As B2B marketers work to modernize go-to-market strategies and scale impact, Lisa Cole, Chief Marketing Officer at 2X, has authored a modern alternative to the traditional sales funnel—built to attract today’s self-directed buyers naturally.
Cole’s insights in Brand Gravity: How to Create Magnetic Pull in the Age of Buying Groups are backed by 6sense research and center around her G.R.A.V.I.T.Y. Blueprint, a method designed to create trust, enhance visibility, and capture the attention of today’s self-directed buyers. Her ideas challenge the traditional B2B funnel, which now struggles to accommodate the dynamic behaviors of buyers making 70% of their decisions before speaking to vendors.
Our interview with dives into the core concepts of Brand Gravity, why unique content is more important than ever before and how B2B marketers can stand out in an AI-driven buyer research environment.
Demand Gen Report (DGR): Lisa, congratulations on the new book. Can you explain the concept of “Brand Gravity” in simple terms and how it challenges traditional B2B marketing practices?
Lisa Cole: Thank you. Brand Gravity is the concept that companies should stop chasing leads and instead create enough pull that buyers come to them. It entails building a presence that shows you’re the obvious choice for buyers— for example being useful, showing up eager and punctual. Especially when buyers spend most of their journey researching anonymously— long before speaking to sales— the old lead-gen, funnel-driven playbook falls short, making Brand Gravity essential.
DGR: You debunk several myths in traditional B2B marketing models. Which myth do you believe holds companies back the most from creating strong Brand Gravity?
Cole: One myth is that trust starts with a sales call. Buyers trust what they find on their own: content, community feedback, and analyst insights. Another myth is that trying to “get in early” with outbound builds trust— it actually usually backfires. Building that relationship of trust comes when they’re not looking for you yet, you need to be useful at all times.
DGR: You describe how digital mass, credibility, and community form the core pillars of Brand Gravity. How does an organization begin building this “digital mass” effectively?
Cole: Digital mass isn’t about creating more content— it’s about creating the right kind, in the right places, and structuring it so buyers (and artificial intelligence) can actually find it. That means being clear, helpful, and present across search engines, AI answers, community forums, and social channels. It’s not just SEO anymore— it’s search everywhere optimization. You’re trying to make your expertise impossible to miss.
DGR: Your book discusses the breakdown of the traditional B2B funnel. Why, in your view, is this model no longer sufficient in today’s marketplace?
Cole: Buyers don’t follow funnels. They don’t wake up and think, “Time to start a journey!” Today, they Google things. They ask around. They dig into analyst reports. By the time they talk to a vendor, they’ve often already decided who they’re going with. The traditional B2B funnel assumes you’re guiding the process. But most of the time, you’re not even invited to the early part of the decision-making process— and that’s the problem!
DGR: Modern buyers conduct 70% of their purchase research independently before engaging a vendor. How can businesses adapt their strategies to align with this behavior?
Cole: First, accept that you’re not in control of the buying journey. Shift your mindset: don’t focus on capturing leads, your goal is to earn a place in the buyer’s process. That starts by being genuinely helpful during their invisible research phase— before they ever raise a hand. Remove friction, make your expertise easily accessible, and show up where buyers are, even if they’re not ready to engage with you directly.
DGR: You emphasize how content is key in creating Brand Gravity. What type of content has the most gravitational pull in attracting modern B2B buyers?
Cole: The kind of content that solves real problems without ever asking for an email address. Think technical explainers, implementation guides, proof points, customer stories— practical content that helps others perform their jobs better. Buyers are more likely to buy from you when there’s trust built— trusting you aren’t just here to sell your product, you’re providing knowledge that benefits them.
DGR: How has AI reshaped how buyers conduct research, and how should brands change their content strategies to remain discoverable in an AI-driven world?
Cole: Because of AI, research starts with buyers asking a question and receiving a synthesized answer from ChatGPT, Perplexity, or another popular AI LLM software. Your brand expertise now has to be structured in a way that allows AI to find and cite you, otherwise you’re invisible. To position your business along that journey, you need to think beyond SEO. To remain discoverable today, your content must be contextually relevant, well-cited, and present in the right conversations across the web.
DGR: Many organizations are still chasing leads aggressively despite clear evidence that natural attraction works better. What would you say to leaders hesitant about adopting a Brand Gravity strategy?
Cole: Before adopting anything, I’d say let’s look at your conversion rates. Most don’t have their MQLs actually converting. Of course, you can continue spend more to chase leads that don’t go anywhere, or we can discuss how it could be more beneficial to reframe your mindset on becoming the brand buyers already know and trust by leveraging Brand Gravity’s ROI strategy.
DGR: Measuring market pull and long-term brand momentum is a new challenge for many organizations. What actionable tips do you have for leaders wanting to transition from traditional vanity metrics to meaningful influence metrics?
Cole: Start by measuring presence. Are you showing up in the places buyers go when they’re researching? Are they spending time with your content? Are you being mentioned in community discussions, cited by AI, referenced by analysts? That’s what real influence looks like. Not clicks. Not form fills.
DGR: Looking ahead, what is one major shift in B2B buyer behavior or marketing technology you believe will reshape how we approach brand building in the next five years?
Cole: AI discovery will continue to shift B2B buyer behavior and the marketing industry as a whole. Buyers will ask a chatbot to recommend a solution and expect a solid answer. That answer will be based on what the AI has learned about you—your content, your reputation, your citations. So, your job is to make sure that everywhere AI looks, you’re present, trusted, and easy to understand. Investing in traditional search is about being found. Investing in your brand visibility to AI models ensures you’re chosen, not just seen.
