This is an analysis blog onthe originally published article on DesignRush

B2B Content Gap: Why 70% of B2B Marketers Are Missing Experiential Content to Drive Real Trust

Here's a number that should make every B2B marketer pause: 78% of B2B marketers believe that interactive and experiential content increases repeat engagement. They know it works. They've seen the data. They understand the value.

Yet only 30% have actually built mature experiential marketing programs.

That's a 48-point gap between belief and execution—a chasm representing one of the biggest missed opportunities in B2B marketing today. While your competitors churn out another white paper or AI-generated blog post, there's a proven content approach sitting right in front of you that most marketers acknowledge works but aren't using.

After two decades building marketing programs for both scrappy startups and enterprise behemoths, I've watched this pattern repeat itself across industries. Marketing teams know what works, but they default to what's comfortable. The result? A sea of sameness in a market demanding differentiation.

If you're still relying primarily on static content to build trust with B2B buyers in 2026, you're fighting an uphill battle with one hand tied behind your back.

The Trust Crisis Meets the AI Content Explosion

We're in the middle of a perfect storm. 81% of B2B marketers now use generative AI tools, flooding the internet with more content than ever before. Meanwhile, only 4% highly trust AI outputs, and buyers are becoming increasingly skeptical about what they read.

Your buyers aren't stupid. They can spot AI-generated content from a mile away. The formulaic structure, the generic examples, the complete absence of genuine insight—it's all contributing to what I call "content fatigue."

But here's what's interesting: while trust in content is declining, interactive content generates 2x more engagement than passive content. Buyers spend an average of 8.5 minutes viewing static content but 13 minutes viewing interactive content. That's a 52.6% increase in engagement just by making content experiential.

The market is literally telling us what it wants. We're just not listening.

Understanding Experiential Content in the B2B Context

Experiential content isn't just events and conferences. That's thinking too narrowly.

Experiential content is any content format that requires active participation rather than passive consumption. It's the difference between reading about how something works and actually using a tool that demonstrates it. It's the difference between watching a product video and interacting with a live demo.

In practical terms, experiential B2B content includes:

Interactive Tools & Calculators‍

ROI calculators, configurators, assessment tools, diagnostic platforms. These don't just tell prospects about value—they let prospects calculate their own specific value.

Live Experiences‍

Webinars with real-time Q&A, virtual workshops, live streaming events, roundtable discussions. Webinars achieve 213% ROI on average, with 40-50% of registrants attending live.

Immersive Demonstrations‍

Interactive product tours, AR/VR experiences, sandbox environments where prospects can actually test your solution.

Dynamic Visual Content‍

Interactive infographics, data visualizations that respond to user input, clickable video content. Videos with interactive elements see a 47% increase in viewer engagement.

Gamified Experiences‍

Quizzes, assessments, challenges, and competitions that educate while engaging.

The key differentiator? Experiential content creates a dialogue. Static content broadcasts a monologue.

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Why B2B Buyers Are Demanding Experiences, Not Just Information

Here's where conventional wisdom about B2B buying gets demolished by actual research.

For years, we've operated under the assumption that B2B purchases are purely rational decisions. Logic. ROI. Feature comparisons. But research from Google and the CEB Marketing Leadership Council reveals something surprising: B2B customers are significantly more emotionally connected to their vendors than B2C consumers are to brands.

Think about that. The stakes are higher in B2B. Careers are on the line. Reputations are at risk. When you're recommending a $500K software purchase to your CFO, you need more than a spec sheet—you need confidence. You need to feel it.

Research shows that emotions account for approximately 50% of B2B buying decisions, not the 5% that rational analysis might suggest. Another study found that 56% of the final purchase decision is based on emotional factors.

Four emotions drive B2B buying decisions more than any others:

1. Trust in the supplier's credibility and authenticity
2. Confidence in the supplier's ability to deliver
3. Optimism about the partnership and outcomes
4. Pride in partnering with the supplier

You can't build these emotions with a PDF. You build them through experiences.

The Modern B2B Buyer Journey Demands Interaction

Today's B2B buyers consume 10-15 pieces of content before making a purchase decision. They spend 70% of their buying journey researching independently before ever contacting a vendor. 71% say engagement with content is harder than ever.

In this environment, how do you stand out? Not with your 47th blog post about industry trends. You stand out by giving buyers something they can actually use—a tool that provides personalized insights, a live experience where they can ask questions in real-time, an interactive assessment that helps them understand their own challenges better.

