The B2B buyer’s journey is a nonlinear, lengthy process that often spans multiple channels and involves several stakeholders. For many brands, this causes a leaky funnel filled with inaccurate or incomplete account data and leads that get lost in the handoff between marketing and sales. But B2B companies such as Fiix Software, Aprimo and Okta are rising to the challenge and taking proactive steps to identify and fill funnel gaps with the help of AI-fueled technology and ongoing sales alignment.

The spectrum of marketing performance across companies has never been wider. Some marketing teams are crushing it, while others are languishing.

Alyce’s AI-powered gifting platform aims to help sales and marketing teams execute personalized direct mail and swag programs at scale to drive pipeline within top accounts.

SmartSeeds from Return Path is a deliverability data platform powered by artificial intelligence that aims to provide insights into email program performance. It is positioned to generate a deeper level of deliverability monitoring along with additional intelligent insights, such as subscriber engagement and engagement-based filtering.

Adaptive marketing platform provider Act-On Software has launched Adaptive Web, an AI-based inbound marketing tool that aims to help marketers deliver personalized website content at the individual level — in real time.  

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have long been on marketers’ radars, but it’s only recently that they’ve begun to show up in customer relationship management tools. AI and ML are often viewed with skepticism, but many B2B marketers will discover that these features can enhance their effectiveness in contacting the right leads, closing deals and nurturing client relationships. The underlying fear has been that machines will replace marketers, but the reality is much more promising.

AI adoption is on the rise as more use cases in the B2B marketplace highlight the benefits of AI in various aspects of go-to-market strategies. According to new research from Demandbase, Salesforce Pardot and Demand Metric, less than one-fifth (18%) of marketers are leveraging AI solutions, while 66% are planning to use, evaluating or currently implementing AI solutions.

In this ever-evolving B2B landscape, organizations must embrace change and stay relevant with new generations of buyers. This means developing audience-centric content, maintaining a tight knit relationship between marketing and sales, leveraging new tools and technology — such as AI — to gain greater buyer insights and more.

The Bigtincan Hub aims to redefine sales, marketing and service processes to help teams to work together smarter and faster. As part of its fall release, the company enhanced its AI-driven automation platform with sales training, learning and coaching content.

The central tenet of ABM is that you choose your customers. It’s the flip side of inbound marketing where clients find and select you, drawn to your business by insightful, relevant content. While inbound marketing casts a wide net, catching everything that swims by, ABM is like spearfishing — you only aim at the fish you want.