The group at TopRank Advertising and marketing and our analysis companion Ascend2 are completely satisfied to announce the discharge of a brand new analysis report. Answer Engine: The State of B2B Thought Leadership in 2026.
View the complete model of the B2B Thought Management report under:
Get the PDF version of the report right here.
B2B entrepreneurs are feeling the stress to carry out throughout a time of uncertainty and AI-powered disruption. Thought management has risen as a key technique for manufacturers to distinguish, create belief and gasoline an engine of full funnel content material throughout conventional search and social media, generative search and trade media.
Whereas the notion of thought management is acquainted to most B2B entrepreneurs, many view the self-discipline via a restricted lens with out readability round techniques or measurement.
Why did we undertake new analysis into thought management? We’ve labored with our analysis companion Ascend2 on quite a few unique analysis initiatives for shoppers through the years. Our B2B advertising company has itself printed studies, weblog posts, movies and articles, engaged in media interviews and introduced at advertising conferences in a number of markets in North America and Western Europe primarily based on insights from our personal unique analysis.
We’ve seen firsthand the distinction in efficiency between establishment analysis studies and what we name “greatest reply” content material. There’s a notable distinction between content material that entails influencers vs. not, and when that content material is dynamic and experiential vs. when it’s not. We’ve additionally seen what occurs when thought management visibility is restricted to model channels and adverts vs. being seen in every single place the viewers may be influenced. Final, we’ve seen the challenges many B2B manufacturers expertise making an attempt to drag collectively disparate information sources to successfully measure multi-channel thought management content material.
Prime performers’ use of thought management as an engine of content material have been significantly efficient throughout instances of uncertainty as competitors for consideration will increase and curiosity in probably the most reliable sources and options accelerates.
Consideration is tougher than ever, however it’s not sufficient. Belief and perception are what serve the expectations of extra disciplined consumers.
Most B2B entrepreneurs have seen firsthand the rising significance of thought management for credibility with LLMs and Google in addition to with trade media, influencers and B2B audiences. To raised perceive that significance, we partnered with Ascend2 to additional examine the intersection of how B2B entrepreneurs are utilizing unique analysis to gasoline their thought management and the intersection with affect and content material.
We surveyed just below 800 B2B entrepreneurs within the U.S. and U.Ok. the place 81% have been in senior advertising management roles. B2B industries represented embrace expertise and software program, manufacturing, skilled providers, monetary providers, development and actual property, healthcare and advertising / promoting. We found that the worth and notion of thought management may be very excessive and but important gaps exist between prime performers and all others.
Key findings from The State of B2B Thought Management in 2026:
97% of B2B entrepreneurs say thought management is important to full-funnel success, and but solely 43% prolong it past acquisition to interact and retain prospects post-sale.
93% of B2B entrepreneurs utilizing unique analysis primarily based content material really feel that it’s efficient at driving engagement and leads. 48% really feel it is vitally efficient. Unique analysis is an important a part of efficient content material for advertising that builds belief throughout the customer journey.
74% who steadily collaborate with influencers report their research-based content material as very efficient vs. simply 29% of everybody else. Partnering with trade consultants provides credibility and distribution to thought management content material and doing so on an ongoing foundation can compound the affect.
78% of B2B entrepreneurs surveyed say interactive and experiential content material will increase repeat engagement, however solely 33% repeatedly construct it into their campaigns. This disconnect between perception and motion creates a chance for B2B manufacturers to raise attain, engagement and affect with content material as an expertise, not simply data.
32% of pros now uncover thought management via GenAI instruments. Discovery habits are adapting to new applied sciences, and AI search is reshaping how consumers discover and interact with experience.
Whereas there are gaps, there are additionally alternatives for B2B entrepreneurs to view unique analysis as an engine or a platform for content material that’s optimized for belief with trade consultants and optimized for expertise via codecs consumers usually tend to devour. The consequence? extremely differentiated, seen and trusted thought management content material that call makers are on the lookout for.
This 31 web page report is wealthy with insights and out of our evaluation of the information, the notion of an engine emerged as the right metaphor to introduce the six drivers of thought management content material success: the Reply Engine.