70% of buyers prefer interactive formats for learning about complex B2B topics. When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. B2B purchases are complex. Multiple stakeholders. Long sales cycles. High stakes. Buyers need to build confidence over time, and experiential content accelerates that confidence-building process.

The Six Pillars of Experiential Content Strategy

Based on research from top B2B marketing organizations and two decades of hands-on experience, here's the framework that actually works:

Pillar 1: Data-Informed Foundation

Start with original research. 93% of B2B marketers using original research-based content report it's effective at driving engagement and leads.

But don't just publish the research as a static report. Make it experiential. Create interactive data visualizations where users can filter by industry, company size, or geography. Build comparison tools that let prospects benchmark themselves against the data. Turn insights into calculators that apply research findings to individual situations.

I've seen this work brilliantly. One cybersecurity client took their annual industry report and created an interactive "security posture assessment" tool. Prospects could input basic information about their environment and get personalized insights based on the research data. The tool generated 3x more qualified leads than the traditional PDF report ever did.

Pillar 2: Influencer Integration for Amplified Trust

Here's a stat that stopped me in my tracks: 74% of marketers who frequently collaborate with influencers report research-based content as "very effective" compared to just 29% of everyone else.

That's a 2.5x effectiveness multiplier just from adding influencer collaboration.

But we're not talking about Instagram influencers here. In B2B, influencers are industry experts, analysts, practitioners with real expertise. Co-create experiential content with these voices:

• Live Q&A sessions with industry experts
• Collaborative webinars where multiple experts debate approaches
• Interactive workshops led by practitioners
• Roundtable discussions on emerging challenges

The influencer's credibility transfers to your brand, and the live, interactive format creates genuine value that static content never could.

Pillar 3: Multi-Format Experiential Approach

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. The most successful programs I've built use multiple experiential formats working together:

Video-First: 87% of B2B marketers use video, and 61% plan to increase video investment. But make it interactive. Add clickable elements, branching paths, embedded forms that respond to user choices.

Webinars That Actually Engage: Stop using webinars as glorified sales pitches. Webinars achieve 213% ROI when done well. Make them genuinely interactive with live polls, Q&A, breakout discussions, and hands-on exercises.

Assessment Tools: These are goldmines for lead generation and qualification. Build assessments that provide real value—insights prospects couldn't get elsewhere.

Interactive Microsites: Rather than directing prospects to a generic landing page, create immersive microsites with multiple interactive elements, personalized pathways, and exploratory navigation.

Pillar 4: Account-Based Experiential Marketing

Nearly three-quarters of ABM users are still in exploratory or developing stages. There's huge opportunity here.

Create personalized experiential content for high-value accounts. Custom ROI calculators populated with their industry data. Private virtual events designed around their specific challenges. Interactive proposals that let multiple stakeholders explore different scenarios.

I worked with a SaaS company targeting enterprise retailers. Instead of a standard pitch deck, we created an interactive planning tool that let the prospect model different implementation scenarios, see projected ROI for their specific situation, and share the tool with other stakeholders. They closed 3 of their top 5 target accounts that quarter.

Pillar 5: Full-Funnel Measurement

Here's where most experiential programs fall apart: measurement. 47% of B2B marketers don't measure ROI from content marketing efforts. That's inexcusable.

89% of pacesetter organizations measure impact on sales timelines. They're tracking:

• Engagement depth (not just views, but time spent, interactions, completion rates)
• Lead quality scores for those who engage with experiential content
• Pipeline velocity for accounts that interact with experiential assets
• Deal size correlation with experiential engagement
• Win rates comparing deals with and without experiential touchpoints

Set up your measurement framework before you launch. Track the right metrics. Prove the value.

Pillar 6: Technology Integration

You can't scale experiential content without the right tech stack. But here's the trap: don't let technology complexity become an excuse for inaction.

Start simple. Use existing tools:

• LinkedIn has over a billion members and native event, poll, and live video capabilities
• Most marketing automation platforms support webinars and interactive forms
• Free or low-cost tools exist for building calculators and assessments

As you scale, invest in platforms specifically built for interactive content creation. The key is getting started, measuring results, then expanding based on what works.

Real-World Success: Brands Getting Experiential Right

Let me share some examples of companies that closed the experiential gap and saw real results:

Adobe: Repositioning Through Experiential Thought Leadership

Adobe faced a perception challenge. Many business decision-makers still saw them as just a design tools company, not the holistic enterprise solution provider they'd become with Adobe Experience Cloud.

