Train Of Thought: Why B2B Thought Leadership Must Power the Entire Funnel

As you can probably tell by my regular writing output, 100% of the people behind this and our Magazine Manager blog believe that thought leadership is essential to full-funnel marketing success.

Of course, we’re joined by 97% of B2B marketers who feel likewise, according to recent TopRank Marketing research.

Still, less than half (43%) extend those efforts “beyond acquisition to engage and retain customers post-sale,” missing out on opportunities that can “serve as an engine that drives content across the entire customer lifestyle.”

TopRank Marketing’s report, The State of B2B Thought Leadership in 2026, found that 47% plan on increasing their data-driven content and use of original research in the coming year, efforts that can address a number of full-funnel challenges, the most-cited being limited visibility into performance, over-reliance on fewer channels, and difficulty generating qualified leads at the top of the funnel.

 (Source: TopRank Marketing)

“The discipline of working smarter with orchestration is what elevates today’s B2B marketing strategy,” the report says. “Every piece of content becomes more intentional, more connected, and more capable of delivering credible answers across a long buying cycle.”

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