BOL

08/21/2026

Buyers have changed.

Some buyers aren’t searching anymore. They’re asking AI, building a shortlist, and doing a big part of the evaluation before you even know they’re looking.

That changes what we need to know about them.

Adding generational cohorts to your persona research can help uncover who trusts AI, what they need to see before they believe, and how they actually want brands to communicate with them.

Because a job title only tells you so much.

08/17/2026

Nobody has to win this one.

We all know the drill. Brand needs to work for real human buyers, but search insists it be structured for the LLMs. And that feels like opposing forces.

They shouldn’t be. Content that a model can pull a clean answer from is content that answers questions early, gets real specific, and doesn't bury the point way below the fold. Sounds like the same thing that humans want too.

What buyers can’t stand is content that feels like it was assembled for the LLMs. That isn’t structure, it's throwing in the towel and calling it optimization.

So, stop trying to win a fight that isn’t even happening. Create content once for both the human buyer and the LLM. Clear enough to be cited and real enough for buyers to trust.

If your team still runs SEO content and AI content as separate tracks, say so in the comments. We want to know how common it still is. ⬇️

08/07/2026

Big moves at BOL. 👏

We’re excited to celebrate three well-deserved promotions:

🎉 Sarah Rockwood → Senior Account Director
🎉 Lizzie Magnarelli → Senior Director of Professional Services
🎉 Miles Levit → Senior VP of Service Delivery

Each has made a real impact on our clients, our team, and BOL’s growth. We’re proud to have them on the team and excited for what’s ahead.

Help us celebrate Sarah, Lizzie, and Miles in the comments! 🎉

08/06/2026

POV: your boss just found out the fix takes months, not a quarter.
Tuesday the CMO said she had it handled. Here's what handling it actually looks like, and it is not a campaign.

BOSS: so what does chat want from us?
CMO: something real. our own research.
CMO: nobody else's numbers.
CMO: actual humans' names on it

That's the whole bar, and almost nobody clears it.

When BOL looks at why a company doesn't come back in an AI answer, it's usually one of three things. The site is quietly blocking the crawlers. The content is 400 blog posts that say what everyone else's 400 blog posts say. Or there's nothing outside their own domain confirming any of it.

That last one is where people get stuck. Publishing it on your site is step one. It has to exist somewhere a model actually reads.

CMO: then we put it everywhere. videos. podcasts. reddit
BOSS: reddit?
CMO: REDDIT!!!
BOSS: But, we make software.
CMO: Well, chat reads reddit.

It does. And it weighs a thread full of practitioners arguing about your category more heavily than the page where you describe yourself.
BOSS: this sounds like months

CMO: it is.

There's no version of this that's finished by the next board meeting, which is exactly why the companies starting now are the ones who'll be in the room next year.

Full playbook in the comments.

08/04/2026

POV: your boss just found out AI is picking vendors without you.

Two deals gone. Neither one ever showed up in the pipeline. No inbound, no demo request, nothing in the CRM to look back at. The buyer asked an AI assistant who to call, got three names, and had the whole thing decided before anyone picked up a phone.

BOSS: we lost Voltrix
BOSS: I found out on LinkedIn
CMO: ok don't panic
BOSS: I am fully panicking

He should be.

BOL has been asking AI the same questions B2B buyers are asking. Who should I work with? Who are the top vendors? Who's credible here?

The names that come back have little to do with who's actually winning deals.

There's a room where that shortlist gets built. There's a bouncer at the door. You can't buy your way in, and fifteen years in business doesn't get you on the list.

CMO: Don't worry. I got you.

Her plan drops Thursday.

07/29/2026

Big congratulations to our CCO, John Battistini, on being selected to serve on the jury for The Drum B2B Awards! 👏

John will join fellow industry leaders in recognizing the boldest creativity, standout go-to-market strategies, and measurable results shaping the future of B2B marketing.

We're proud to see BOL represented in celebrating the work that's pushing our industry forward. Looking forward to seeing this year's incredible entries!

👏 Congratulations, John!

07/22/2026

We asked an AI assistant how B2B brands get recommended to buyers.

The response reinforced something we've been seeing across the industry: the brands showing up in AI-generated recommendations are the ones creating content AI can understand, trust, and cite.

Here's the uncomfortable part: most B2B companies still haven't optimized for this. That means the brands investing in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) today have a real opportunity to gain visibility before everyone else catches up.

"Locked the F #!k Out" is our playbook for getting started—covering how AI chooses which brands to recommend, why great content often gets overlooked, and what to do about it.

Read it now: https://na2.hubs.ly/H06PSxs0

07/15/2026

B2B Paid Social Is No Longer Awareness, It’s Pipeline Acceleration

Paid social influences how B2B buyers research and choose vendors. See how a B2B paid social agency turns social into a pipeline acceleration channel.

07/08/2026

Lead Generation Services in a Buyer-Controlled World

Lead generation services must evolve for buyer-led journeys. Learn how to drive pipeline with intent signals, AI-ready content, and omnichannel strategy.

06/29/2026

From Keywords to Intent: The New Model for B2B Paid Search Services

Discover how B2B paid search services are evolving from keyword lists to intent-driven strategies that connect search activity to real pipeline and revenue