From Agility to Authority: Four Lessons for Smarter B2B Marketing

What You'll Learn

• How to maximize your PR ROI by integrating AI-driven analytics and reputation management tools.
• The importance of building brand authority and demand generation, even with tight budgets.
• How to leverage LinkedIn’s evolving AI-powered algorithm to boost your company’s visibility and thought leadership.
• Practical tips for automating and personalizing Account-Based Marketing (ABM) campaigns using AI.

The 2025 Mid Atlantic Marketing Summit (MAMS) brought together leading voices in marketing, communications, and business development to explore how technology, data, and creativity intersect in the modern B2B landscape. As AI transforms every aspect of marketing, from analytics to customer engagement, the conversation on the B2B Marketing Outlook panel focused on one shared theme: adaptability.

For today’s B2B marketers, complexity has never been more apparent. Buyers move across multiple channels, budgets are tightening, and tools evolve faster than strategies can keep up. Panelists Casey Dell’Isola, Senior Account Director at REQ, Lynn Kingsley, CMO at Ironmark, and Chuck Gahun, Principle Analyst at Forrester, discussed forward-thinking insights designed to help marketers navigate change while keeping the brand stories consistent and measurable.

This blog highlights four major takeaways to help you refine your B2B marketing strategy, enhance ROI, and stay competitive in the AI-driven marketing era.

1. Agility is the New Advantage

The panel opened up with a discussion on the increasing complexity of B2B funnels. Lynn Kingsley emphasized that modern marketing demands continuous learning and adaptability,  from mapping attribution and aligning with sales to adopting new technology and managing tight budgets.

The takeaway? Agility is non-negotiable. Marketing leaders must be ready to adapt quickly, interpret data contextually, and align teams around dynamic goals rather than static plans. Success will belong to those who see change not as disruption but as opportunity.

2. AI is Redefining PR ROI

Casey Dell’Isola highlighted the growing expectation of public relations (PR) to consistently show measurable business impact. AI is significantly changing how these analytics can be presented; ultimately shifting from activity to outcomes. By integrating sentiment analysis, CRM data, and analytics platforms, marketers can draw more direct connections between media activities and business outcomes, proving what PR professionals have long known: PR is a powerful performance driver. 

Chuck Gahun also discussed the concept of agentic AI models capable of completing complex tasks autonomously through reasoning. While many teams are still cautious with budgets when it comes to deploying AI agents, Chuck noted that automation and intelligent agents will soon move from purely experimental to essential in B2B marketing.

The message is clear: AI doesn’t just make PR and marketing smarter, it makes it more strategic. Marketers who embrace AI-enabled monitoring and predictive reputation tools will gain a clearer view of brand perception and unlock new ways to demonstrate value.

3. Demand and Brand Go Hand in Hand 

Lynn also discussed the difference between strategies and tactics in pursuit of brand building versus lead generation. Only a small portion of your market is ready to buy at any given time, which means brand authority and education must stay consistent even when demand pressures rise. To conceptualize this, Lynn highlighted an example of splitting a given budget into a 30/50/20 goal between brand, lead generation and retention, to better optimize the budget and see measurable results across the board.

Marketers who protect budgets for both brand and demand will see long-term payoffs. Creating educational, thought-leading content ensures your company remains top of mind when buyers are ready to act. In today’s environment, credibility drives conversion.

4. AI-Driven Platforms are Paving the Way for Personalization

Personalization is being redefined rapidly, from LinkedIn’s AI-powered algorithm to the next generation of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) platforms. Lynn advised marketers to optimize profiles, bios, and engagement habits to align with LinkedIn’s new reasoning engine, which evaluates users’ entire digital footprints.

Meanwhile, ABM teams are turning to AI for hyper-personalized engagement. By analyzing  transcripts, CRM data, and content interactions, marketers can identify pain points and deliver contextually relevant information in real time, in turn meeting buyers’ expectations for instant, accurate answers.

Additionally, when it comes to optimizing content for Linkedin, Casey urged marketers to not “discredit subject matter experts” when it comes to posting and promoting for the brand. Often there are various pieces of content, ranging from op-eds to event posts, that are better suited to come from the perspective of a company executive or employee with a larger following, presenting a more personalized tone.

Final Thoughts

B2B marketing today demands adaptability, creativity, and clarity of purpose. The panel discussion underscored that while AI is reshaping how marketers measure, personalize, and automate, it’s only part of the equation.

True success comes from balancing innovation with intention: building brand authority while driving demand, experimenting with new tools while staying grounded in strategy, and empowering teams to pivot quickly when buyer behavior shifts.

The future of marketing belongs to those who can integrate data and technology without losing the human perspective — turning agility, insight, and authenticity into their greatest competitive advantages.

Ready to Elevate Your B2B Marketing?

At REQ, our team of seasoned practitioners gives voice to the industry’s top thinkers and performers — shaping narratives that drive growth, fuel launches, and help brands stand apart from the pack.

Contact us to see how we can help your organization own its destination and achieve lasting impact.