Advertising Aikido: How 3 Consultants Flip B2B Challenges Int…

Information with out context is ineffective. 

Whereas I’m exceptionally happy with the work we do with our annual B2B consumption report, I acknowledge there’s extra to be completed in truly respiratory context into the insights, statistics, findings, and even suggestions we offer.

That’s why, firstly of this summer season, I invited three of B2B advertising’s boldest thinkers: Andy Crestodina, Mark Schaefer, and Zontee Hou to speak about how their very own revealed work in contrast and contrasted with NetLine’s 2025 content material consumption knowledge and what it means for entrepreneurs making an attempt to maneuver the needle.

The result’s a pointy, fast-moving dialog that may be seen in its entirety right here:
The 2025 State of B2B Content material Consumption: Inspecting B2B Advertising with Andy Crestodina, Mark Schaefer, and Zontee Hou

This text options a few of my favourite takeaways from the panel.

The B2B Consumption Paradox: Ship Worth Sooner

Going into the dialog, I already knew we had one main space to cowl first. 

I’ve written about it many occasions, however right here is the gist:

• Curiosity is excessive. 
  • NetLine noticed ~8M content material registrations in 2024 (+27% YoY).
• Engagement is delayed. 
  • On common, 38.5 hours move between content material request and consumption.

Patrons are elevating their fingers, however they’re not performing immediately. It tells us curiosity (and presumably even intent) exists, however urgency doesn’t. It additionally tells us that worth delayed is worth diminished.

That delay—what we name the Consumption Hole—is our enemy and our alternative. 

So how will we take that delay and switch it into momentum?

Takeaway: Shorten time-to-value.

That is the place advertising aikido is available in: redirecting the client’s power to our benefit.

Patrons are curious however busy. When there’s practically a 39-hour delay between obtain and determination, silence kills momentum. Content material should be positioned not simply to draw consideration, however to be instantly actionable.

Zontee Hou emphasised the significance of delivering practical content material rapidly. Skip the 20-minute demo ask. 

Suppose: dopamine hit, not PDF archive. If you happen to ship speedy perception, you’re a part of the client’s subsequent transfer, not yesterday’s noise.

To Gate or To not Gate?

Andy pushed us additional: Why gate in any respect if you happen to’re not utilizing the information?

From NetLine’s perspective, we actually need your greatest content material to be gated. However we aren’t zealots about it. 

Think about ungating your skimmable model. Share it throughout your social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn. This manner, you’ll be able to ship quick and nurture later.

It’s value noting that Andy is an advocate for gated content material. Orbit Media’s 2021 analysis proves this.

Don’t hate the gate.

Do you have got an issue with gated content material?
Do you assume your guests don’t like them?

Really entrepreneurs are extra squeamish about gated content material than guests!

This can be a preview. Full report goes stay subsequent week… pic.twitter.com/GoYes0RBV1

— Andy Crestodina (@crestodina) March 17, 2021

That concept echoes among the philosophies Jay Baer espoused in his 2013 e book, Youtility:
“If you happen to promote one thing, you make a buyer at this time, however if you happen to genuinely assist somebody, you create a buyer for all times.” In Baer’s framing, advertising needs to be “so helpful, individuals would pay for it.” 

Meaning freely giving your greatest insights with out concern. We do that with all the things we gate, too. Simply because probably the most invaluable items get externalized doesn’t erode the worth of the asset.

Not all the things must be hidden behind a type. Generally, the quickest technique to earn belief is to let the worth movement freely.

Mark added a tactical be aware: deal with the primary 24 hours as sacred. Worth decays rapidly. If a prospect downloaded your information yesterday, they’re nonetheless desirous about you at this time. 

Tomorrow? Possibly not. Tomorrow’s duties outweigh yesterday’s yearnings. 

Reply with relevance earlier than they neglect they even registered.

Format Indicators Intent—And Shapes It

Codecs are extra than simply containers during which your content material lives and is delivered. To the groups paying consideration, they’re important sources of indicators. 

Patrons typically make snap judgments primarily based on what a format guarantees. If you happen to don’t consider that, then take note of the way you eat the subsequent time you request third-party content material.

