B2B marketers are finally realizing their buyers are human—and starting to act like it.

I’ve never understood the low bar set by most B2B marketing. Isn’t it obvious that the same person buying enterprise cloud software on Tuesday is also buying oat milk, a luxury watch or Taylor Swift tickets over the weekend? Why should their expectations plummet the moment they walk into the office?

And yet, business‑to‑business (B2B) marketers have long behaved as if they’re targeting a different species. One that devours white papers for breakfast, watches webinars for fun and eagerly submits contact forms labelled “Request a Demo.” It’s a world ruled by left-brain logic—features, specs, ROI models—with all the warmth and emotional appeal of a tax audit. Meanwhile, over in B2C (business‑to‑consumer) land, marketers are building brands, sparking loyalty, and, crucially, making people feel something.

But the walls are coming down. Savvy B2B marketers have figured out what should’ve been obvious all along: all buyers are people. And increasingly, they want to be spoken to that way.

B2B Logic vs Human Emotion: Who Wins?

For decades, B2B marketing has operated on the myth that businesses make decisions based solely on logic. It’s tidy. It’s comforting. It’s also completely untrue.

According to Gartner, 77% of B2B buyers say their last major purchase was “very complex or difficult.” Translation: they were overwhelmed, second-guessing themselves and craving confidence. That doesn’t sound like someone who wants a spec sheet—it sounds like someone who wants reassurance.

LinkedIn’s B2B Institute and research firm System1 put some hard numbers behind this. In a study of over 1,600 B2B ads, they found emotional campaigns were nearly twice as effective as rational ones. Another LinkedIn study found emotionally resonant B2B ads can be up to seven times more effective than those that cling to features and facts like a drowning man to a life raft.

So no, your audience doesn’t want to read about your proprietary data harmonization framework. They want to know how it makes them look smart, sleep better or avoid disaster. Emotion drives action. Logic just provides the justification.

If Your Marketing Feels Like Homework, You’re Doing It Wrong

Let’s talk content. For years, B2B marketers treated it like a compliance requirement—something to check off with the enthusiasm of a quarterly audit. But your buyers are no longer sifting through gated PDFs for kicks. They’re watching short-form video, listening to founder podcasts and, yes, binging docuseries.

Take Slack, the workplace messaging app owned by Salesforce. Its animated explainers feel more like Pixar than PowerPoint. Or HubSpot, the CRM (customer relationship management) platform, which created Scaling Up, a documentary series tracking the messy rise of real startups.

There’s a reason 70% of B2B buyers now rely on video during the buying process. And why 80% of B2B marketers say video delivers the highest ROI. It’s not just that video is snackable. It’s that it can carry tone, personality and actual emotional nuance—three things your average product page could never dream of.

Right Message. Right Tone. Right Time. 

One thing consumer brands get right? Context. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing masters the art of speaking to the right person, in the right moment, with the right tone. B2B, on the other hand, often defaults to one-size-fits-all—with all the intimacy of a robocall.

But buyers notice. Salesforce’s research shows that 63% of B2B buyers say vendor experiences fall short of what they’ve come to expect from consumer brands.

Adobe—maker of Photoshop, Illustrator targets its Creative Cloud campaigns based on user personas. A freelance designer in Lagos sees something different than a creative director in Berlin. Canva, the browser-based design platform, adapts its walkthroughs and language based on region. The tone, examples and value prop all change based on who’s watching.

This isn’t rocket science. It’s just respect for your audience.

Influence: Not Just for Lip Gloss and Life Coaches

People trust people, not brands.

That’s why influencer marketing—once the domain of unboxings and skincare tutorials—is fast becoming a B2B power move. Not with celebrities, but with insiders. Engineers, analysts, technologists, and yes, even employees.

SAP, the German ERP (enterprise resource planning) giant, partners with LinkedIn Top Voices to break down complex solutions in plain English. Salesforce has cultivated internal brand ambassadors who share product tips and company culture in ways that feel more authentic than any glossy ad.

This isn’t vanity. It’s strategy. IDC reports that 91% of B2B purchases are influenced by peer recommendations and expert content. And according to Onalytica, influencer-led B2B campaigns generate up to 5x the ROI of traditional digital advertising.

Visibility is easy. Credibility is earned.

Loyalty Can’t Be Automated

Consumer brands have long understood that loyalty is emotional. B2B brands still treat it like an onboarding checklist.

Bain & Company—the firm that invented the Net Promoter Score—found that a 5% increase in customer retention can drive up to 95% more profit. Yet according to Salesforce, 60% of B2B customers say their vendor basically disappears once the contract is signed.

This is where brands like Notion and Adobe shine. Notion—the minimalist workspace app beloved by productivity nerds—turns customer templates into spotlight features. Adobe regularly showcases creator work across channels. They don’t just market to customers—they market with them.

If you want loyal users, treat them like co-conspirators, not line items.

Brand comes first

Everyone wants leads. But brand is what gets you shortlisted in the first place.

According to LinkedIn, 96% of your audience isn’t actively buying at this moment. That means you’re talking to future buyers—who will remember you based on what you stand for, not what you pitched last quarter.

Marketing legends Les Binet and Peter Field found that brand-building drives 80% of long-term growth in B2B. Cisco’s “Bridge to Possible” platform doesn’t sell routers—it sells purpose. Mailchimp, the all-in-one email and marketing platform, is remembered as much for its quirky tone and visual identity as its automation features.

If your brand has no memory, it will never have momentum.

The Bottom Line

There’s no such thing as B2B or B2C anymore. There’s only business to humans. And humans—whether they’re buying software, servers or SEO tools—still want to feel something.

They want stories, not specs. Confidence, not complexity. And they want brands that respect their intelligence and their time.

If your next campaign wouldn’t work on a billboard or get shared in a WhatsApp group, maybe it’s time to write something else.

Sources: Gartner: 77% of B2B buyers say their last purchase was complex or difficult, LinkedIn B2B Institute & System1: Emotional campaigns are nearly 2x more effective, LinkedIn: Emotionally resonant B2B ads are 7x more effective, Demand Gen Report: 70% of B2B buyers rely on video, Wyzowl: 80% of marketers say video delivers best ROI, Salesforce: 63% of B2B buyers expect better experiences from vendors, IDC: 91% of B2B decisions are influenced by peers and experts, Onalytica: B2B influencer campaigns generate 5x ROI, Bain & Co: 5% retention increase = 95% profit increase, Salesforce: 60% of customers say vendors disengage post-sale, LinkedIn: 96% of B2B buyers aren’t in-market, Binet & Field: 80% of growth comes from brand-building.