Random Acts of Content Kill Pipeline (Especially in the AI Era!)

Most B2B content strategies are dead on arrival. Not because the team isn’t trying, but because they’re still chasing a funnel that no longer exists.

Today’s buyers don’t follow linear paths. They search, ghost, lurk, and shortlist without talking to your sales team. They’re forming opinions based on AI-generated summaries, LinkedIn posts, and G2 reviews, all before your first touch. They’re making decisions with less vendor interaction — and with more internal stakeholders to convince — than ever before.

If your content strategy isn’t built for how B2B buyers actually buy, every blog post, case study, guide, and email is a random act of content. And a missed revenue opportunity.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: B2B Buying Has Changed Forever

As Forrester recently put it: “B2B buying today is a process of confirmation, not selection.” Most buyers already have opinions before vendors even get a shot:

• 92% start with at least one vendor in mind.
• 41% already have a preferred vendor selected before formal evaluation begins.
• 61% prefer a self-service, rep-free experience.

AI only adds to the complexity, as 91% of B2B buyers use generative AI during their buying process. If your content isn’t discoverable through AI engines, optimized for self-serve, and strategically mapped to each stakeholder’s concerns, you’re invisible at the exact moment buyers are building their shortlist.

Content Is Your Buyer Journey 

Buyers avoid sales conversations until the very end, or skip them altogether. That means your content is the majority of the sales experience. 

• 90% of B2B buyers say content has a moderate to major effect on their decisions.
• But only 29% of content marketers say their strategy is extremely or very effective.

That gap is missed revenue. Buyers don’t need another “Ultimate Guide to the Obvious.” They need content that:

• Answers hard questions
• Satisfies their objections
• Builds consensus across a complex buying committee
• De-risks their decision

If your content can’t do that, you’re giving competitors a chance to jump in and control the conversation.

What Today’s Buying Journey Really Looks Like 

Forget the old Awareness-Consideration-Decision model. The journey is messy, cross-channel, AI-assisted, and hard to track. 

Buyers may weave back and forth between stages, but this is the general progression they’re taking: 

1. Discovery
   They’re not looking for you yet; they are looking for answers. They’re asking ChatGPT, scrolling through LinkedIn, and seeing who’s quoted in publications they trust. Awareness campaigns, SEO, GEO, and executive visibility matter most here.

2. Research
   Once they know who you are, they want to know what you know. They read your blog, dig into playbooks, watch your YouTube videos, and follow you on social. Educational content that showcases expertise and builds trust is critical here.

3. Validation
   This is where you’ll either build preference or get cut from the shortlist. Are you worth the spend? Prove it with ROI calculators, customer stories, and sharp one pagers. If the content’s done right, they’ll use it to sell your solution internally.

4. Relationship
   Even if they’re not ready to buy, they’re still watching. Consistently delivering original and valuable insights through newsletters, nurture programs, social presence, and remarketing campaigns reinforces that you’re the team they want to work with.

5. Hand-Raising
   Finally, they want to talk. If you’ve done your job across the earlier stages, you’re the frontrunner. 

What Content Works in 2025? 

Content is not just assets; it’s a strategic weapon. In a world full of zero-click searches, AI summaries, and information overload, you need: 

• Memorable messaging that instantly differentiates your brand
• Useful educational content, not a sales pitch disguised as thought leadership
• Customer stories that highlight expertise in specific use cases and verticals
• ROI-focused content, like quantified case studies and testimonials
• Authentic executive POVs that show clear market leadership
• FAQs and competitor comparison pages that answer hard questions
• Unique experiences that AI can’t give them, like interactive tools

You’re Not Selling to One Person — You’re Selling to a Committee 

The average B2B buying committee involves 6-10 stakeholders. For enterprise deals, that number can jump to over a dozen. Each one is evaluating you through a different lens, and if your content isn’t tailored, you’ll lose out.

Here’s how to win: 

• The CEO needs strategic differentiation. Give them a sharp take on industry trends or a case study that highlights competitive advantage.
• The CFO needs cost justification. Give them an ROI calculator, a quantified case study, or a report that shows cost savings, efficiency gains, or revenue lift.
• The CTO/CIO needs technical assurance. Give them architecture deep dives, security validations, and testimonials from their peers.
• The Ops Lead needs to have confidence in the implementation. Give them step-by-step rollout guides and onboarding testimonials

Why Content Strategies Are Failing

Despite all of these changes in buyer behavior, too many B2B brands still default to random acts of content that:

1. Talk about your product, not the buyer’s pain. Lead with outcomes.
2. Ignore mid- and bottom-funnel content. That’s where deals are made.
3. Silo PR, SEO/GEO, content, and paid. They need to work in sync.

From Random Acts to Deliberate Growth

You won’t see every touchpoint, but you can influence them. With a deliberate, AI-aware, buyer-first content strategy, you can earn attention early, earn shortlist spots, and convert invisible interest into measurable pipeline.

At Firebrand, our senior experts help B2B tech brands ditch the random acts of content marketing. Our full-funnel, revenue-first content strategies break through noise.