It’s why eBooks nonetheless dominate demand (53% of all downloads, +71% YoY), however playbooks are 115% extra probably to correlate with a shopping for determination. An eBook carries little (perceived) dedication. Playbooks, nevertheless, even in identify, really feel like they assign intent. 

As Andy put it, “eBooks sound like homework. Guides sound helpful.”

It’s value noting right here that the primary time Andy reviewed NetLine’s 2025 report, his response was, “I’m actually shocked to see the curiosity in ebooks. Individuals need ebooks greater than guides or webinars?”

I undoubtedly agree with Andy about Guides. And earlier than I started working at NetLine, I in all probability would have agreed with him about eBooks, too. Now figuring out how entrepreneurs and the overall B2B inhabitants sees the format, nevertheless, it’s clear that the general public sees eBooks as a basic content material format.

Merely goes to indicate that no matter what we expect (and even what a separate set of information shares), our personal experiences and perceptions will all the time take precedent. 

Takeaway: Rename and restructure to affect conduct.

In case your eBook is performing, nice. However don’t shrink back from testing it as a Information or a Playbook. 

The format isn’t what really issues; it’s about what it implies. A “playbook” indicators route and actionability. An “eBook” is a cardboard field that could possibly be completely something. Naming alone can set off curiosity and make clear worth.

Construct development into your content material:

• eBook → Information → Playbook → Case Examine

Every asset turns into a checkpoint, guiding the client towards extra severe consideration. Don’t neglect sharable bridges: infographics constantly outperform for socialization and inside distribution. They remodel passive downloaders into lively evangelists.

That is additionally the place Andy’s Content material Chemistry comes alive. 

His “Periodic Desk of Content material” reminds us that each piece serves a unique operate.

Some codecs entice (reminiscent of weblog posts, infographics, and movies), others work together (like guides, webinars, and playbooks), and others convert (together with case research, demos, and ROI calculators). 

The cruel actuality is that there isn’t a “greatest” format or one assured to transform. No such magic bullet exists.

You’ll be able to, nevertheless, sequence codecs in order that the specified response (closed-won enterprise) takes place. When all goes proper (ideally), an eBook attracts a reader in, a Information clarifies, a Playbook drives motion, and a Case Examine seals conviction. 

By this lens, codecs are much less about deliverables and extra about chain reactions. Every asset ought to join logically to the subsequent, constructing momentum via a pure content material chemistry that shapes intent and accelerates outcomes.

Personalization = Usefulness + Context

Keep in mind when personalization meant seeing your first identify on an e-mail? These have been the times… 

Immediately, personalization is about relevance in motion. It’s the deliberate mirroring of the intent indicators offered to a enterprise and that enterprise answering the implied query of each consumer they want to interact: “What’s in it for me?”

Gathering intent indicators through form-fills is a good way to find out what must be in it for “them.”

However it needs to be used correctly.

As Andy shared earlier, his query of, “Why gate in any respect if you happen to’re not utilizing the information?” is one which Zontee fairly agrees with. She was a bit extra blunt, nevertheless.

“If type knowledge doesn’t change the expertise,” she mentioned, “you’re accumulating friction, not perception. Each discipline you ask for ought to translate into a wiser, extra related follow-up.”

For instance, let’s say you’re constructing follow-up paths by function:

• C-Suite → Motion memos
• Particular person Contributors → Worksheets, inside sell-in kits

This isn’t a tactic; it’s a service. It reveals consumers you have been listening. 

Mark warned: “Personalization has turn out to be impersonal.” Use knowledge to be useful, not creepy. Andy added: if you happen to’re not utilizing what you acquire to form what comes subsequent, you’re simply adorning emails with dynamic fields.

Right here’s a template value stealing: “You downloaded the [Topic] Information — right here’s a 5-minute model to transient your VP.”

To Differentiate, Be Audacious

The quantity of AI content material has outpaced its relevance. 

AI-related consumption grew 186% in 2024. However generic “AI for everybody” content material is fading. 

Patrons are within the “So what?” part, the place relevant, job-specific use instances matter.