Their approach? A multi-channel experiential campaign called "Creativity for All." They created:

• Interactive microsites explaining different components of their GTM stack
• Personalized, insight-driven ads targeted at CMOs and digital strategists
• Live webinars with real client use cases
• Partnership with influential martech voices for credibility

The results were striking:

• Brand favorability scores among enterprise tech buyers rose 14%
• Adobe Experience Cloud searches increased 180% year-over-year
• Over 25 million impressions with 2.7x engagement boost
• B2B sales inquiries rose 33% in the first 90 days

By creating experiences rather than just broadcasting messages, Adobe shifted perception and drove measurable business impact.

ZoomInfo: Content Partnership Meets Interactive Experiences

ZoomInfo invested in a multi-phase awareness campaign centered on "Modern GTM Intelligence." They combined:

• High-impact video series
• Interactive microsites explaining their platform
• Strategic co-branded content with Salesforce and HubSpot
• Executive interviews in short video format

Results:

• 150,000+ content downloads across campaign assets
• Email click-through rates 2.5x above industry average
• Pipeline velocity improved 19% for engaged accounts

The lesson? Co-branding with trusted ecosystem partners combined with interactive experiences creates credibility at scale.

Adobe Experience Cloud: Influencer-Led Interactive Content

In another initiative, Adobe worked with TopRank Marketing to create influencer-led experiential content.

The influencer-driven interactive content generated:

• 2x the engagement of comparable Adobe campaigns
• 150% increase in form completion rates on LinkedIn

This demonstrates the multiplier effect of combining influencer credibility with interactive formats.

Sunbelt Rentals: Transforming B2B Commerce Through Experiential Digital

Sunbelt Rentals needed to transform from a person-to-person sales model to multichannel digital experiences.

Their experiential approach:

• Interactive product configurators
• Personalized recommendations based on user behavior
• Dynamic abandoned cart campaigns using marketing automation

Results:

• 3x faster page load times
• 6x more frequent content updates
• 2x abandoned cart conversion, contributing $2.4 million in additional annual revenue
• Moving toward 10% of annual revenue from digital channels

By making the digital experience interactive and personalized, they transformed buyer behavior and drove real revenue.

The Content Formats Building Trust Right Now

Based on current research, here are the experiential formats delivering the highest trust and engagement:

Webinars: Still king. 64% of buyers spend 20-60 minutes with webinar content. The key is making them genuinely interactive, not just presentations with a Q&A tacked on.

Case Studies with Interactive Elements: 42% of buyers cite case studies as most influential, and 73% of B2B decision-makers say they significantly influence purchasing. Make them interactive—let users filter by industry, challenge, or outcome.

Video Content: 93% of video marketers report positive ROI. Add interactive elements and that number climbs. Videos under one minute see 50% engagement rates; videos with interactive elements see 47% higher engagement than non-interactive versions.

ROI Calculators and Assessment Tools: These are lead generation machines when done right. They provide immediate personalized value while qualifying prospects.

Live Events and Virtual Workshops: 78% of B2B marketers allocate budget to experiential marketing, and those who measure impact report stronger pipeline influence.

Overcoming the Implementation Barriers

Let's address the elephant in the room. If experiential content works so well, why isn't everyone doing it?

Barrier 1: "It's Too Complex"

Yes, experiential content requires more planning than cranking out another blog post. But complexity is relative. Start small:

• Turn your most popular white paper into an interactive quiz
• Add live polls to your next webinar
• Create a simple ROI calculator using Google Sheets and an embedded form
• Host a 30-minute expert Q&A on LinkedIn Live

You don't need to build an entire metaverse experience on day one. Start with one interactive element and build from there.

Barrier 2: "We Don't Have the Budget"

78% of B2B marketers allocate budget to experiential marketing, but only 30% have mature programs. Budget isn't the primary constraint—it's prioritization.

Consider this: you're already spending money creating static content. What if you redirected 20% of that budget to make existing content interactive? You don't need a massive new budget line—you need to reallocate existing resources toward higher-ROI formats.

Free and low-cost tools exist for creating:

• Interactive quizzes and assessments
• Live streaming events
• Calculators and configurators
• Clickable video experiences
• Virtual events and webinars

Barrier 3: "We Can't Measure It Properly"

27% haven't measured experiential impact and another 27% are unsure. But measurement isn't harder—it's just different.

Track:

• Engagement metrics: Time spent, completion rates, interaction depth
• Lead quality: Conversion rates, sales qualification rates for experiential leads
• Pipeline metrics: Velocity, size, win rates for deals with experiential touchpoints
• Content performance: Sharing, repeat engagement, content consumption patterns

Modern marketing automation and analytics platforms make this tracking straightforward. The key is defining your metrics before launch, not trying to retrofit measurement after the fact.

