Trust & Influence in B2B

Latest Episodes:

The future of the B2B website: Can AI make it more human AND more trusted? Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the 'Trust & Influence in B2B' podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Chris Wickson, serial entrepreneur and founder of ReelFlow, about the future of B2B websites and how AI can make them more human and trusted. Chris, who has experience building two pioneering MarTech firms and selling one to a US parent company, shares his insights on how websites must evolve to serve as both AI training data sources and enhanced visitor experiences. They discuss the declining effectiveness of traditional SEO-driven content, the rise of video consumption in B2B, the importance of humanization in digital experiences, and how interactive video overlays can transform website engagement. The conversation also explores the role of AI avatars, the integration challenges companies face, and practical steps for implementing video-first website experiences. Join them for this forward-looking discussion on the intersection of AI, trust, and human connection in B2B marketing.

Takeaways

🎯B2B websites must evolve to serve dual purposes: AI training data sources and enhanced visitor experiences

📱Visitors arriving at websites today have higher intent but shorter attention spans, requiring more effective engagement

🎬Video content dramatically outperforms traditional text-based content for engagement and trust-building

👥Humanization becomes more critical as digital advancement increases, with authentic video helping build trust

🔄 Traditional website navigation is becoming obsolete in favor of guided, personalized experiences

📊 Interactive video overlays can achieve 20-40% engagement rates compared to 1-2% for chatbots

⚡ Modern video creation barriers are lower than ever, requiring minimal technical setup and budget

🤖 AI avatars and voice synthesis can enable video content creation while maintaining transparency about usage

🚀 Future websites will combine immersive video experiences with AI-powered live chat for better buyer enablement

📈 Video-enhanced websites show improved metrics: lower bounce rates, higher time on site, and deeper page engagement

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction to B2B Website Evolution

01:21 - The Changing Role of Websites in AI Era

02:24 - Website Complexity and Political Challenges

03:44 - Simplifying Buyer Journeys and User Experience

05:56 - Higher Intent Visitors and Better Engagement

07:23 - The Importance of Humanization in B2B

09:35 - Why Human Connection Matters More Than Ever

10:08 - Video vs Text-Based Content Consumption

12:03 - Video's Impact on Website Engagement Metrics

14:36 - Building Trust Through Authentic Video Content

16:16 - Overcoming Executive Resistance to Video

18:12 - The Rise of Media-Savvy Workforce

19:25 - Future of Website Experiences and Navigation

23:24 - Getting Started with Enhanced Video Experiences

25:59 - Integration Challenges and Technical Solutions

26:58 - Results and Performance Data from Video Overlays

29:08 - AI Avatars and Authenticity in Video Content

33:04 - The Future Intersection of AI and Human Marketing

Resources Mentioned

🎬 ReelFlow - Interactive video overlay platform

📊 Story Lane - Interactive product demo platform

💬 Intercom - AI-powered customer support platform

📈 B2B Marketing Trends Report - Anti-corporate creativity insights

Connect with Our Guest and Host

Follow Chris Wickenson

https://linkedin.com/in/chriswickenson/

ReelFlow

https://reelflow.com

Follow Joel Harrison

https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/](https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/

B2B Marketing -

https://linkedin.com/company/b2b-marketing/

Time to get serious about humour: Heather Barnett on the power of humour to influence B2B buyers Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Summary

In this episode of the Trust and Influence in B2B podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Heather Barnett, a freelance copywriter known for her humorous approach to B2B marketing on LinkedIn. They discuss the importance of humour in engaging audiences, the challenges of using humor in a corporate environment, and how humour can help build a community among marketers. Heather shares her journey in B2B marketing, the evolution of her content creation, and the impact of her humorous videos on her professional reputation. The conversation emphasizes the need for authenticity and the potential for humour to break down barriers in communication.

