Welcome to What We're Reading, a weekly rundown of news stories, marketing columns, and B2B industry news that caught our eye.

To get messaging right, know your audience

A common messaging problem we see in B2B is that when you use language that tries to include every possible segment of your audience, you end up speaking to no one. A contributor for MarTech feels the same way, and they share examples of brands that drive the right message home by narrowing their audience focus, avoiding vague terminology, and making CTAs easy to act on.

We’re particularly fond of concrete messaging, which avoids jargon to make your products and services clear to the reader. The goal is to answer questions like, “What do you actually do and how does it solve my problem?”

73% of buyers use AI to research purchases

We’re seeing yet more research confirming how modern B2B buyers search for solutions. A study outlined in PR Newswire shares statistics on how many buyers use AI-powered search and how few businesses are optimized to appear in AI search results. Bain & Company shares a deeper dive into what you can do about it.

The takeaway? AI search isn’t just another bandwagon, and the most competitive B2B brands are crafting strategies to track visibility and plan content geared for AI search.

‘Fitting in is the safest way to fail’

Reflecting on learnings from a recent marketing and advertising conference, LBB has strong opinions to share about playing it safe. As metrics get blurrier and buyer behaviour gets more risk-averse, they argue brands need to make bolder choices that instil confidence.

It’s almost like a brand’s hesitation can be felt by the audience. AI tools are making it easier to rapid-fire new assets, but without a clear voice or point of view, a flurry of new content can easily fall flat. It’s a good sign to slow down and create more conscious content.

Crafting content for each generation

Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X buyers all have different preferences when it comes to finding and consuming content — things you’ll want to know when crafting audience-focused strategies. Get a breakdown of each generation's likes and dislikes in our blog.