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

Aligning sales strategies with B2B buyer preferences

According to a study from Gartner, B2B buyers want to handle sales themselves, with over 60% wanting to avoid sales reps entirely. However, when they do engage, they want to do it at critical moments that can make or break a deal. MarTech unpacks the findings in more detail.

The impact of zero-click search

With zero-click search “totally collapsing the user journey,” as this feature says, B2B marketers are finding themselves up against new challenges. Digiday explores the state of changing search behaviours and how businesses are responding.

Filling a missing link with QR codes

With B2B events and activations back with a bang, QR codes have become a tried and tested way to share information seamlessly. With the newest generation of QR codes now going beyond just linking to a website to provide interaction and data, Demand Gen Report says they’ve become the missing link between live engagement and measurable outcomes.

Taking lessons from B2C giants

Looking to B2C brands like Starbucks, Airbnb, and Netflix for marketing insight may feel out of reach for small to midsized B2B companies, but Forbes insists there’s still a lot to learn. It presents a few case studies and a handful of trends to watch that span UGC-driven content, influencer collaborations, and interactive video.

Give the gift of zero-click

Our social media specialist offers insight on getting zero-click right.