Takeaways

Humour is a powerful tool in B2B marketing.
Building a community through humour can enhance engagement.
Marketers often fear taking risks with humour due to corporate culture.
Authenticity in communication is crucial for connection.
Using simple language can make messages more relatable.
Humour can help break down barriers in professional settings.
Experimenting with humour can lead to innovative marketing strategies.
The first attempt at humour may not always succeed, but it's a learning process.
Supportive organizations encourage creative risk-taking.
Humour can make the workplace more enjoyable and relatable.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Humour in B2B Marketing

02:42 - Heather Barnett's Journey in B2B Marketing

05:33 - The Impact of Humour on Social Media Engagement

08:18 - Navigating Humour in Professional Settings

11:16 - The Role of Creativity in B2B Marketing

14:08 - Client Receptiveness to Humour in Copywriting

15:30 - The Role of Humour in B2B Marketing

18:28 - Breaking the Jargon Barrier

21:10 - From Digital to Live: The Evolution of Performance

25:23 - Encouraging Humour in Marketing

28:50 - The Power of Humour in B2B

Transparency, technology & trust: The inside track on 6Sense's marketing strategy, with CMO Saima Rashid Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Trust and Influence in B2B podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Saima Rashid, CMO of Sixth Sense, about the multifaceted challenges of building trust in B2B marketing. They discuss the role of the CMO in establishing credibility, the balance between brand and demand, and the importance of sales and marketing alignment. Saima shares insights on navigating intent data while respecting customer privacy, leveraging customer advocacy, and making informed martech decisions. The conversation also touches on the impact of AI on trust, the significance of post-sale trust, and the importance of transparent reporting and metrics in building trust within teams.

Takeaways

Marketing must show the value of its contributions.
Strong brands lead to lower customer acquisition costs.
Sales and marketing alignment is crucial for success.
Intent data should be used responsibly to build trust.
Customer advocacy is a powerful tool in B2B marketing.
Transparency in reporting builds trust within teams.
AI can create trust issues if not used properly.
Choosing the right martech partner is essential.
Post-sale trust is vital for customer retention.
Building a culture of trust starts with hiring the right people.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Trust in B2B Marketing

02:09 The Role of the CMO in Building Credibility

05:52 Balancing Brand and Demand in Marketing

09:50 Sales and Marketing Alignment for Trust

12:14 Navigating Intent Data and Customer Privacy

14:55 Harnessing Customer Advocacy in Marketing

17:06 Building Trust in Martech Decisions

19:46 AI's Impact on Trust in Marketing

25:06 Post-Sale Trust and Customer Retention

28:00 Building Trust Through Reporting and Metrics

30:57 Personal Trust and Team Dynamics

Content and thought leadership in a zero-click world: The trust implications of GEO (aka AI search) Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Summary:

In this podcast episode, Joel Harrison and Sarah Aird-Mash discuss the evolving landscape of B2B marketing, focusing on the impact of generative AI on search behavior, the importance of trust, and the metrics that matter. They explore how smaller brands can leverage their authenticity, the necessity of human engagement in sales, and the role of content in building relationships. The conversation also touches on the significance of third-party validation and the need for marketers to adapt their strategies in light of AI advancements.

Takeaways

Generative AI is reshaping search behavior and content consumption.
Businesses prioritize quality leads over traditional metrics.
Smaller brands can leverage authenticity to stand out.
Human engagement remains vital in B2B sales processes.
Content is essential for building brand authority.
Third-party validation is important for trust-building.
Marketers need to optimize for generative AI in their strategies.
Gated content may be losing its effectiveness.
Building community is becoming a key focus in B2B marketing.

Chapters

00:00 - The Rise of Generative Engine Optimization

04:26 - Understanding the Shift in Search Behavior

09:29 - The Paradox of Trust in AI

12:32 - The Importance of Thought Leadership

16:13 - Building Trust with Indirect Channels

19:23 - Conducting a GEO Audit

22:14 - Evolving Content Strategy for GEO

24:28 - Rethinking Gated Content Strategies

25:22 - The Evolution of B2B Marketing Metrics

30:06 - The Authority Arms Race in B2B

31:00 - The Role of Humans in B2B Sales

33:12 - The Future of AI in Marketing

Why digital advertising is B2B's emerging trust crisis - and what to do about it Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the 'Trust & Influence' in B2B podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Dan Shaw of Funnel Fuel about the evolving challenges of trust in B2B marketing, particularly in the realm of digital advertising. They discuss the current crisis in digital advertising, the complexities faced by B2B marketers, and the importance of data integrity and transparency. Dan shares his journey in B2B media and the mission of Funnel Fuel to address these issues. The conversation highlights the need for B2B marketers to ask critical questions about their advertising spend and the importance of data sovereignty.