These drivers of the Reply Engine of most impactful thought management content material are: Information Knowledgeable, Built-in Technique, Belief System, Experiential Content material, Multi-Channel Visibility, and Full Funnel Analytics.
On prime of the analysis findings, the report additionally options insights from eight B2B advertising leaders who’ve deep experience within the space of thought management. Their contributions present context and validation of the findings round profitable thought management content material. From the significance of knowledge to the worth of multi-channel and experiential content material to unified measurement – every contribution highlights firsthand expertise that may gasoline your understanding of the Reply Engine.
Insights on Full Funnel Thought Management Content material from Prime B2B Entrepreneurs:
“Thought management requires information. It requires analysis. Some type of impartial or second or third-party analysis types the premise of the attitude. That analysis offers you the proof on your perspective and ensures it’s related to your viewers. With out that basis, you’re simply publishing opinion.
Efficient thought management combines credible information, analytical perception, and material experience to assist decision-makers make higher decisions. If we can assist executives make a greater enterprise determination utilizing the information and perception whereas being impartial of a services or products, that generates belief, authority and credibility, which lends itself to a future sale.”
Cindy Anderson
CMO, IBM Institute for Enterprise Worth
Co-author of The ROI of Thought Management
“In B2B, you’re constructing credibility with audiences who want proof to make choices. That’s why information issues. It grounds your perspective in actuality and provides your insights weight. However information alone isn’t sufficient. The actual ability is taking advanced analysis and distilling it into frameworks folks can really use. If you mix proof with clear, memorable concepts, you create thought management that doesn’t simply get observed, it will get utilized. That’s the way you construct authority that lasts.”
Ty Heath
Director, Market Engagement, at The B2B Institute,
LinkedIn
“With elevated competitors and stress to do extra with much less, many advertising groups are chasing outputs hoping that better quantity will yield better outcomes. However amount with out alignment can dilute affect. The best leaders join the dots to align model technique, purchaser intelligence, and channel execution round a unified narrative. When thought management turns into the platform that ties all of it collectively, each asset works tougher. My recommendation: combine. Plan content material initiatives that ship constant experiences throughout the shopper journey. Do this-and you’ll see stronger engagement, efficiency, and higher use of each advertising greenback.”
Janine Wegner
World Built-in Thought Management Strategist,
Dell Applied sciences
“Individuals can inform when content material was written by an individual who cares versus content material that was engineered to rank. Individuals also can inform when folks give their voice to AI. We’re surrounded by sameness proper now, so when an actual human voice comes via, when there’s empathy, curiosity, even vulnerability, that’s what cuts via. Thought management isn’t simply information or experience; it’s emotion with integrity connected to imaginative and prescient and path. It’s displaying folks there’s a human on the opposite facet who really offers a rattling.”
Brian Solis
Head of World Innovation,
ServiceNow
“Probably the most trusted thought management comes from folks and types that present up constantly with fact-based insights that assist readers suppose in a different way. Fairly than being targeted on a single publish or marketing campaign, it’s a few regular relationship constructed over time. When a model or chief communicates repeatedly, stands behind their content material, and focuses on educating slightly than promoting, that earns belief. Executives like myself worth proof, perspective, and consistency and I attempt to deliver that very same mindset to my very own work: transparency first, training all the time, backed by analysis from credible sources.”
Jeanne Hopkins
Vice President, Advertising and marketing
XTIUM
“It’s telling that just about half of entrepreneurs cite video, occasions, and interactive codecs as the simplest autos for thought management. Experiential content material brings concepts to life in a means that written codecs alone can’t. It engages a number of senses, creates emotional connection, and drives stronger recall. Whether or not it’s a brief video, an interactive information story, or a stay occasion, experiential content material builds belief and credibility in ways in which a whitepaper by no means might. It’s what turns perception into affect.”
