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In recent years, content marketing trends have been heavily shaped by emerging technologies, particularly generative AI. But in 2025, there’s a notable shift: the human is coming back in favor.
There is a common thread across many of the 2025 B2B marketing trends: the need for content that feels more personal, approachable, and emotive. Standing out in 2025 means using technology more strategically to scale and enhance personalization without losing originality and the human touch. Let’s look more closely at B2B marketing trends 2025.
In: AI-Enhanced Personalization
B2B buyers are starting to expect more personalized experiences, tailored to their specific roles, industries, and challenges, and AI makes this possible at scale. Using AI, marketers can move beyond generic messaging to create hyper-personalized content.
Through the use of AI, you can dynamically update your website to show different content based on the viewer — a CTO or CFO, for example. The same can be said of titles in different industries, healthcare versus finance. In short, AI makes it significantly easier for marketers to efficiently personalize and repurpose content to meet the unique challenges of different industries and personas.
About 27% of B2B marketers are using AI to personalize content, and one-third are using Generative AI for personalization.
Related Reading: The Human Element: 3 Brand Campaigns Demystifying AI + Advanced Tech
What This Means for Marketers
AI gives marketers a powerful tool to deliver relevant content across the buyer journey – but it should enhance, not replace, human creativity and innovation. Where AI really excels is in analyzing customer data to predict preferences and optimize content for different audiences, helping B2B marketers move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. This makes it easier for marketers to repurpose content effectively to resonate with different audience segments.
SEE, the brand behind Bubble Wrap, uses AI to simplify navigation of its complex product range. By integrating AI on its website, SEE enables smarter search, dynamic recommendations, and personalized pricing, helping its customers quickly find packaging solutions aligned to their needs. Now, 80% of the brand’s orders are placed entirely online.
Out: Generic AI-Generated Content
The initial buzz around AI-generated content is wearing off, as B2B buyers grow weary of bland, repetitive material.
A recent Neil Patel study found that human-created articles drive over five times more traffic than AI-generated ones.
While AI can significantly speed up content production, churning out blogs in a fraction of the time it takes a person, speed means little if the content fails to engage its intended audience.
What This Means for Marketers
AI should be complemented with human insight. Marketers must add original ideas to content and demonstrate that their brand understands the unique requirements of its customers. Instead of relying on AI to produce material, use it to:
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Brainstorm ideas
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Create article outlines
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Summarize lengthy documents
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Adapt tone and messaging
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Conduct research.
Klarna, the Swedish fintech giant, faced backlash after replacing around 700 human customer service agents with AI-powered assistants. While the company reported increased efficiency and lower costs, customers reported poor issue resolution and repetitive, robotic responses that led to widespread frustration and dissatisfaction.
In: B2B Brands Mimicking B2C Content and Style
B2B brands are increasingly adopting B2C marketing strategies and styles to create more engaging, relatable, and meaningful content. By mimicking B2C’s conversational tone, storytelling techniques, and visually rich formats, B2B brands are eroding traditional barriers of corporate formality to make their messaging more accessible and memorable. This shift helps B2B brands foster stronger connections with decision-makers who expect authenticity and personalization, blending the best of both worlds to drive deeper engagement and loyalty.
Related Reading: Marketers: Weird Is Back, Embrace the Absurd
What This Means for Marketers
This trend is shifting B2B marketing content formats toward those featured on social platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where they can more easily showcase their culture, values, and solutions through creative, bite-sized content. From behind-the-scenes reels and how-to videos, to tips, amusing anecdotes, and wacky narratives, these formats humanize brands.
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Shopify, for instance, uses Instagram for employee-led tutorials and TikTok for bold, engaging clips—always featuring real people speaking in a conversational tone and donning casual gear, making the brand feel approachable and authentic.
Out: Overly Polished Brand Aesthetics
Perfectly curated feeds and flawless brand aesthetics are out as audiences crave brand personalities that feel more authentic, home-spun, and imperfect. The era of highly produced, sterile corporate content is giving way to more genuine, behind-the-scenes glimpses that humanize brands.
Today’s audiences are more selective, gravitating towards brands that feel real, such as those sharing genuine voices, humorous snapshots that offer light relief in the working day, lived experiences and clear values. In a crowded digital space, showing your human side isn’t just refreshing – it builds trust and lasting connections.
88% of people trust recommendations from people they know more than any other channel.
What This Means for Marketers
It’s time to ditch the jargon and drop the suits. One of the strongest modern marketing trends is human-centered content that uses real faces, voices, and experiences, such as from your employees or customers. Think behind-the-scenes footage, customers sharing their success stories, and ‘day in the life of’ moments that show your brand’s personality. Ensure you use a clear, conversational tone that feels approachable and genuine.
Related Reading: A New Wave of Buyers: To Win Over Gen Z, B2B Must Be Bold
Adobe does this brilliantly. Across TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram, the software giant reveals its lighter, more human side. On TikTok, for example, it embraces bright colors, playful captions, behind-the-scenes clips, and real people, bringing the brand to life and ultimately making it more memorable in the process.
In: Shifting Approaches to Target the New Wave of Buyers
According to Forrester’s The State Of Business Buying, over two-thirds of buyers involved in big-ticket transactions are now Millennials and Gen Z. This demographic shift is forcing B2B marketers to rethink their strategies.
These younger buyers expect digital-first experiences, value authenticity, and make decisions differently than previous generations. They’re more likely to research independently before engaging with sales, rely on peer recommendations, and expect brands to stand for something beyond profit.
Related Reading: A New Wave of Buyers: To Win Over Gen Z, B2B Must Be Bold
What This Means for Marketers
B2B marketers need to adapt their content, channels, and messaging to resonate with this new generation of decision-makers. This includes creating more visual content, embracing social platforms where these buyers spend time, and being transparent about company values and practices.
Successful brands are creating educational content that helps these buyers make informed decisions independently, while also building community spaces where peer-to-peer discussions can flourish.
Salesforce recognizes there’s no better way to demonstrate its credentials than by sharing the deep knowledge and expertise of its greatest asset – its employees. Across channels including LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram, Salesforce regularly posts videos of its teams succinctly untangling complex concepts into easy-to-consume nuggets of information. Not only does this give the brand more depth and personality, but it also positions it as a trusted voice in the sector.
Out: Over-Reliance on Endorsements from Major Celebrities
While endorsements from major celebrities and the Hollywood elite will always have a place and pull in marketing, many brands are ditching this route in favor of collaborations with influencers, often micro-influencers. Take the influx of Super Bowl commercials and brand partnerships featuring influencers as a sign of the times. Sure, lots of spots brought the star power of Hollywood, but brands in 2025 are shifting towards highly engaged niche audiences and real customers.
What This Means for Marketers
B2B brands are finding that authenticity resonates more than star power. Partnerships with industry experts, customers who have achieved success with your product, and employees who can speak genuinely about your solutions often create more credibility than celebrity endorsements that may feel disconnected from your brand’s core offerings.
