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

A combined approach to B2B research

According to research shared by EMARKETER, 41% of B2B professionals in the US use AI to start their research and then validate answers with traditional search. It also shares that over 50% now start research with chatbots more often than Google, but 45% say a citation from a review site is the thing that makes them trust the chatbot’s answer.

This is the kind of insight that proves why your business shouldn’t be going all in on AI. Sure, that’s important, and you should be making moves to show up in those searches but, at least for now, traditional SEO strategies still have their place.

Creating content B2B buyers want to return to

Ideate more content. Create more content. Publish more content. For a lot of marketers, that publishing mindset can seem relentless. However, MarTech makes the argument that instead of falling into pressure to keep publishing, it’s thinking about what happens after something goes live that's important.

With so much content out there, MarTech’s right when it says buyers aren't looking for more content just because they haven’t got enough to read. What they want is something that actually helps them explain an issue, get clarity on a decision, or refer back to months later. So, the next time you’re ideating content, ask yourself how it’s functioning as a reference asset.

Collaborating with your experts to craft great content

Nobody knows your company better than the experts working for you, but expecting all your subject matter experts to double up as part-time content creators is a stretch. Content Marketing Institute outlines tips to leverage the insights your experts have without expecting them to actually write the content.

One point we particularly liked was around repurposing content or, specifically, repurposing content smartly. Rather than spinning one expert interview into 27 mediocre assets, think about where that conversation can be most useful, and which content you can actually apply that insight to. 

Want content your buyers will actually return to?

We've got the experts to make it happen. Get in touch to see how we can craft content that doesn't just tell a great brand story, but works to show up in both traditional and AI search.