5 New Rules for Reaching B2B Buyers in the Age of AI and Short-Form Video

With traditional SEO, ads, and buyer behavior all in flux, Reed Hansen joined us on the B2B Influence Podcast to offer a timely roadmap for turning disruption into measurable results. As Chief Growth Officer at Market Surge, Reed offered practical, forward-looking advice on how B2B organizations can cut through the noise and turn digital spend into scalable growth.

Below are the five critical lessons he shared that reinforce a truth I see every day with our clients at OMI: scalable growth comes from precision, not guesswork:

1. Rethink SEO and Embrace Short-Form Video

Reed emphasized the seismic shifts in digital discovery. Traditional SEO tactics have been upended by Google’s knowledge snippets and the rise of AI-driven search. Meanwhile, younger audiences are bypassing Google altogether and heading straight to ChatGPT.

For B2B marketers, this means two things:

• Invest in short-form video. Platforms like TikTok have normalized quick, authentic content—and even business audiences expect this format.
• Answer the right questions. Think in terms of long-tail queries: What specific problems does your business solve? How would a decision-maker phrase that in a search or chat window? Content that anticipates these questions will win visibility.

2. Humanize Campaigns with a Face and a Voice

We agreed that adding the human element is no longer optional. As Reed pointed out, even something as simple as a thumbnail from a video in an email can make the content feel “weightier” and more personal.

In B2B, where 70% of buyers are now millennials, human connection is critical. Buyers want information on their own terms—often consuming 80% of what they need before speaking with sales. Video, authentic storytelling, and thought leadership from executives are essential tools for building that trust early.

3. Build Data-Backed Audience Profiles—Then Test Them

Reed’s advice on audience targeting was clear: start with hard data (demographics, job level, company size) and layer in qualitative insights (psychographics, communication preferences). The goal is to develop detailed customer profiles that guide content and channel decisions.

But he also warned against assumptions. Even within the same functional role, responses can vary widely. Testing is the safeguard. As Reed shared, one IT campaign split evenly between two creative approaches—proving the danger of treating all buyers with a single brushstroke.

4. Leverage Behavioral Data and Intent Signals

One of the most compelling parts of our conversation was Reed’s explanation of “surge audiences.” By capturing behavioral signals—like searches for long-tail keywords in the past 48 hours—marketers can identify prospects in active buying cycles.

We discussed how overlaying these signals with firmographics and using tools like geofencing around industry events can dramatically improve outcomes. In fact, Reed has seen campaigns where behavioral data cut acquisition costs in half.

My own experience mirrors this: when we add intent signals to email or programmatic campaigns, engagement often doubles. For a recent client campaign, the use of intent signals increased our response rate to 23%. When we overlayed more robust data on top of that, in this case—advertising spend data—results climbed to 35%. Go here to read more.

5. Simplify the Funnel and Prioritize Good Data

Finally, Reed cautioned against overcomplicating funnels. Many organizations design 10–12 step processes that reflect internal workflows rather than the customer’s actual decision journey.

His advice:

• Boil it down to four core stages—contact, consideration, evaluation, and decision.
• Monitor conversion rates between each stage to spot weak links.
• Above all, ensure you have clean, complete sales data in one view. Without it, funnel optimization is impossible.

Good data, he stressed, is the foundation of any scalable growth strategy.

Looking Ahead: AI + Critical Thinking

When I asked Reed what B2B marketers can’t afford to ignore over the next two years, his answer was simple: AI adoption—paired with critical thinking.

It’s not enough to chat with an AI tool. Marketers need to connect data across systems, chain applications, and synthesize insights into strategies. At the same time, we must resist the temptation to outsource thinking entirely. The human ability to creatively solve problems will remain our ultimate competitive edge – that, along with a focus on our customers. Reed summed it up best when he said, “You always need to think customer first.” That principle hasn’t changed—but how we act on it certainly has.

You can listen to the full episode with Reed here. We also invite you to connect with our team at request@outwardmedia.com to arrange a one-on-one conversation about using real data to achieve real results and invaluable reach to real people. At OMI, we provide the highest quality, most accurate audience data to fuel engaged, integrated, omni-channel campaigns.