MarketMagnetix Media Group Insights

I’ve watched B2B marketers pour thousands of hours into content that nobody wants. Meticulously crafted white papers gathering digital dust. Blog posts optimized for search engines but abandoned after 8 seconds. Social media updates that employees won’t even engage with.

This disconnect isn’t surprising when you consider that 68% of people feel brands fail to share relevant or interesting content. That’s not just a gap – it’s a canyon between what we produce and what our audiences crave.

The problem isn’t a lack of effort. It’s that we’ve been optimizing for the wrong things.

We’ve Been Playing Two Different Games

For years, B2B marketers have treated content creation as a technical exercise. We’ve chased algorithms, keywords, and “best practices” that promise visibility. But in this pursuit of technical perfection, we’ve engineered the humanity right out of our content.

I realized this when my team launched what we thought was a flawless campaign. Every SEO box checked. Every platform best practice implemented. The analytics looked decent enough – impressions, clicks, even some conversions.

But when I actually talked to customers, they couldn’t remember a single thing about our content. It had become perfectly forgettable.

The challenge we face isn’t choosing between algorithmic performance and human connection. It’s figuring out how to achieve both simultaneously.

The Gen-Z Wake-Up Call

If there’s one group forcing B2B brands to reconsider their approach, it’s the rising generation of young professionals entering decision-making roles. They’ve grown up in a world where content is currency, authenticity is expected, and corporate speak is immediately tuned out.

For them, the line between B2B and B2C content doesn’t exist. They expect workplace content to meet the same standards as what they consume in their personal lives: authentic, value-driven, and genuinely interesting.

I recently watched a Gen-Z marketing manager reject a vendor partnership that her executive team favored – not because the solution was inadequate, but because their content felt “fake and corporate.” When I asked her to elaborate, she explained: “If they can’t communicate authentically with me before I buy, why would I expect better treatment afterward?”

Her decision wasn’t irrational. It was prescient.

Employee Advocacy: Your Untapped Content Engine

The most powerful solution I’ve seen to this authenticity crisis is surprisingly simple: let your employees speak.

Employee advocacy has emerged as one of the most effective ways to humanize B2B brands. When content comes from real people rather than brand accounts, something remarkable happens: engagement rates climb, trust increases, and the algorithmic rewards follow naturally.

I’ve analyzed dozens of B2B companies that implemented structured employee advocacy programs, and the results consistently show 5-7x higher engagement compared to the same content shared through corporate channels.

Why does this approach work for both humans and algorithms?

• Algorithms favor content that generates authentic engagement
• Human audiences trust individuals more than corporate entities
• Personal networks typically contain more relevant connections
• Employee expertise adds credibility and depth

The challenge, of course, is implementation. Many organizations struggle with providing the structure, resources, and permission employees need to become effective advocates.

Balancing Act. Human-First, Algorithm-Aware

Creating content that works for both audiences requires a fundamental shift in approach. Rather than starting with SEO keywords or platform best practices, start with human questions and needs. What keeps your customers up at night? What makes them curious? What would make their jobs easier?

From there, layer in algorithmic considerations as a secondary filter. This inversion of the traditional process leads to dramatically different content – material that stands out rather than blends in.

I call this the “human-first, algorithm-aware” approach, and it works because it acknowledges an essential truth: algorithms ultimately serve human preferences. They’re designed to surface content that people actually want.

When we create for algorithms first, we’re optimizing for an outdated version of what platforms think humans want. When we create for humans first, we’re often ahead of algorithmic updates.

B2C Tactics That Belong in Your B2B Strategy

The artificial boundary between B2B and B2C content is crumbling, and smart marketers are borrowing tactics from consumer brands to enliven their business content:

Storytelling that centers on individuals rather than companies. The “hero’s journey” of a single customer often resonates more than aggregate case studies.

Value-based positioning that connects to personal and professional identities. Buyers increasingly want to work with companies that reflect their values.

Visual content that breaks from corporate templates. Stock photos and rigid branded layouts signal inauthenticity to modern audiences.

Personality-driven thought leadership. Subject matter experts who bring their full personalities to their expertise build larger, more engaged audiences.

These approaches work because they recognize that every B2B buyer is still a human making human decisions. They may use logical frameworks and ROI calculations, but their impressions and trust are formed through the same mechanisms as any other relationship.

AI is Enhancing Humanity, Not Replacing It

Many marketers worry that AI will make B2B content even more sterile and algorithmic. I’ve found the opposite to be true when AI is used thoughtfully.

AI can handle the algorithmic optimization, freeing human creators to focus on the uniquely human elements of content – original insights, authentic perspective, and creative approaches.

The most effective B2B content teams I’ve observed use AI as a collaboration tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. They leverage AI for research, structure, and optimization while preserving human judgment for tone, perspective, and strategic decisions.

This collaborative approach produces content that satisfies both masters – the algorithmic requirements for visibility and the human needs for relevance and authenticity.

Starting From Scratch

If you’re looking at your current B2B content strategy and feeling the gap between what you’re creating and what your audience wants, consider this reset approach:

First, talk to actual customers – not about your content, but about their information needs and preferences. What sources do they trust? How do they prefer to consume information?

Second, audit your existing content for signs of corporate speak, excessive jargon, and “safe” messaging that says nothing. Be ruthless in identifying where you’ve sacrificed clarity for conformity.

Third, identify the authentic voices within your organization. Who naturally communicates with clarity and personality? These people – regardless of their role – should become your content anchors.

Finally, develop a measurement framework that balances algorithmic metrics (visibility, traffic) with human impact (engagement quality, feedback, sales team reports).

The path to content that works for both humans and algorithms isn’t found in any marketing playbook. It requires constant experimentation, genuine curiosity about your audience, and the courage to sound different from your competitors.

This balanced approach takes more effort than optimizing for algorithms alone. But it’s the only sustainable path forward for B2B marketers who want their content to actually matter to the humans they’re trying to reach.

The brands that understand this will find themselves in an enviable position: creating content that algorithms reward because humans genuinely value it. That’s the virtuous cycle every B2B marketer should be aiming for.

And it starts by remembering the simple truth that on the other side of every algorithm is a person hoping to find something worth their time.