Takeaway #1: Give attention to roles and workflows.

Zontee reminded us that probably the most invaluable use instances aren’t about ChatGPT prompts. As an alternative, content material ought to stay a utility, permitting shoppers to do their jobs higher in live performance with AI. 

“It’s gonna be about among the skills to synthesize info, analyze info, automate info, take info that exists, and make it extra accessible to our audiences,” she mentioned. “And I believe actually educating your viewers about what does that really, particularly imply for you—that’s the place our energy can come from.”

Andy underscored specificity: “AI for RevOps Managers in Fintech” isn’t too area of interest. Granularity breaks via. “Patrons don’t wish to examine the way forward for AI, they wish to know what AI means for subsequent Tuesday.”

Mark’s recommendation was to not coast on early traction. When the machine by no means stops, we, too, might want to preserve iterating and updating always. 

“The primary drawback we’ve is consciousness,” he mentioned. “Even high-quality content material is tougher to get observed.” The half-life of first-mover benefit is shrinking.

In case your content material doesn’t provoke curiosity, stress, or curiosity, it’s invisible. Mark refers to this because the Audacity Index. Competence alone doesn’t win consideration anymore. Originality does.

In the end, Mark shared that he wrote Audacious as a result of he needs companies to cease being ignorable.

Takeaway #2: Do what AI can’t.

As Andy shared, AI can’t produce authentic knowledge. It will possibly’t take a stand. Till it could possibly, this stays our benefit. A viewpoint is what makes content material each memorable and defensible.

Zontee advised mining your individual aggregated knowledge. Flip inside insights into market-ready content material, reminiscent of Spotify Wrapped. It doesn’t have to be massive; it simply must be proprietary.

Mark’s closing problem: break one thing. The narrative. The format. The voice. Memorable doesn’t require an enormous funds, however it does require nerve. 

NetLine, as an example, vans round a 300-pound mascot to B2B occasions throughout the nation. Why? Nicely, as a result of it’s enjoyable, actually, however extra so as a result of it’s about resonance, originality, and affect.

Disrupt expectations in small however significant methods.

The right way to Create Your Personal Momentum

Phew. There’s quite a bit to digest right here. So, what comes subsequent?

Right here’s a technique to pressure-test these concepts immediately that you just and your workforce can start within the subsequent two weeks. 

Week 1: Reframe the Core

Begin with one top-performing asset and run an experiment to see how far you’ll be able to stretch it.

• Repackage that asset right into a Playbook with a 60-second skim model.
• Add one fast POV perception — even a single chart or stat works.
• Write two role-based follow-ups: Executives and Particular person Contributors.

Week 2: Layer It Out

• Create a visible bridge from the identical content material (infographic, flowchart, or worksheet).
• Hyperlink it ahead by pointing to a related case research or purchaser’s information.
• Measure three indicators on this asset:
  • How lengthy till first engagement (24–48 hours)
  • Position-fit replies (Executives vs. Particular person Contributor)
  • Format shift (What number of customers adopted from eBook → Playbook?)

Why This Works

As an alternative of making extra content material, you’re studying extra from the content material you have already got. 

By stretching one asset throughout codecs and roles, you’ll be able to see the place friction exists, which variations pull consumers ahead, and the way effectively personalization lands. It’s momentum you’ll be able to repeat each quarter.

Remaining Thought

From generic to particular, from protected to daring, from passive to proactive, constructing momentum in fashionable advertising isn’t merely about marketing campaign optimization. It requires a mindset shift, as an alternative; giving your viewers one thing they didn’t anticipate however all the time wanted.

If you package deal with precision, lead with relevance, personalize with care, and publish with braveness, you don’t simply interact — you earn consideration.

The market doesn’t want extra content material. It wants content material that strikes. Momentum belongs to the entrepreneurs keen to earn it.

Or as Mark Schaefer put it: “Consciousness is the large subject… It doesn’t should be costly, however it needs to be slightly audacious.”

Particular thanks as soon as once more to our panelists, Andy, Mark, and Zontee. You will discover their newest revealed works beneath: