Welcome to Edition 19 of B2B Marketing Simplified
Last month, we tackled Vision & Voice – the essential first step in formulating a winning marketing strategy. This month, we turn our focus to the “A” in the VALUE Builder Method™: Assets & Authority – overcoming the challenge of growing your awareness and developing the all-important authority to help convince prospects to trust your business.
This is Part 2 of a 5-part series on the VALUE Builder Method™, a simple proven framework I use to help B2B companies break through growth plateaus. Growth doesn’t happen by accident; it comes from following a straightforward process that works. In an AI-driven world, this structure matters more than ever.
What do we mean by Assets & Authority?
- Assets – The building blocks that convert, a website, a lead magnet, proof and design that do the selling for you.
- Authority –The proof you’re the real deal, consistent case studies, reviews and content that build trust and make you the obvious choice.
How to build Assets & Authority for an ‘AI-driven’ world
Traditional SEO still matters, but it’s not enough when answers live inside AI snippets.
Google’s AI Overviews and Bing Copilot are rewriting the rules of search. This shift in online user behaviour is called ‘zero-click search’ and it already accounts for over 75% of Google searches on mobile in 2025. You can read more about this shift in search in our recent newsletter.
That’s why authority matters when building your assets. These AI systems choose which content and sources to cite based on expertise, trust and clarity. Therefore, to stay ahead of your competition, you must make yourself visible online by building trustworthy assets that both humans and AI algorithms respect.
To be cited (and clicked), you need content that demonstrates:
1. Credibility
Thought leadership backed by data and real results. Edelman/LinkedIn’s 2024 report found 75 % of decision‑makers research a product or service after reading strong thought leadership content.
AI citations favour authority. For example, AI models cite sources like Wikipedia more than half the time, but they also pull from trusted company sites. Structured data, clean headings and evidence‑based content improve your odds.
2. Freshness & structure
Up‑to‑date content with clear headings, bullet points and schema markup. Over 72% of first‑page websites utilise structured data.
3. Social proof
Reviews and testimonials signal trust. Review signals (volume, diversity and velocity) account for around 15 % of local pack rankings (these are the top three businesses that show up in the little map box when you search for something local, like “accountants near me”) and carry weight with algorithms.
AI Overviews cut traffic. An extensive study of 300k keywords found that when an AI Overview appears, the top organic results CTR drops 34.5 %. Google claims AI Overviews increase clicks, but independent data shows otherwise.
4. Human voice
Named authors and personal stories (remember “Vision & Voice”) make your expertise tangible.
Put simply, authority today isn’t about keyword stuffing; it’s about creating assets that AI can cite and prospects find compelling.
Get started with these four authority assets every B2B CEO needs to know.
1. Video series
Algorithms love rich media and transcripts; humans get to know your face and expertise. Over time, you build a library of evergreen assets.
Produce a monthly 10-15‑minute episode addressing the biggest questions in your market. Keep it educational, problem-solution focused, and ensure the transcript is crawlable. Post to YouTube and LinkedIn natively and add searchable transcripts on your site.
2. Playbooks & guides
Don’t just post short blogs anymore; AI search engines pull from big, helpful guides. Write something substantial (like a named playbook or framework), show people how to do it step by step, back it with data, and format it so search engines recognise it’s a “how-to” guide. Share enough of it publicly so AI can find it, but gate the full version so you still capture leads.
3. Customer success stories
AI wants complex data; prospects wish to be relatable. Follow a challenge‑solution‑result structure and quantify outcomes. Video + written case studies are best.
Case in point: You can always find recent case studies celebrating the successes of our clients on our website and LinkedIn. Take a look at our recent case studies.
4. Reviews & Testimonials
Reviews aren’t just for retailers. They serve as an authoritative signal for both local and AI search. Moz analysis shows that review quantity, diversity, and velocity account for roughly 15% of local pack rank. Therefore, encourage clients to leave detailed, keyword‑rich reviews on Google, Trustpilot and LinkedIn. A drip‑feed of 5-10 reviews per month is better than occasional bursts.
Repurposing & Evergreen: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Creating assets is an investment; repurposing them multiplies your return. Faster. Here’s a 30/60/90‑day reuse calendar we recommend clients start with:
Days 1–30:
- Publish your first authority asset (guide, case study or video).
- Now, break it into 5-7 social posts, and feature it in your email newsletter.
- Next, add internal links to related content elsewhere on your website to boost authority (strategic internal linking distributes PageRank and guides users).
Days 31–60:
- Host a webinar or live Q&A using the duplicate content.
- Now, pitch guest articles or podcasts on the same theme.
- Next, brief your sales team on key insights to use in conversations.
Days 61–90:
- Refresh the original asset with updated data; turn it into a short video or infographic.
- Now, review analytics to see which pieces performed best
- Next, double down on those angles.
This rhythm ensures your content continues to work for you while you run the business.
👉 Download the 30-day FREE sprint guide and start turning your expertise into authority assets.
Bringing It Back to Vision & Voice
Remember Part 1 of this 5-part newsletter series? Well, your Vision and Voice define the direction and tone of your marketing. Your Assets and Authority need to align with that. Don’t churn out generic content for the sake of it. Every guide, video and case study should reinforce your vision and sound like you.
Authority isn’t built overnight. It compounds. The brands that invest now will be the ones AI cites tomorrow and the ones humans trust. If you’re feeling behind, that’s okay — this is precisely what we help CEOs tackle.
Want help building your authority engine?
Book a FREE 20‑minute call with me.
We’ll identify the one asset you need right now to stand out and map out how to repurpose it for maximum impact.
Have a great week.
