Sword and the Script

09/23/2025

Which PR tactics does B2B see as effective?

The survey asked respondents, “What do you believe are the most effective PR tactics in use at your organization?” Here’s how their answers tallied up:

-61% said brand and reputation management;
-44% said media relations;
-41% said thought leadership;
-40% said content support;
-27% said event support;
-26% said crisis support/communications;
-22% said partnerships/sponsorship;
-15% said analyst relations; and
-9% said podcast management.

https://www.swordandthescript.com/2025/09/b2b-public-relations-revenue/

09/16/2025

People are not taking government economic surveys; businesses have the same problem

Businesses need to take a more considered, deliberate and comprehensive approach to feedback; don’t allow a machine to get between your business and the customer

09/09/2025

Surveys say from start to finish, B2B prospects require a dozen touches or more, but behavioral data finds it may require hundreds of interactions

https://www.swordandthescript.com/2025/09/touches-b2b-prospects/

Surveys say from start to finish, B2B prospects require a dozen touches or more, but behavioral data finds it may require hundreds of interactions

08/27/2025

Fixing a B2B marketing’s addiction to MQLs [Monthly Marcom]

https://monthlymarcom.substack.com/p/fixing-a-b2b-marketings-addiction

08/26/2025

This is an uncomfortable, yet reasonable, question for PR professionals:

Is the influence of traditional media – and by extension media relations – waning?

I have *an* answer in this piece.

https://www.swordandthescript.com/2025/08/influence-media-waning/

08/19/2025

Move over hallucinations -- sychophancy is the newest and genuine risk to generative AI.

As PR pros and communicators increasingly rely on these tools, it’s imperative to modify their customizations to prevent generative AI from merely telling you what it thinks you want to hear.

This post provides some suggested customizations you should make so you get the straight scoop:

https://www.swordandthescript.com/2025/08/generative-ai-customizations/

Sychophancy is a genuine risk to generative AI; as PR increasingly relies on these tools, it’s imperative to modify their customizations to prevent generative AI from merely telling you what it thinks you want to hear

08/12/2025

Gartner: 6 in 10 B2B prospects never want to talk to a salesperson.

Forrester: “92% of buyers start with at least one vendor in mind, and 41% already have a single preferred vendor selected before formal evaluation begins.”

How do you convince a buyer to give your solution a shot when they’ve already made up their mind before the search and refuse to talk to sales?

The answer is simple: Marketing has to work to shape preferences sooner.

https://www.swordandthescript.com/2025/08/b2b-preferences/

Forrester survey finds 92% of B2B prospects start evaluation solutions with one vendor in mind; 41% have a single preference; Gartner says 61% B2B buyers want to avoid talking to sales

08/05/2025

While marketing strives to put their best foot forward – highlighting why they are different and detailing their unique value, features and benefits – generative AI does the opposite.

With a few prompts, it had compiled a matrix-style list of products for a side-by-side comparison.

And it included pricing.

Generative AI provides succinct product comparisons for B2B buyers, including pricing; vendors who choose to omit pricing information risk never even being considered.

Generative AI provides succinct product comparisons for B2B buyers, including pricing; vendors who choose to omit pricing information risk never even being considered for the short list

07/29/2025

AI will certainly change our behavior. People no longer have to learn the language of code; rather, AI is learning our language.

As remarkable as that is, it comes with inherent limitations that ought to be carefully factored into marketing and communication decisions.

I, for one, contend, the only way to get that is to get close to the customers.

There’s no substitute for direct conversations and interactions with real people to better understand that experience.

AI cannot replicate the experience of delight, awe, confusion or frustration in any meaningful way. AI can’t understand human experience

07/22/2025

The post argues that generative AI is fundamentally changing human behavior, and this shift is highly relevant for marketing and communications professionals to monitor -- even if the current investment surge in AI eventually leads to a bubble.

Rather than focusing solely on tactical advantages (like speed, idea generation, and content delivery), the post contends the strategic impact is behavioral: AI is transforming the way people interact with information and make decisions.

Even if there’s a bubble that pops, generative AI is changing behavior, and that’s what strategic marketing and communications people need to observe

07/15/2025

2025 Private B2B SaaS Company Growth Rate Benchmarks by SaaS Capital:

“The difference between higher-growth bootstrapped companies and lower-growth bootstrapped companies is most noticeable in sales and marketing, with higher-growth companies (both bootstrapped and equity-backed) spending approximately 20% more on sales and 40% more on marketing.”

In other words, regardless of funding, startups that spend more on marketing have higher growth rates.

N = 1,000+

https://www.swordandthescript.com/2025/07/saas-marketing-spend/

07/08/2025

Here's a summary of statistics -- with citations -- from studies and surveys about B2B marketing and communications so far this year.

Some of the stats include:

1. CMO titles are cool again. There was a substantial increase in CMO appointments in 2024, with 310 new CMOs announced globally compared to 213 in 2023, representing a 45.5% jump.

8. About 1 in 4 marketers saw “significant” budget increases. Some 67% of respondents said the budget has increased over the last year. This includes about one in four (23%) who indicated their budget grew “significantly.”

12. Educational content wins. “65% of respondents rated educational content as ‘very important’ for audience engagement, highlighting the demand for trust-building and value-driven strategies.”

20. Overpromising delivers churn. “73% of churned customers said they never saw value.”

28. Average investment in PR. About half (49%) of respondents surveyed by BuzzStream invest between $5,000 and $20,000 per month on digital PR.

33. Lacking visibility. 25% of B2B buyers find it difficult to discover products online

41. Paid social. 90% of marketers are using paid social media to engage customers

What’s going well: CMOs, marketing budgets, alignment with sales; What could be improved: Trust, conversions, and customer retention