Tequia Burt
Founder,
The Affect Lab
“Distinctive thought management calls for important time, price range, and assets. At Intuit Mailchimp we’re redefining our model as an knowledgeable in superior advertising methods. To try this, we anchor our activation round a core report, then construct an unlimited content material ecosystem to drive visitors and showcase insights. This calls for a coordinated push throughout owned, earned, paid, and gross sales channels to maximise our funding, encompassing every thing from zero-click social content material to webinars, podcasts, government bylines, and outbound gross sales performs. Sturdy thought management offers an insight-driven framework that fuels channels effectively past launch.”
Jillian Ryan
Senior Supervisor, Content material Advertising and marketing Technique,
Intuit Mailchimp
“Measuring the affect of thought management on advertising outcomes means understanding the way it advances consumers via the journey and impacts the KPIs that monitor their development. Probably the most mature thought management methods are built-in and multichannel, reaching audiences via unique analysis, collaborative movies, roundtables and interviews, media protection, digital and in-person interactions. Every format and channel produces information factors framed round metrics that every inform a part of the bigger story.
To show the worth of thought management and to floor insights for optimizations, two issues are essential: unified analytics and a measurement mannequin that interprets a number of indicators right into a cohesive view.”
Jane Bartel
Director, Search & Content material Advertising and marketing,
TopRank Advertising and marketing
We sincerely respect these B2B advertising leaders for sharing their views on thought management and the drivers that make up the Reply Engine.
For those who’re nonetheless questioning in regards to the report, listed here are a few of the most urgent questions on B2B thought management which might be answered:
How can B2B entrepreneurs make their thought management seen and credible in an AI-driven search world?
Entrepreneurs are seeing AI instruments like ChatGPT and Perplexity change how consumers uncover experience. The analysis reveals tips on how to make thought management content material discoverable and trusted inside generative AI outcomes – via credible information, knowledgeable voices, and optimized multi-channel distribution.
What do top-performing B2B thought management applications do in a different way from everybody else?
The very best-ROI groups use unique analysis throughout each stage of the funnel and collaborate steadily with influencers to amplify credibility. Their methods are built-in, data-informed, and designed to drive measurable enterprise outcomes, not simply engagement.
How ought to entrepreneurs steadiness AI-generated content material with unique analysis to construct belief and authority?
Whereas AI improves effectivity, 67% of entrepreneurs say unique analysis stays extra useful for belief and credibility. The report outlines tips on how to use AI for scale – with out shedding the authenticity and authority that human-led, research-backed insights ship.
Why is it so laborious to show the ROI of content material and thought management – and the way can we repair it?
Entrepreneurs cite measurement gaps, useful resource constraints, and weak cross-team collaboration as prime causes of underperformance. The report reveals how unified analytics and built-in planning flip fragmented information into readability about what’s working and the place to speculate.
How can B2B manufacturers stand out and construct belief in an oversaturated content material market?
With 71% saying engagement is tougher than ever, most entrepreneurs know they want stronger differentiation however few are investing within the experiences that earn consideration. The research highlights how belief, originality, and experiential content material reduce via the noise.
How can thought management drive outcomes past consciousness via the complete buyer journey?
Most entrepreneurs cease at top-of-funnel content material, however prime performers use thought management to assist consideration, conversion, and post-sale loyalty. The analysis reveals how making use of analysis and influencer credibility at each stage improves retention and ROI.
Which content material codecs and channels nonetheless work for B2B engagement and which of them are fading away?
Electronic mail and search engine optimisation are shedding traction as audiences shift to interactive, video, and stay codecs. The report uncovers the place B2B consumers really devour thought management right now and the way entrepreneurs can realign channels for max visibility and belief.
I invite you to learn the totally accessible and un-gated report embedded above.
For those who’d prefer to obtain a PDF model of the Reply Engine Thought Management report, you can get that here. Together with the PDF version of Reply Engine, we’ll additionally observe up with a replica of our new Greatest Reply Advertising and marketing playbook (in PDF format) that pulls collectively the 6 drivers of the Reply Engine and offers a blueprint for placing them into motion.
A HUGE THANKS to our analysis companion Ascend2 for his or her work in serving to design and subject the survey in addition to the preliminary evaluation. And one other HUGE THANKS to Jake and Theresa from the TopRank Advertising and marketing group for his or her superb work on making this report and playbook come to life.
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