


Unconscious bias is part of human nature, whereas gen-AI biases are more identifiable and correctable. Legal complexities in copyright laws present challenges, but major tech companies are stepping in with legal support. At Intercept, we navigate these intricacies with care, ensuring our clients are well-informed about content ownership.

Transparency in AI use is non-negotiable. We have established AI policies, and our contracts clearly outline data confidentiality and proprietary information. We chose Jasper partly for its robust data privacy and security, aligning with our operational framework.

By adhering to ethical guidelines and security protocols, we offer our clients a stable and reliable gen-AI experience.

AI is a co-pilot, not an autopilot

Relying on AI as a form of autopilot is a sure way to crash. It excels in supporting, but not replacing, human reasoning. Strategic planning, critical thinking, and creativity should remain in human hands.

Human oversight is also crucial for course corrections and model refinement. A meticulous human-led review process ensures alignment with strategic goals, brand identity, and client expectations

The near and long-term impact of gen-AI

Currently, gen-AI shines in extracting key details from complex documents. In the short term, it’s set to boost transactional communications, like automated webinar invites and thank you messages.

Long term, we see immense potential in text-to-image platforms. The current challenge is producing on-brand content efficiently. Our experience involved generating 400 AI images to find a starting point. These platforms are promising but still evolving.

Platforms like Jasper are leading the gen-AI revolution – disrupting traditional methods of campaign setup, content analysis, and optimization.

If you’re looking to harness gen-AI for growth and are wondering where to start, let’s have a conversation.

To view some of our award-winning campaigns with enterprise clients, check out our case studies page.

How B2B Tech Brands Can Stand Out in a Cluttered Digital Environment

The B2B marketing landscape is more competitive than ever.

Economic instability and the emergence of new players mean more vendors are competing for tighter budgets.

And more than half of business and IT decision-makers plan to consolidate the number of vendors they work with to streamline their environments. If you want to make the cut, you need to stand out.

To help B2B marketers navigate these challenging waters, we surveyed 500 business and IT leaders across North America to learn about their marketing preferences and what they look for from vendors.

Here are five findings that can help you gain an edge in today’s hyper-competitive B2B market:

1. AI can make your marketing efforts more efficient and impactful.

The availability and accessibility of user-friendly AI tools is transforming how marketers work and engage with customers. Here are a few ways you can leverage AI:

  • Improving the chatbot experience by providing customers with human-like responses and contextually relevant content.
  • Acting as a virtual assistant who helps you with customer and content research.
  • Analyzing customer behavior and preferences to help you improve your omnichannel experience.
  • Creating quality content faster with generative AI tools.

With AI technology developing so rapidly, there are many potential processes to implement within your marketing and sales teams. 

2. B2B buyers want more content, but it better be personalized.

More than 60% of B2B buyers will ignore content that isn’t personalized to their interests, industry, or role. If your content is generic, they won’t pay attention.

You must understand who is looking at your content and what information they require during each stage of their buying journey. You also need to consider everyone involved with the purchasing process and their content needs. B2B buying teams include members across departments such as IT, finance, procurement, and operations. Each decision-maker looks for different things when making a purchase.

The Nology report found that business buyers are interested in perspectives on the future, straightforward tutorials, actionable takeaways, and professional development content. As an example, IT buyers want analyst insights, industry trends, and product information. To win business, you must address each buyer’s specific needs in your content.

But creating content for all these audiences may not take as much time as you think. New tools, such as generative AI, enables content personalization at scale. AI can assist with new content creation or adapt your existing content for different personas.

3. Shorter content isn’t always better.


You’ve likely heard that B2B buyers are busy and don’t have time to read an e-book or watch a lengthy video. Despite the rise of short-form content, most B2B buyers still prefer longer content. They sometimes perceive shorter content as lower quality, while longer content as more educational.