Takeaways

Trust in B2B marketing is multi-dimensional and evolving.
B2B advertising is currently facing a crisis of integrity.
The B2B community is lagging behind in advertising innovation.
Complexity in advertising leads to inefficiencies and poor results.
B2B marketers must focus on data quality over quantity.
Funnel Fuel aims to improve transparency in B2B advertising.
Marketers should ask suppliers about their advertising spend.
Data sovereignty is crucial for maintaining control over first-party data.
The future of B2B advertising lies in omni-channel strategies.
Asking questions is essential for understanding advertising effectiveness.

B2B influencer marketing in 2025: What works, what doesn't and what's next May 30, 2025

Show notes

Is B2B influencer marketing finally ready for prime time? In this episode, host Joel Harrison tackles this question with two industry experts: Katie Howell (20 years B2B social media expertise) and Katie Martell (former B2B marketer turned successful influencer). Discover why 51% of B2B campaigns now include influencers, how LinkedIn's new tools are changing the game, and why customer advocacy remains the most underutilized opportunity.

Key Highlights:

Why 51% of B2B campaigns now include influencers and 90%+ of CMOs plan to increase spending
How LinkedIn's new advertising tools are changing the influencer game completely
The surprising effectiveness of Facebook for reaching C-suite decision makers
Why customer advocacy remains the most underutilized influencer opportunity
The critical difference between transactional campaigns and relationship building

Guest Info:

Katie Howell has been a leading voice in B2B social media for two decades, helping brands develop influence strategies. Connect with Katie on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Katie Martell is a former B2B marketing executive now working as a top-tier influencer with brands like Adobe, Vimeo, and MailChimp. Connect with Katie on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Key Takeaways:

B2B influencer marketing requires subject matter expertise, not just reach
Long-term relationships outperform one-off campaigns every time
Customer advocacy can generate millions in attributed pipeline when done strategically
Platform strategy matters: C-suite executives may not be active on LinkedIn daily
The future includes AI agents as part of the buyer journey

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Influencer Marketing in B2B

02:23 The Current State of Influencer Marketing

05:45 Maturity and Creativity in Influencer Marketing

08:04 Trust and Visibility in Influencer Relationships

10:30 The Role of Technology in Influencer Marketing

14:39 Exploring Different Platforms for B2B Influencer Marketing

17:48 Defining Thought Leaders vs Influencers

21:42 The Essence of Thought Leadership

23:55 Influencer Marketing in B2B

26:37 The Role of Customer Advocacy

29:45 The Future of Influencer Marketing

34:47 Practical Steps for Marketers

For sceptical CMOs

Both Katies recommend asking your buyers directly who they follow and trust for industry insights. Research shows 89% of buyers trust peer recommendations over brand messaging.

For marketing managers getting started:

Start with one influencer and focus on building a genuine relationship. Co-create content together and think long-term partnership, not transactional campaign.

Call to action:

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share the episode with friends! Subscribe to the Trust & Influence in B2B podcast for weekly episodes on influencer marketing, thought leadership, and building trust in B2B.

Subscribe:

Connect with Our Guests:

Katie Howell: [Social Media Links]
Katie Martell: [Social Media Links]
Joel Harrison: [Social Media Links]

Earning Trust Through Transparency: How PwC Navigated Global Brand Change, with Antonia Wade May 28, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Antonia Wade, Global Chief Marketing Officer at PwC. Fresh from unveiling a major brand revitalization, Antonia shares insights on how one of the world's leading professional services firms approached the complex challenge of evolving their brand while maintaining the trust and credibility that underpins their business model.