Barrier 4: "It's Too Risky"

Here's the real risk: doing nothing while your competitors experiment and learn.

Interactive content generates 2x more engagement. 88% of marketers say it helps differentiate their brand. The risk isn't in trying experiential content—the risk is in continuing to produce the same static content everyone else is producing while expecting different results.

Test and learn. Pick one experiential format. Create it. Measure it. Iterate. The organizations winning in B2B marketing aren't the ones avoiding risk—they're the ones managing risk through disciplined experimentation.

Your Experiential Content Implementation Roadmap

Based on successful programs I've built and consulted on, here's a practical 12-month implementation framework:

Months 1-2: Audit and Identify

Audit your current content portfolio:

• Which topics get the most engagement?
• What content do prospects return to repeatedly?
• Where do prospects drop off in your funnel?
• What questions come up most in sales conversations?

Identify experiential opportunities:

• What static content could become interactive?
• What live experiences would genuinely help prospects?
• Where do prospects need hands-on understanding?
• What calculations or assessments would provide value?

Assess capabilities:

• What tools do you already have?
• What skills exist on your team?
• Where do you need external help?
• What budget is realistically available?

Months 3-5: Pilot Program

Choose 2-3 experiential formats to test:

Start with proven winners. Based on research, I recommend:

1. One interactive tool (calculator, assessment, or configurator)
2. One live experience (webinar, workshop, or expert Q&A)
3. One conversion of existing content to interactive format

Create, launch, and promote:

• Set clear success metrics before launch
• Promote across existing channels
• Engage your sales team in distribution
• Collect qualitative feedback alongside quantitative data

Example starter projects:

• Convert your top white paper into an interactive assessment
• Turn your ROI case study into a calculator
• Host a monthly "Ask Me Anything" with your product experts
• Add interactive elements to your next webinar

Months 6-8: Measure and Optimize

Analyze performance:

• Which formats drove the highest engagement?
• What conversion rates did you see?
• How did lead quality compare to static content?
• What did prospects say they found valuable?

Iterate based on data:

• Double down on what worked
• Fix what didn't
• Test variations of successful formats
• Gather more user feedback

Build internal case studies:

• Document wins
• Share learnings across teams
• Build support for expanded investment

Months 9-12: Scale

Expand successful formats:

• Create series, not one-offs
• Develop templates for repeatable production
• Train team members on what works
• Integrate into regular content calendar

Integrate across the funnel:

• Top of funnel: Interactive infographics, quizzes, educational tools
• Middle of funnel: ROI calculators, assessments, live workshops
• Bottom of funnel: Interactive proposals, custom demonstrations, private events

Build institutional capability:

• Document processes
• Develop style guides for experiential content
• Create reusable components
• Establish measurement dashboards

The Future Is Experiential: Answer Engine Optimization and Beyond

Here's what's coming that makes experiential content even more critical:

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is replacing traditional SEO. As AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI overviews become primary search interfaces, static content becomes less discoverable. But interactive tools, calculators, and unique experiences? Those still require direct engagement with your brand.

31% of Gen Z now use AI platforms as their primary method for finding information online. When AI can summarize any white paper, your white paper becomes less valuable. But AI can't replicate the experience of using your ROI calculator or attending your live workshop.

Personalization at scale becomes table stakes. 96% of surveyed marketers report that personalized customer experiences have increased sales. Experiential content enables personalization in ways static content never could.

AI makes experiential content creation easier, not harder. Use AI to:

• Generate quiz questions based on your research
• Create interactive script outlines for webinars
• Develop personalization logic for calculators
• Analyze engagement patterns to optimize experiences

The brands that win won't be those using AI to create more static content. They'll be those using AI to create better experiences faster.

Closing the Gap: Your Action Plan

Let's bring this full circle. 78% of B2B marketers believe experiential content increases engagement. Only 30% have mature programs. That 48-point gap represents your opportunity.

Your competitors are stuck in the same patterns: white papers, blog posts, generic webinars that are barely disguised sales pitches. They know they should be doing more, but they're trapped by inertia, perceived complexity, and organizational resistance to change.

Meanwhile, the market is screaming for experiences. Buyers want tools they can use. They want live interactions with real experts. They want to build confidence through hands-on engagement, not passive content consumption.

Here's my challenge to you: Create one piece of experiential content this quarter.

Not ten. Not a massive transformation. Just one.

Pick your most popular piece of static content and make it interactive. Or host one live expert session. Or build one simple calculator. Measure the results. Compare engagement, lead quality, and conversion rates to your static content.