We asked business and IT leaders about their content length preferences, and this is what they told us:

  • Case studies: 2,000-3,000 words
  • eBooks: 2,000-3,000 words
  • Solution briefs: 300-900 words
  • White papers: 1,200-1,800 words
  • Guides: 1,200-1,800 words
4. Webinars are becoming more interactive and data driven.

B2B buyers still look for and engage with webinars. But their preferred webinar format has shifted. Instead of listening to one presenter, they prefer multiple speakers or panels since different viewpoints give them a greater understanding of a topic. They also like practical insights, deep dives into topics, and customer success stories that show them how to apply a solution in real life.

Interactive elements—such as polls and breakout rooms—can help you engage webinar audiences. And new technologies, such as AI, are transforming the webinar experience. You can use AI tools to track audience sentiment throughout a webinar and identify which moments are the most engaging. This data can help you improve future webinars to make them more appealing to B2B buyers. AI tools can also produce captions, subtitles, summaries, and transcripts to give audiences a better experience. Another trend is global webinars. Opening your webinars to a global audience can help you reach more customers and expand into different regions.

The preferred webinar length is between 30-60 minutes. Any longer is too long, and any shorter may not provide buyers with enough value to tune in.  

5. Enable sales reps with the content that B2B buyers want.

B2B buyers no longer rush to speak with a sales rep when they have a need. According to Gartner, they only spend 17% of their time meeting with suppliers. The bulk of their buying process includes independent research followed by reviewing potential vendors with their buying committee. A buyer will only reach out after they have done their research and are getting ready to make a decision.  

When B2B buyers reach out, they expect certain types of content to help them make an informed decision. The top four types of content that B2B buyers want from sales reps include:

  • Product or solution demos
  • Special programs or promotions
  • Solution content (e.g., brochures and sell sheets)
  • Case studies

You must align with your sales team to learn and develop the types of content that will help them close more deals.

Competition in the global B2B tech space is fierce. Not only do you need to differentiate yourself from other vendors, but you must overcome the status quo.

Intercept can help you stand out and deliver relevant content to the right buyers at the right time.

Ready to engage global B2B tech buyers? Get in touch with us now.   

The Future of B2B Marketing: Insights and Findings from 500 B2B Tech Buyers

The B2B marketing landscape has changed.

Factors such as increased competition and economic instability have made sales cycles longer. Buyers face so much low-quality marketing content that they’re starting to tune out most messages. In our quest to help B2B buyers connect better with today’s customers, we surveyed 500 business and IT leaders across North America to learn about their marketing preferences and what inspires trust with vendors.

Here are the top five findings from Nology – State of B2B Marketing for Global Tech report:

1. B2B buying committees are changing.

B2B buying has always been a team sport. But now, there are more players and content involved than ever before.

According to Gartner, the typical B2B buying group includes six to ten decision-makers in every purchase, including procurement, finance, IT, and operations team members.

Each of these buyers self-educates and gathers four to five pieces of content. Then, they get together with the group to recommend and select vendors. Gartner found that 80% of the B2B buying journey involves independent research followed by group discussions.

Each buyer has unique needs and perspectives based on their background or role. This means that B2B marketers must create content that addresses the needs of everyone involved with a buying decision. For example, procurement is less interested in cloud innovations, but do take notice when discussing the pay-as-you-go cloud model and how that will help maintain their budget. To win business, marketers must match the right message with the right buyer.

2. Millennials are making critical buying decisions.

Workplace demographics are shifting, and so are decision-makers. Millennials now fill more than 11 million managerial positions in the U.S. and are responsible for making key purchasing decisions.

LinkedIn refers to these rising B2B leaders as “BETAs (Blurred, Evolved, Technology, Activism).” According to a LinkedIn study, 74% of BETAs are involved with their companies’ buying decisions. They have ultimate decision-making power across various purchases—from IT to employee perks.

LinkedIn also states that since this group has driven vast changes in consumer behaviors, they will do the same in B2B. Research shows that 81% of today’s buyers prefer digital channels over face-to-face. Meanwhile, 63% disregard content that’s not personalized to their interests, needs, industry, or role. BETA buyers want to self-educate, and your content must make this process easier for them by addressing their specific needs.

