It’s hard to imagine a time in B2B marketing history when everything changed this quickly.
In just the last couple of years, we’ve seen incredibly fluctuating Google SERPs, a huge shift from search engines that now offer AI-powered answering options, and hundreds of new tools and features just waiting for us to learn.
A theme running through B2B marketing trends for 2026 is the continuation of this evolution. But with change comes opportunity. Marketers who plan to come in will have a big jump ahead of their competitors.
Contents
- AI agents go mainstream
- Experience marketing comes back into focus
- AI education is now non-negotiable
- AI becomes the B2B marketing gatekeeper for search
- Employed ambassadors took the lead
- AI transparency (finally) gets some traction
6 B2B Marketing Trends in 2026
Let these B2B marketing trends guide you as you develop your 2026 marketing strategy.
1. AI agents go mainstream
AI agents are revolutionizing how everything from the factory floor to the dentist’s office operates. And they are willing to do the same for B2B marketing.
These semi-autonomous problem solvers are already tackling a number of tasks for marketers, such as:
AI agents, eg Dash of Loklikwill help marketers deliver more personalized and engaging experiences for prospects and customers.
Developers, both large and small, will continue to iterate on how AI agents help marketers. Facebook, for example, brought AI Agent to its Ads Manager. You just feed it your marketing goals and give it some guidelines, and it will deliver the best results based on changing factors. And chatgpt’s new agent mode is included in its plus tier.
This is probably the fastest growing trend in AI for marketing. If you’re ready to jump on it, here’s how to get started
Follow thought leaders
Find some marketing thought leaders who talk about AI agents on LinkedIn, in their podcasts, and in their newsletters. Don’t hesitate to get active in the comments – you’ll find lots of great recommendations out there.
List jobs
AI agents are designed to take on specific tasks. Make a list of workflow bottlenecks and growth opportunities you don’t have the bandwidth for. Then, find AI agents to handle them.
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2. Experience marketing comes back into focus
Experiential marketing fell out of favor for a while. In large part, this is less for marketers focusing on digital mass communication strategies such as content and social media marketing. Of course, the pandemic also gave this shift a huge boost. But the trend is returning. 51% Companies are reported to increase spending on experiential marketing through 2026.
Almost surprisingly, AI is helping experiential marketing again for two reasons. First, marketers across the spectrum of robo-generated content are looking for new ways to connect with audiences more authentically. A conference, webinar, or even a sponsored coworking session are great ways to do this.
At the same time, new AI tools help marketers make the most of every program. Now you can use AI to pull insights from a keynote or expert panel and turn it into a series of blog articles, social posts and video scripts almost instantly.
Events are great opportunities to gather first-party data, expert insights, and overall industry trends. Here you can take advantage of the experiential marketing trend.
Find ways to host events
A conference is great, but it’s not in every brand’s budget. Try looking for more manageable events like webinars or even AMA (Ask Me Anything) events on Reddit. You can also get some benefits by participating in other brands’ programs.
Get intentional about reproposing
Before hosting or attending any event, make a list of how you can recycle the information gathered there. When you go in knowing you want five blog articles, three short videos, and a dozen LinkedIn posts, you’ll find insights to fill them.
3. AI learning is now a non-negotiable
More than half Marketers say AI is already important in their roles, but 70% said their employers don’t provide productive AI training. In 2026, businesses building AI curriculum will close the knowledge gap and be set up for success.
The educational spectacle is only going to deepen. New tools and use cases for AI in marketing are growing rapidly. Wait too long, and the learning curve can be too steep to climb.
And as AI adoption matures, the conversation will evolve from the basics to more nuanced questions like, “How can I use AI without removing the human element from my marketing?”
Expect to see some more B2B businesses baking in some AI training and experimentation in 2026. Evidence of this marketing trend will be noticeable as concerned leaders share their trials and learnings publicly.
AI will move further into marketers’ workflows this year. Here are some ways you and your team can get ahead and stay ahead.
Formalize your AI education
Create a structure around your and your team’s learning activities. Set aside blocks of learning time, be experienced spirits, and dedicate meetings to sharing new ways to use AI.
