One of the most critical components of a successful B2B content strategy is understanding your audience. Not just who they are, but how they think, what drives their decisions, and how they navigate the buying journey.
As a content strategist, I spend a lot of time translating those insights into compelling content that addresses audiences’ specific challenges and delivering it through the channels they trust most.
This kind of targeted approach works. It drives awareness, sparks engagement, and captures leads. But here's the catch: In today’s B2B landscape, it’s no longer just about reaching individual buyers. Because B2B decisions are rarely made alone.
Buying is a Team Sport, With More Players Than Ever
B2B buying has always required consensus. But the team of decision-makers is growing larger and gaining alignment is getting harder. On average, 13 stakeholders are now involved in a single B2B purchasing decision, and more than 40% of deals stall due to internal misalignment within buyer groups.
These groups include not only target buyers — the primary users of the product or service being purchased — but also internal stakeholders, or “hidden buyers,” who operate behind the scenes in functions like procurement, legal, and HR. They might not be the ones using the product or service day-to-day, but they have a seat at the decision-making table, and they can make or break a deal.
These stakeholders are often labeled “box-checkers,” focused solely on risk, compliance, cost, and contracts. But that’s a misconception. The reality? Hidden buyers behave more like target buyers than most marketers assume.
Thought Leadership’s Hidden Advantage
For the past seven years, Edelman and LinkedIn have partnered on the annual B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, uncovering the power of thought leadership — content that offers expertise, guidance, or a distinct point of view — in reaching and engaging B2B buyers. This year’s report puts the spotlight on hidden buyers and uncovers a game-changing insight: Thought leadership is just as powerful at influencing these often-overlooked decision-makers as it is with target buyers. In fact:
- 91% of hidden buyers say strong thought leadership makes them more receptive to a company’s sales and marketing outreach.
- 71% of hidden buyers say thought leadership is more effective than traditional sales and marketing materials at demonstrating a company’s potential — even higher than the 64% of target buyers who say the same.
- 79% of hidden buyers say they’re more likely to advocate internally for a company that consistently produces high-quality thought leadership.
In other words, thought leadership isn’t just a brand awareness play. It’s a strategic tool for aligning the full decision-making ecosystem and turning hidden buyers into internal champions.
Unlocking Hidden Buyer Advocacy
This year’s report also cracks the code on what works — and what doesn’t — when it comes to thought leadership that engages hidden buyers. Three principles stood out:
- Don’t speak corporate. Do keep it human.
65% of hidden buyers prefer content with a more conversational, less formal tone. This means you should skip the jargon, ditch the acronyms, and write like a real person. - Don’t play it safe. Do bring fresh perspective.
86% of hidden buyers say they want content that challenges their assumptions, not just echoes what they already know. Be bold, leverage your unique expertise, and say something new. - Don’t get too in the weeds. Do make it snackable.
57% of hidden buyers favor quick, high-level takeaways over deep dives. That research report might work for your target buyer. But a short, insight-packed blog post or video is more likely to land with a hidden buyer.
Content Strategy that Considers Every Buyer
Hidden buyers may not be the obvious voices in the room, but they often have a critical say in the final decision. Overlooking them means overlooking influence that could make or break a deal.
So the next time you're mapping your content strategy, ask yourself: Who’s not in the brief but has a seat at the table? Then make sure your strategy speaks to them too. Because when done well, thought leadership is a critical lever that builds trust, inspires advocacy, drives alignment, and helps move decisions forward.
Kristin Schmotzer is VP, Content Strategy of Edelman Business Marketing.