3. Professionals want more options with events.

In-person events are on the rise, as 63% of marketers plan to host them throughout 2023-2024. This comes with excitement from professionals who are excited about the networking and learning opportunities that these events offer.

However, more than 80% of business and IT leaders prefer the flexibility offered by hybrid events with both in-person and virtual components. A hybrid event can make attendance easier for busy professionals who can’t travel or take time away from the office. They also allow marketers to reach a global audience.

But, with so many virtual event options, event organizers must go above and beyond to ensure their experience is “worth it” for people who attend in person.

4. Opt-in forms will be a thing of the past.

Lengthy forms have long deterred buyers from opting in for B2B content or scheduling product demos. And, with better options available, 34% of decision-makers expect forms to disappear altogether from vendor websites by 2024.

But how do B2B marketers collect information about leads without forms?

Enter the chatbot. More than 70% of B2B buyers have used a chatbot when evaluating solutions. Many found this experience quick and convenient over filling out a form.

With generative AI, the chatbot experience is improving. Generative AI can provide customers with human-like responses and contextually relevant content by predicting customers’ questions based on how the conversation is flowing.  

5. AI will review and recommend your solutions.

AI-powered buying is on the rise. By 2024, 76% of IT buyers and 67% of business buyers feel AI will play a significant role in selecting technology for their organizations.

So, what will this look like? Buyers can use AI-enabled procurement processes to search, analyze, and recommend vendors. Some procurement platforms are already starting to incorporate AI to automate sourcing, provide spend analysis, and assess supplier risk factors.    

The B2B marketing landscape has dramatically shifted and will continue to do so. To connect with today’s buyers, B2B marketers must adapt to speak to the right audience with the right message, meet the shifting millennial demographics, prioritize preferences towards hybrid settings, and use AI across all facets of B2B marketing. This means learning more about buyers’ current preferences and making decisions based on data, not guesswork.  

Get more insights into what today’s B2B buyers want from marketers. Download the Nology – State of B2B Marketing for Global Tech report now.

Challenger Sales Model

Challenger Sales Model

The Challenger Sales Model: Elevating B2B Marketing through Teaching and Tailoring

The Challenger Sales Model, introduced by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, is a ground-breaking method that shifts the focus away from merely building relationships with prospects. Instead, it emphasizes taking control of a sale by teaching customers how to solve their problems effectively. This blog post will dive deeper into the Challenger Sales Model and discuss how B2B marketers can apply it to creating impactful marketing content.

Understanding the Challenger Sales Model

The Challenger Sales Model revolves around three core principles: teaching, tailoring, and taking control of a sales experience. It’s a sales approach designed to excel in an environment where buyers are already well-informed about products and features. The model is based on five distinct profiles of sales representatives: The Hard Worker, The Relationship Builder, The Lone Wolf, The Problem Solver, and The Challenger.

The Challenger profile stands out as the most effective, as it creates constructive tension by disputing a customer’s way of thinking and encourages them to consider new opportunities and solutions they may not have thought of otherwise.

Applying Challenger Sales Model to Marketing Content

In today’s world, B2B buyers are more informed and face complex buying decisions. The Challenger Sales Model can be a game-changer in this context. To integrate the Challenger Sales Model into your marketing content, concentrate on the following:

  1. Providing insights: Share valuable information that challenges customers’ preconceived ideas, illuminates unknown problems, and uncovers untapped opportunities in their business. This can help customers view your company as a thought leader in the industry.
  2. Creating constructive tension: Dispute customers’ assumptions, identify flaws in their current approach, and present a better solution. This not only engages the customer but also highlights your expertise and the unique value of your product.
  3. Teaching customers: Educate them on aspects they might be unaware of, positioning your business as a knowledgeable and helpful resource they can rely on to navigate the complexities of their industry

Enhancing Thought Leadership with the Challenger Sales Model

The Challenger Sales Model offers a fresh and innovative approach to B2B marketing, enabling businesses to stand out in an increasingly intricate and competitive landscape. By incorporating the principles of this model into your marketing content, you can engage prospects more effectively, challenge their assumptions, and ultimately, guide them to see your product as the best solution to their problem.