Use free tools
Many new AI tools, such as copy generators, offer free versions as a way to gain market penetration. Others offer a “free forever” plan with limited but still useful features. Use these affordable options to try out new platforms and test use cases.
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4. AI Becomes B2B Marketing’s Gatekeeper for Search
Search engines are used only to present a suggested reading list that appears to be relevant to a question. Now, AI search platforms (such as AI Review, ChatGupt, and Troubleshoot) do the reading for you and provide answers based on existing content.
This shift means AI will sit between B2B marketers and the people they sell to. This also means that marketers will need to pay more attention to GEO. AI is the process of optimizing content to make it more likely to be cited by search platforms.
While traditional search results are still important, gaining visibility into AI responses will be a big part of a successful B2B marketing strategy in 2026. Here are some ways to get started.
Be specific in copy and content
AI search platforms like to refer to pages with direct answers to specific queries. So, being cited in an AI response would be like catching snippets of a coveted feature on a standard Google search. Make sure your copy includes direct answers to the questions you’re trying to rank for.
Get your structure down
FAQs, meta descriptions, and schema markups will help the AI ​​platform understand and share your pages. Go back to the basics if you haven’t already.
Coast your local listings
AI search tools pull data for local businesses Business listings. If your business has a physical location, make sure your directory listings are complete and up-to-date.
5. Employee ambassadors take the lead
Employed brand ambassadors work a lot like traditional influencers, but they’re employed by the business they’re promoting. They’ve been popular in B2C marketing for a while (it Papa John’s Pizza Maker has 1.9 million Tectonic followers).
Scroll through LinkedIn, and you’ll see how the trend is taking hold in the B2B space as well.
From VPS to frontline workers, there are employees Using their personal brands Helping to promote B2B business.
There will be many variations on the theme of internal influence. There will be many marketers whose job it is to promote the brand online. But you’ll also hire more engineers, customer success representatives, and sales professionals to expand your business’s digital footprint.
Keep these ideas handy as you consider joining this B2B marketing trend.
Offer a variety of ways to participate
Not everyone in your office (virtual or otherwise) will be eager to post Technic-like videos Or create extensive product demos for LinkedIn. And you don’t need them. Start by asking them to repost a post or shout out a milestone on their account. Allow them to feel natural and jump into building tasks from there.
Give them tools and incentives
Unless they were hired as an influencer, you’re asking a little extra from someone who may not be familiar with social media marketing best practices. When you create your employee brand ambassador program, include some perks (like helping them build their personal brand) and support (like writing captions for them).
6. AI transparency (finally) gets some speed
While many people don’t care if robots have created your marketing copy, most want you to tell them if it has. In two recent surveys, 71% And 69% Respondents said businesses should have a say when they use AI. Another survey by the AI ​​Policy Institute showed this 80% Americans believe it should be illegal to delete AI-infused content created by humans.
AI transparency is a Hot topic on LinkedIn.
We will also see new federal, state and industry AI Rules and Regulations Add energy to the need for transparency.
The exact way B2B marketers will react is still unknown. We may see brands self-regulate by adding disclosures about their use of AI. Or we can derive vertical best practices from individual industries (like healthcare, for example).
No matter how it looks, 2026 will be the year transparency becomes a big part of the AI ​​transformation. Here are some ways to be prepared.
Create an internal AI usage policy
The most important step in planning for AI is how your team should use it (and how they should discuss it). It’s okay to just start with the rules around writing blog posts and creating images. Remember to consider privacy as many AI models use the information you give them as part of their training protocol.
Consider the use of AI statement
If you want to go beyond industry or legal standards, consider adding an AI usage statement to your website. Describe how you use AI for asset creation, customer data, or other purposes.
Map your success to these B2B marketing trends
Some aspects of B2B marketing have survived sudden shifts in the past two years. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by all of this, know that you’re not alone and there is a path to success. The most important step is to be aware. Find some information sources you enjoy, try some new social media platforms, and take the time to learn them all.
The B2B marketing trends we’ve listed here are a good place to start. Here is a simple recovery:
- AI agents go mainstream
- Experience marketing comes back into focus
- AI education is now non-negotiable
- AI becomes the B2B marketing gatekeeper for search
- Employed ambassadors took the lead
- AI transparency (finally) gains some momentum