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I’ve Been Flattening Our Writing for AI Search. I’m Not Sure It Was Right

I’ve Been Flattening Our Writing for AI Search. I’m Not Sure It Was Right

Key takeaways: We changed the way we write because AI search guidance told us to. We flattened introductions, front-loaded answers and organized content so machines could quote it cleanly. The writing became easier to extract and harder to recognize as ours. That raised a question we can’t shake: Did we improve the reading experience or […]
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How the B2B Content Review Process Kills Good Writing

How the B2B Content Review Process Kills Good Writing

Key takeaways: B2B content isn’t boring because of the topic. It becomes boring during the review process, where each edit strips out the opinions, specifics and examples that make it worth reading. The result of a bloated B2B content review process is drivel that nobody remembers, buyers who see hedging as a warning sign and […]
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How to Measure Thought Leadership ROI

How to Measure Thought Leadership ROI

Key takeaways: Thought leadership ROI goes far beyond likes, impressions and website traffic. The most effective measurement strategy tracks awareness, buyer engagement and revenue together, giving marketing leaders a clear view of the business results. When you also measure the value generated for every hour your experts invest, you gain the evidence you need to […]
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Why More CEOs See Marketing as a Cost Center

Why More CEOs See Marketing as a Cost Center

Key takeaways: The marketing cost-center problem is old, but it’s accelerating. The share of CEOs who see marketing as a cost rather than a profit center jumped from 35% to 60% in one year. The cause is measurement. Only 13% of CEOs feel confident that marketing can show financial benefits, and producing more content with […]
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The Double AI Lie: You’re Losing Time and Your Edge

The Double AI Lie: You’re Losing Time and Your Edge

Key takeaways: AI and critical thinking have an increasingly complicated relationship. Research shows that heavy reliance on AI can reduce critical thinking, weaken independent judgment and make ideas more alike. AI can help with efficiency, but marketers still need to question assumptions, challenge outputs and focus on original thinking. AI has incredible power and potential, […]
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The Lab Results Are Fine: When B2B Marketing Data Hides a Sick System

The Lab Results Are Fine: When B2B Marketing Data Hides a Sick System

Key takeaways: Healthy B2B marketing data can make a broken system look fine. Isolated metrics, such as organic traffic, cost per click and lead volume, can hide problems with buyer intent, sales trust and pipeline movement. When sales cycles exceed historical norms or sales teams stop trusting marketing leads, marketing teams need to look at […]
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Why AI Is Ignoring Your B2B Customer Case Studies

Why AI Is Ignoring Your B2B Customer Case Studies

Key takeaways: When B2B customer case studies bury customer problems and measurable results beneath company background and product details, AI systems can’t identify the information buyers need. As a result, many case studies never appear in AI-generated answers. Most B2B customer case studies make it hard to identify the problem, the solution and the results. […]
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The Thought Leader’s Shortcut: Build a Content Bank From 1 Asset

The Thought Leader’s Shortcut: Build a Content Bank From 1 Asset

Key takeaways: Break one anchor asset into a Content Bank of articles, social posts, carousels, videos and sales tools. Use a content repurposing strategy and employee advocacy to distribute those assets and support a 90-day, multichannel campaign. This allows you to reach buyers throughout their research process. In the last Expert-Led Content Engine article, we […]
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The Trust Gap: Why Human Content Wins in an AI Market

The Trust Gap: Why Human Content Wins in an AI Market

Key takeaways: Human-first content in B2B is grounded in experience, a clear point of view and informed judgment. It helps buyers build trust before they with speak with sales. For years at The Simons Group, our North Star has been “content-first.” It’s how we keep the focus where it belongs: on the message rather than […]
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Stop Asking Experts to Write: The Two-Touchpoint Content Workflow

Stop Asking Experts to Write: The Two-Touchpoint Content Workflow

Key takeaways: A two-touchpoint content workflow concentrates expert involvement into two focused moments that support speed, cost discipline and buyer expectations. By structuring participation around an input session and an accuracy review, organizations share insights while buyers are evaluating options. In addition, this workflow reduces inefficient use of expert time, supports consistent execution and aligns […]
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An image showing small gears represents alignment in B2B sales and marketing teams.

From Silos to Synergy: How to Unite B2B Sales and Marketing

Many business-to-business (B2B) leaders struggle with sales and marketing alignment, even when they think these teams work well together. The data tells a different story. Forrester found that 65% of sales and marketing staff see a disconnect between their departments’ leaders. That gap creates real problems: lost deals, employee turnover

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An image of a man on a ladder looking through a pair of binoculars symbolizes the importance of content hubs in a zero-click search world.

Content Hubs Matter More Than Ever in Zero-Click Search

Here’s an unexpected truth: As Google answers more questions in search results, B2B content hubs matter more – not less. Basic info gets stuck in zero-click results, but in-depth, well-connected hubs still shine. Think of it this way: If someone can get a quick answer without clicking, they probably didn’t

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A woman standing in front of a presentation screen represents how important it is to share marketing ROI with stakeholders.

Turn Marketing ROI Into a Story That Matters

In B2B marketing, showing the value of your efforts is essential. Tracking numbers is important, but the real win comes when you explain what they mean. Marketing ROI stories help stakeholders see how your efforts support the business. Tailor your marketing ROI message to each audience Understand your audience and

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A woman with her fingers showing a zero illustrates that zero-click marketing isn't just another digital trend.

The End of the Click? A Quick Guide to Zero-Click Marketing

Have you ever typed a question into Google and found the answer instantly – without clicking a single link? That’s zero-click marketing in action. But what does it mean, and why does it matter to you? What is zero-click marketing? Simply put, zero-click marketing is about delivering information or experiences

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An image of a sloth represents how a slow website can affect user experience and search rankings.

Don’t Let a Slow Website Crush Your Business

Google is prioritizing website speed in a push to improve user experience. As a result, if your site doesn’t load within 2 seconds, you could be losing customers and lagging in search results. A slow website is frustrating for visitors, and delays of just a few seconds can cause them

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An image of a person walking on a long road represents the power of long-form content in B2B marketing.

B2B Long-Form Content Isn’t Dead. It’s Essential

Here we go again. Every two or three years, some marketer declares [fill in the blank] is dead on arrival. And the proclamation spreads like wildfire. This time, B2B long-form content is supposedly 6 feet under. Long-form content refers to detailed blog posts, articles, reports and other pieces that are

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An image of a clock represents how much time gen AI can save when working on technical writing.

Simplify Technical Writing With Gen AI (+ Sample Prompts)

You don’t need a Ph.D. to conquer technical writing. However, if your content covers specific products, you’ll need deep product knowledge. The goal is to make complicated information accessible and clear for a broad audience, including readers who don’t have technical backgrounds. This post will show you how to simplify

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Three people rock climbing together represent trust in B2B marketing.

Trust or Bust: B2B Marketing’s Greatest Asset

Trust in governments, businesses and media is in rapid free fall. Misinformation, disinformation and distortion add fuel to growing skepticism and erosion of credibility. Edelman’s most recent trust barometer underscores this point. Of 32,492 respondents in 28 countries, more than half said journalists, and government and business leaders are purposely

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A screenshot of the LinkedIn logo on a laptop represents the importance of having an active B2B LinkedIn page.

Reboot Your B2B LinkedIn Page for 2025 Success

Your B2B LinkedIn page is chock-full of valuable, relevant content, right? Even better, the platform is key in your marketing strategy. “What page?” you ask. “I forgot we had one.” If your business’s LinkedIn page is staler than last week’s leftovers, it’s time for a revamp. LinkedIn is the world’s

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