In periods of economic uncertainty, thought leadership gains even more importance. Adopting the Challenger Sales Model empowers businesses to establish themselves as industry experts and dependable partners, offering valuable insights and guidance customers require during difficult times. This approach not only helps build trust and credibility, but it also cultivates long-lasting relationships with customers who will remember the support and expertise provided when they need it the most.

Key Takeaways

Embracing the Challenger Sales Model in your B2B marketing content and strategies can lead to a more engaging and effective approach to reaching your audience. You can position your business as a knowledgeable resource and trusted partner by challenging customer assumptions, providing valuable insights, and teaching them something new. In times of economic downturns, this approach becomes even more vital as customers seek guidance and support from businesses that demonstrate thought leadership and a deep understanding of their needs.

Conversational AI

Conversational AI

The Future of Conversational AI for Product Marketers

The buzz around OpenAI’s ChatGPT and the surge in experimentation across various generative AI use cases signify the incredible advancements in conversational artificial intelligence (AI).

This innovation is driven by the fusion of foundation models, knowledge graphs, and human-supported reinforcement learning. Over the next three years, these AI techniques will dramatically transform the intelligent capabilities of software and advanced virtual assistants (VA).

As a product marketing professional, it’s important to stay on top of these trends and understand how they can give you a competitive edge. In this blog post, we’ll explore how generative AI and foundation models are shaping the future of conversational AI.

Foundation Models: A Major AI Advancement

Foundation models are one of the most significant advancements in AI technology. These models are created by training a neural network on vast amounts of data, allowing it to learn patterns and make predictions. They represent a major AI advancement and are transforming the intelligent and conversational capabilities of software and advanced virtual assistants (VA).

However, it’s important to note that foundation models should be explored as a potential technology in combination with other AI-developing techniques, such as knowledge graphs and reinforcement learning. As a product marketer, it’s important to explore custom large language models (LLMs) to prepare for organizations’ accelerated acceptance of intelligent software and VA.

Generative AI: Increasing Perception of Intelligence

On the other hand, generative AI is a technique that uses machine learning to generate new data that resembles the training data. It’s a powerful tool that can be used to create content, personalize customer experiences, and even develop AI avatars that can assist with digital and marketing communications.

The use of generative AI will expand in the next two years, and Gartner predicts that generative AI will create more than 30% of marketing content that’s human-augmented by 2025. By incorporating generative AI and foundation models around specific areas and utilizing a Markov decision process-based approach, product leaders can create successful product strategies and gain a competitive edge in the market.

Applications to Multiple Industries and Domains

The use cases for conversational AI are expanding across multiple business domains and industries, from content marketing to new intelligent search options, AI avatars, and decision intelligence. As a product marketing professional, it’s important to examine NLP-related startups to help identify new opportunities for innovation.

It’s predicted that by 2025, more than 50% of advanced virtual assistants (VAs) will be industry-domain-specific, up from less than 25% in 2022. Industry-domain-specific VAs are designed to assist people within a specific domain, such as healthcare, banking, retail, or legal. They can also incorporate fine-tuned, domain-specific language models, prebuilt integration with relevant enterprise applications, and connection with business processes.

The Next Steps for Product Leaders

As a product marketer, it’s essential to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with these emerging technologies.

Accelerating your solutions toward becoming more generative AI-enabled, complementary to existing search solutions, and enabling real-time neural machine translation is crucial. Additionally, humanizing internal and customer communications with AI avatars based on text-to-video generative AI technology is an area of significant opportunity. To elevate the business value of emerging technologies like conversational AI and advanced VAs, technology providers can uncover a promising future.