Topics Covered

The strategic rationale behind PwC's recent brand revitalization and the "catalyst for momentum" positioning.
How to balance brand evolution with heritage preservation in professional services
The three-year transformation program encompassing client experience, people experience, and market experience
Internal change management strategies for gaining buy-in from thousands of partners globally
The role of thought leadership in professional services, including PwC's "Value in Motion" research
Building trust through transparency, data-driven decision making, and course correction
Marketing as a commercial discipline and the importance of understanding business fundamentals
Strategies for sustaining long-term brand transformation across global markets

Key Conclusions

Trust Requires Authenticity in Brand Evolution: Antonia emphasizes that successful rebranding isn't about becoming an entirely different organization, but about signaling broader capabilities while preserving core credibility. As she notes, "Creating that credibility gap is actually bad for brand and bad for business, because we are a business where credibility is actually part of our core value."
Marketing Must Be Commercially Grounded: Throughout the conversation, Antonia reinforces that effective B2B marketing requires deep understanding of business fundamentals. Marketing leaders must "speak the language of finance, be able to make business cases, understand how your business makes money, understand the cost of marketing and why."
Change Management Requires Hearts and Minds: The three-year transformation program succeeded because it combined rigorous data analysis with emotional engagement. By consulting widely across the organization and giving employees space to "own" the new brand before external launch, PwC created genuine internal buy-in rather than imposed change.
Thought Leadership Drives Strategic Conversations: In professional services, thought leadership isn't just about brand awareness—it's about earning permission to have more strategic, upstream conversations with clients. The launch of "Value in Motion" research alongside the rebrand demonstrates how proprietary insights can support both brand positioning and commercial objectives.

For marketing leaders navigating similar transformations, Antonia's approach offers a blueprint for balancing innovation with credibility, ensuring that brand evolution supports rather than undermines the trust that drives B2B relationships.

Trust as currency: Leadership lessons from Cat Dutton, Pega's global growth VP May 13, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Trust and Influence in B2B podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Cat Dutton, VP of Global Growth at Pega. Drawing from her experience in senior positions at three global tech companies, Dutton shares how trust serves as the foundation for effective marketing leadership—from stakeholder relationships to team management and customer engagement.

Topics Covered

Building credibility with skeptical stakeholders (finance, IT, sales)
Transparent approaches to demonstrating marketing ROI
Trust dynamics in account-based marketing
Creating authentic team cultures
Evolution of thought leadership and partner strategies
Customer advocacy as a trust multiplier

Key Conclusions

Listen First, Speak Second: Dutton emphasizes that truly understanding stakeholder needs requires genuine listening rather than assumption. "Take time to listen to what they're actually saying to you," she advises. This extends to language choices—her team replaced "leads" with "unqualified opportunities" when speaking with sales, transforming relationship dynamics.

Transparent ROI Reporting: Rather than highlighting only successes, Dutton advocates showing both wins and challenges in marketing performance. Her team's CMO dashboard explicitly identifies underperforming investments alongside proposals for improvement, building finance stakeholder trust through honesty.

Co-Creation Builds Trust: For account-based marketing, Dutton rejects isolation in favor of collaboration with customers. "Spend time with customers. Create plans together, not in isolation," she recommends. This approach has been so successful that Pega's ABM initiatives are often promoted on client intranets—reaching broader audiences than initially targeted.

For marketers stepping into leadership roles, Dutton's parting advice is simple: Spend more time with people than seems necessary, over-communicate consistently, delegate confidently, and above all, "Don't lie to people, just don't do it."

AI avatars & authenticity: Redefining trust in B2B marketing May 02, 2025

Show notes

In this thought-provoking episode of the Trust and Influence Podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Steve Mudd, CEO of Talentless AI, about the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on B2B thought leadership and marketing.

Who is Steve Mudd?

With a colorful career spanning roles as Marketing Director at NetApp and positions at Ogilvy & Mather, Mudd has emerged as a prominent voice in the AI marketing space. His company name "Talentless AI" encapsulates his philosophy: "You don't have to be talented to use AI. You don't have to have any particular skill. It kind of allows you to level up in a number of ways."

Key Insights

The Information Architecture Revolution

Mudd argues that AI is fundamentally dismantling traditional information hierarchies: "Every website out there is crap compared to the information that I can get out of GPT right now." This forces marketers to reconsider where and how they provide value when AI can synthesize information more efficiently than traditional content platforms.

The Rise of "Thought Farming"

One of the most concerning trends Mudd identifies is what he calls "thought farming" – the industrial-scale production of AI-generated content that mimics thought leadership but exists primarily to drive engagement. This proliferation of content is diluting platform value and driving audiences away from traditional information sources like LinkedIn.

