Elevate B2B Marketing News: B2B Thought Leadership Survey, Top B2B CMO Priorities, Google’s New Trends Portal, & HubSpot Adds AI

B2B Decision-Makers Value Research and Data in Thought Leadership Content
51 percent of B2B marketers have said thought leadership content that is quick and easily-absorbed provides the greatest value, with 49 percent pointing to thought leadership that references robust research with supporting data — two of several findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in recently-released survey data. MarketingCharts

[bctt tweet=”“In tough times, B2B thought leadership is your key advantage.” — Alexandra Rynne of @LinkedIn” username=”toprank”]

B2B marketplaces refine their expansion strategies
B2B marketplaces such as Amazon Business have shifted strategies in 2023, including greater use of machine learning (ML) applications and artificial intelligence (AI), propelling the industry to annualized sales topping $25 billion, with estimates expecting continued growth that will reach $80 billion by 2025, according to newly-published report data. Digital Commerce 360

The Top Priorities of CMOs at Enterprise B2B Firms
46 percent of enterprise B2B organization chief marketing officers have said that developing technology strategy is the top marketing technology priority that will be faced over the next 18 months, with 41 percent noting the enhancement of data capabilities, while 40 percent said expanding the existing marketing technology stack — three of numerous findings of interest to digital marketers contained in recently-published survey data. MarketingProfs

HubSpot debuts ChatSpot generative AI tool
HubSpot has introduced an alpha release version of ChatSpot — the firm’s new generative AI tool that combines a variety of HubSpot and third-party AI technology including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and image-generation tool DALL-E 2, all aimed at augmenting functionality within HubSpot’s customer relationship management (CRM) offerings, HubSpot recently announced. MarTech

Shopify sees renewed interest from B-to-B merchants
Traditionally aimed solely at B2C merchants, Shopify — with gross merchandise value (GMV) of $61 billion during the fourth quarter — has continued its expansion into the B2B sector with its B2B on Shopify and other offerings, attracting a growing number of purely B2B brands, while BigCommerce has made similar moves, as Modern Retail explores. Modern Retail

Amazon Business App Adds Purchase Reconciliation Tool for B2B Buyers
B2B buyers who use the Amazon Business mobile app can now use its three-way match option previously only available to desktop and handheld scanner users, in a move aimed at helping accounts payable and procurement teams at B2B firms, Amazon Business recently announced. PYMNTS

Google launches new Google Trends portal
Search giant Google has rolled out a revised interface for Google Trends — its trend-surfacing utility for discovering how various search terms have changed in popularity over time — now including links to relevant news articles and more frequent trend data updates, among other additions, Google recently announced. Search Engine Land

Fifty-Eight Percent Of Enterprise Marketers Plan To Use AI For SEO, Study Finds
Just 10 percent of enterprise marketers have said that they currently combine AI and search engine optimization (SEO) when it comes to creating content, while 58 percent expect to use AI as a part of their organization’s SEO efforts during 2023 — two of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released survey data. MediaPost

Microsoft aims to reduce “tedious” business tasks with new AI tools
Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 business management platform, Power Platform developer tool, and AI Builder product have all received updates that incorporate Microsoft’s specific flavor of ChatGPT generative AI technology, as the firm seeks to reinvent its productivity offerings with AI, Microsoft recently announced. Ars Technica

The Future Of Human Agency, Give Or Take 12 Years
56 percent of technology experts have said that they predict humans will no longer control key areas of decision-making by 2035, while some 44 percent noted that by 2035 smart machines and similar AI-infused systems will incorporate technology necessary for humans to control most technology-aided decision-making, according to newly-published Pew Research Center survey data of interest to digital marketers. MediaPost

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

A lighthearted look at “Marketing Planning” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

AI Chatbot Obviously Trying To Wind Down Conversation With Boring Human — The Onion

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden — Be Bold, Be Empathetic, Lean into New Ideas: Lessons Learned at B2B Marketing Exchange (B2BMX) 2023 — Integrate
• TopRank Marketing — Four B2B Digital Marketing Predictions For 2023 — Forbes

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:

Oli Gardner @oligardner
Gemma Davies @gdavies2
Charlie Riley @Charlieriley
Joe Chernov @jchernov
Masha Finkelstein @masha3003

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Thanks for joining us for the Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope you’ll return again next Friday for another round-up of the most up-to-date and relevant B2B and digital marketing industry news. In the meantime, you can follow us on our LinkedIn page, or at @toprank on Twitter for even more timely daily news.

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