I just got back from Social Media Marketing World and AI Business World in Anaheim, USA. It’s such a great event put on by Michael (Mike) Stelzner and the team at Social Media Examiner. With around 2500 marketers, social media managers, and business owners attending, it was the equivalent of social media Disneyland.
To be clear up front, I didn’t spend my time in the sessions; most of my takeaways came from conversations with marketers, speakers, and people working in this space day-to-day. Honestly, I still think the best insights often come from catch-ups in the corridors and networking opportunities.
This year, the conference also included AI Business World. Based on my conversations, there seemed to be a mix of all-in enthusiasts, marketers who found it interesting but had no way to use the tools in their corporate roles, and those who were apprehensive at best.
With all this being said, here’s what I think actually matters in B2B marketing right now based on what I learned at #SMMW26.
This article is inspired by the recent episode of the Social Media for B2B Growth Podcast hosted by Michelle J Raymond, which discusses this topic in more detail.
Lesson 1: Strategy Matters More Now Than Ever
This was the biggest theme I kept hearing over and over again. Yes, AI can help marketers produce more content faster.
But volume isn’t the goal.
AI tools promise productivity and time savings, but marketers are using those time savings to do even more work. And honestly? A lot of it lands with a splat.
That’s why there’s so much pushback right now around AI-generated content. The volume is there, but it often doesn’t feel like it’s talking to anyone specifically.
I miss that feeling when you read something and think, “This is me. Are you reading my mind?”
That’s why strategy and clarity matter more than ever, especially on LinkedIn. LinkedIn wants people to become known for a topic. It wants expertise signals. It wants consistency and clarity.
You choose the topic. But make it really clear what you do.
That’s why I keep coming back to the same point:
Confuse ’em, you lose ’em.
So much so, I even had a t-shirt printed to remind people. 😀
Lesson 2: Where Does AI Adoption Fit in Corporate Life?
A few people deeply involved in AI workflows and tools told me they had spent eight to twelve hours at a time learning to do things or exploring tools before becoming good at them. Easily getting lost down the rabbit hole sometimes for days or weeks.
Honestly, I kept thinking about the B2B marketers I work with every day.
When exactly are they supposed to find that kind of time?
Most marketing teams are already stretched thin. They’re in back-to-back meetings trying to keep campaigns, content, leadership comms, blogs, reporting and social media moving.
That’s why I think there’s hesitation around AI adoption.
Not because marketers hate AI.
But because if something takes too long to master, most teams simply don’t have the capacity.
There’s a corporate reality that came up inMany teams are restricted to approved platforms such as several conversations. Many marketers aren’t even allowed to use certain tools inside their business due to privacy and IP concerns, restricted to approved platforms like Microsoft Copilot.
That’s why I think the smartest way to approach AI right now is to stop trying to master everything.
Most AI tools are useful for repurposing, workflows, research, captions, summaries and organisation. But they still require strategy and editorial judgement.
AI can amplify good marketing, but it won’t fix weak positioning or unclear messaging.
Lesson 3: Human Perspective Matters More Now
If I had a dollar for every time authenticity, storytelling and human connection came up in conversation during the event, I’d probably still be in Anaheim relaxing, eating hotdogs at a baseball game (they are so wrong they are so good!)
And honestly, I agree with a lot of it.
Your lived experience matters.
Original thinking matters.
The more you show that you genuinely understand your audience, the better your marketing becomes.
We also need to acknowledge something marketers don’t talk about enough. A lot of people are still uncomfortable putting themselves out there. There’s still fear around thought leadership, visibility and sharing opinions publicly, and storytelling often gets confused with oversharing personal information.
That’s why I don’t think AI suddenly turns non-creators into confident creators overnight. Am I wrong?
The businesses that will win are the ones that find ways to combine:
- Real expertise
- Human perspective
- Employee advocacy
- Conversations
- Thought leadership
- Clear positioning
That combination is incredibly difficult to fake, no matter how much AI Gurus try to convince you one prompt or playbook at a time.
Lesson 4: B2B Marketers Need to Stop Trying to Master Everything
One conversation at the event really stayed with me. I was chatting with a marketer about everything her role involved.
Comms. Social media. Blogs. Thought leadership for executives. Content updates. Strategy. Reporting. My jaw was on the ground, and she just shrugged and said: “That’s the job.”
That conversation summed up what I saw across the entire conference. Marketers have a lot on their plates – it seems more and not less.
There’s pressure to:
- Master AI
- Post more content
- Stay across every platform
- Keep up with every trend
- Somehow still deliver results
That’s why I think the answer right now is not to try to implement everything.
Pick one problem. Just one.
👉 Maybe it’s repurposing content better.
👉 Maybe it’s learning how to add captions to videos faster.
👉 Maybe it’s getting better at organising your content workflows.
But trying to overhaul everything at once is probably what burns marketers out the fastest.
The Best Marketers Are Going Back To Fundamentals
What surprised me most about Social Media Marketing World was how many conversations ultimately came back to the same marketing fundamentals:
- Strategy.
- Clarity.
- Trust.
- Authenticity.
- Audience understanding.
Not hacks. Not shortcuts. Not “post 14 times a day”. Just better marketing fundamentals.
The best marketers I met weren’t trying to drink from the fire hydrant (although I’m pretty sure watching them all take notes in sessions, they were trying to absorb as much as possible!!!) They were looking for one useful idea that could strengthen the strategy they already had.
And honestly, I think that’s the mindset more B2B marketers need right now.
Because AI is moving fast.
But clarity still wins.
Strategy still wins.
Trust still wins.
And if your positioning isn’t clear, AI won’t hide that problem.
It will probably expose it faster.
Final Thoughts
All in all, it was another fantastic event, and it’s always so good to catch up with everyone. Especially Team LinkedIn Speakers – AJ Wilcox, Judi Fox, Mandy McEwen, Louise Brogan.
Thank you to everyone who talked shop with me until I pretty much lost my voice. I learned so much and made so many new friends who have inspired me to try new things, including giving AI a second chance, given how far it’s come.
I can’t wait to put this into action with our B2B GROWTH CO – Grow Your B2B on LinkedIn clients.
Hopefully I’ll be back next year to catch up with everyone again. 🤞
Cheers
Michelle J Raymond