I'm willing to bet you'll see:

• Higher engagement (remember that 2x multiplier)
• Better qualified leads (people who engage deeply are more serious)
• Faster sales cycles (experiential content builds confidence faster)
• Higher win rates (prospects who experience your value are easier to close)

The gap exists not because experiential content is hard or expensive or risky. The gap exists because marketing teams are stuck in comfortable patterns while knowing deep down they need to change.

You're not going to close a 48-point industry-wide gap overnight. But you can close your own gap. Start with one experiential content piece. Measure it. Learn from it. Build on it.

The B2B buyers of 2026 don't want more content. They want better experiences. The question is: are you going to give it to them, or will your competitors get there first?

The choice, as it's always been, is yours.

Sources & Further Reading

Industry Research & Statistics

• Content Marketing Institute - B2B Content Marketing Trends 2025 - Comprehensive annual survey of 1,015+ B2B marketers
• Content Marketing Institute - B2B Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends 2025 - In-depth research on strategy effectiveness
• HubSpot - 2025 Marketing Statistics, Trends & Data - Cross-industry marketing data and benchmarks
• DemandSage - 47 Content Marketing Statistics 2026 - Latest data on content performance and ROI
• Content by Cass - 40+ B2B Content Marketing Statistics 2025 - Curated statistics with actionable insights
• SeoProfy - Top 74 B2B Marketing Statistics 2025-2026 - Comprehensive B2B marketing benchmarks

Interactive Content Research

• Amra and Elma - Top Interactive Content Marketing Statistics 2025 - Focused research on interactive format performance
• Intero Digital - 29 Stats to Make the Case for Content Marketing ROI - ROI-focused statistics
• QuickCreator - 2024 Content Marketing ROI: 25 Game-Changing Statistics - Interactive content engagement data

B2B Buyer Psychology & Decision-Making

• Google & CEB Marketing Leadership Council Research - Emotion in B2B - Groundbreaking research on emotional B2B buying
• B2B International - Emotions in Business Decision Making - Research on emotional vs. rational factors
• Quirks - Let's Get Emotional - Study on the four key emotions in B2B buying
• DeSantis Breindel - The Dangerous Myth of the Rational B2B Buyer - Analysis of emotional connection in B2B
• Aslan Training - The Critical Role of Emotions in Decision-Making - Professional development perspective on emotional selling

ROI & Measurement

• Martal - 2025 B2B Marketing ROI Benchmarks - Channel-specific ROI benchmarks including webinars
• Conveyor Marketing Group - How to Set B2B Marketing ROI Benchmarks for 2025 - Practical framework for setting benchmarks
• Taboola - 2025 Content Marketing Statistics - Content marketing effectiveness data
• SproutWorth - 40 B2B Content Marketing Statistics 2024 - Measurement and performance insights

Case Studies & Success Stories

• DigitalDefynd - Top 11 B2B Marketing Case Studies 2025 - Comprehensive case study compilation including Adobe and ZoomInfo
• TopRank Marketing - Adobe B2B Marketing Case Study - Influencer-led experiential content results
• Adobe - Sunbelt Rentals Case Study - B2B commerce transformation through experiential digital
• Adobe - B2B Ecommerce Case Studies - 10 examples of experiential B2B digital experiences
• Brafton - Content Marketing Case Studies - Multi-industry examples including user-generated content
• Brixon Group - Compelling Case Studies: B2B Success Stories 2025 - Framework for effective case study creation

Platform & Channel Insights

• LinkedIn Business - Adobe ABM Success - Account-based marketing through LinkedIn
• Vidico - 15+ Important B2B Marketing Trends & Statistics 2025 - Video and immersive content trends

Tools & Implementation

• ZoomInfo - Customer Success Case Studies - Examples of data-driven GTM strategies
• ZoomInfo Platform Overview - Go-to-market intelligence platform capabilities
• xGrowth - B2B Marketing Trends to Follow in 2025 - Implementation trends and tool recommendations

Additional Thought Leadership

• Velocity Partners - Rationality or Emotion: Which is the Engine of B2B Marketing? - Strategic perspective on B2B buyer psychology
• Tony Zambito - The Role of Emotions and Goals in B2B Buying Decisions - Buyer persona and goal-directed behavior research
• LinkedIn - Emotion in B2B Marketing: Really? - Industry discussion on emotional marketing
• B2B International - Are B2B Decisions Driven by Emotional or Rational Thinking? - 4 Steps of Emotional Engagement framework

CREDIT: This is an analysis blog onthe originally published article on DesignRush