From Corporate Voice to Personal Connection

The most effective thought leadership is shifting from corporate publications to individual voices who consistently contribute to ongoing conversations. Mudd surprisingly identifies TikTok as his primary source for thought leadership content, noting figures like Scott Galloway and Rory Sutherland who leverage the platform's format for personal connection.

The Uncanny Valley of AI Avatars

As someone who regularly experiments with AI avatars, Mudd offers fascinating insights into how synthetic media is blurring the lines between human and artificial communication. He describes creating videos so convincing that "people can't tell" they're AI-generated, while emphasizing that transparency remains crucial for maintaining trust.

The New Skills for Marketing Success

"It's the rise of the English major," Mudd suggests when discussing the skills future marketers will need. Success in an AI-augmented world requires two critical capabilities: "First, the ability to communicate with language... Second, understanding if the output is good or not – that discernment of quality."

Looking Ahead

While acknowledging legitimate concerns about AI's impact on trust, Mudd maintains a fundamentally optimistic outlook. He views AI not as a threat to marketing jobs but as a creative opportunity to transcend limitations and explore new forms of communication.

His warning to B2B organizations is clear: "There will be a lot of companies who use AI as an excuse to do what they've always done, which is downsize every so often or cut budgets. But the reality is, if you don't lean in, it's just a matter of time before you're disrupted."

In an era where anyone can generate content at scale, the competitive advantage comes not from quantity but from quality, authenticity, and the ability to genuinely move conversations forward. That's the true challenge and opportunity of thought leadership in the AI era.

Listen to the full episode to discover how kittens, digital twins, and the future of B2B marketing intersect in ways you never imagined.

Thought leadership as strategic currency in the age of AI - with Rob Mitchell Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the 'Trust & Influence in B2B' podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Rob Mitchell, thought leadership expert and founder of Longitude, which later became part of the Financial Times Group. Having recently moved on from FT Longitude, Rob brings unique insights from his experience working with major B2B brands including Deloitte, Siemens, and Credit Suisse. With his background in journalism at both the Economist and the Financial Times, Rob offers a distinctive perspective on thought leadership as a sophisticated marketing discipline.

Topics Covered

The evolution of thought leadership from a niche activity to a mainstream B2B marketing approach.
The three essential ingredients that define effective thought leadership.
The distinction between "purist" and "pragmatist" approaches to thought leadership.
Common mistakes organizations make when developing thought leadership programs.
How to develop a portfolio approach that aligns with different stages of the buyer journey.
The impact of AI on both content production and consumption.
The growing importance of trust and authenticity in the AI era.
When thought leadership is (and isn't) the right investment for B2B organizations.

Key conclusions

Thought leadership as a craft: Effective thought leadership requires three key ingredients: fresh thinking (though not necessarily groundbreaking), relevance to the audience's needs, and brand distinctiveness. "If you're just coming up with messaging or insights that are generic or could be produced by anybody, that's not thought leadership in my book," Mitchell emphasizes.
The pragmatist approach: While "purist" thought leadership focuses on intellectual exploration without explicit commercial ties, Mitchell advocates for a more pragmatic approach that aligns with business objectives. This doesn't mean sacrificing quality but rather ensuring content supports specific marketing or commercial goals.
Portfolio strategy: Rather than expecting a single piece of thought leadership to accomplish multiple objectives, organizations should develop a portfolio approach. This begins with defining "what you want to be famous for" and cascades from high-level thought leadership to more technical content addressing specific buyer needs.
Trust as differentiator: As AI makes content production easier and potentially floods the market with mediocre material, trustworthiness becomes the critical differentiator. "That's going to be a massively important currency going forward for thought leadership," Mitchell notes, emphasizing consistency and credibility as essential attributes.
Audience-centric simplicity: Many organizations sabotage their thought leadership by taking an "inside-out" view, assuming audiences share their interests, or by overcomplicating their messages. Mitchell advocates for simplicity, clarity, and an outside-in perspective that starts with audience problems rather than organizational messages.

For B2B marketers navigating complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders, thought leadership offers a powerful way to build the trust necessary for both initial engagement and long-term relationships. By applying Mitchell's frameworks, organizations can transform their approach from generic content marketing to strategic thought leadership that drives genuine business value.