B2B marketers are tired of generic, AI-generated content and outdated funnels that don’t reflect today’s complex buyer journeys.
In this post, we dive into human-first B2B marketing, exploring how to humanise B2B marketing, why traditional funnels are failing, and how a B2B social media human-first strategy can build trust and advocacy.
Joined by Phil Treagus-Evans of Giraffe Social, author of Human-First Marketing, we unpack practical ways to create a human-first content strategy for B2B that drives long-term value without gimmicks.
Putting Humans Back at the Centre
Phil Treagus-Evans, co-founder of Giraffe Social, has spent 13 years growing a team that helps brands with organic content, paid social, and influencer marketing.
His Human-First Marketing philosophy, which propelled his book to Amazon bestseller status, emphasises people, stories, and advocacy over automation.
In B2B, where buying cycles are long and stakes are high, human connection is the competitive edge.
This episode explores why B2B marketing without funnels, centered on relationships, outperforms volume-driven tactics.
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What Human-First Marketing in B2B Really Means
Human-first marketing in B2B isn’t just about a friendly tone, it’s about celebrating your team and customers to build trust and advocacy.
Unlike AI-generated content flooding LinkedIn with generic posts, human-first content showcases real stories, like a founder’s journey or a customer’s success.
Phil’s agency, Giraffe Social, helps brands put people front and center, fostering authenticity that resonates in B2B’s high-stakes environment.
This approach counters the “sameness” of AI, which often reverts to the mean, lacking the unique perspective humans bring.
By prioritising people over platforms, you create content that feels real and builds rapport, essential for long-term B2B relationships.
Why Funnels Are Failing – And What Works Instead
Traditional marketing funnels, dating back to 1898, assume a linear path from awareness to conversion.
In today’s chaotic B2B buyer journeys, this model is outdated. Buyers bounce across touchpoints—social posts, podcasts, offline chats, defying a neat funnel.
Phil’s Pinball Method flips this, placing advocacy at the top and aiming to keep prospects “in play” across awareness, engagement, conversion, and advocacy.
Unlike funnels, which imply a gravitational pull to purchase, the Pinball Method embraces the messiness of modern buying, especially in B2B, where decisions involve multiple stakeholders and longer timelines.
It’s about creating value at every touchpoint, not forcing a linear path.
Building Advocacy Into B2B Social Media
Advocacy is the secret weapon in B2B social media human-first strategy.
Celebrate employees and customers who believe in your brand to turn them into advocates. For example, Giraffe Social helps executive teams manage LinkedIn presence, sharing insights that position them as trusted experts.
This builds credibility and rapport, vital in B2B where trust drives decisions. Unlike B2C’s broader audiences, B2B’s smaller, specialized markets benefit from targeted advocacy, think a client sharing your case study in a Slack group.
Measure success through qualitative signals like referrals or mentions, not just clicks, to gauge long-term ROI.
Conversion Tactics That Fit the Modern Buyer
One-shot landing pages with no navigation bars often feel manipulative, especially in B2B, where buyers are savvy and research extensively.
Phil argues they create a “funneling prison,” reducing trust. Instead, use content ecosystems—value-driven resources like guides, webinars, or podcasts, that offer navigation and low-friction CTAs.
For example, a SaaS company could offer a free tool addressing a niche pain point, encouraging sharing without forcing sign-ups.
This aligns with the Pinball Method, keeping prospects engaged across touchpoints.
Balance performance (e.g., lead ads) with brand-building (e.g., storytelling) to boost conversion rates without sacrificing quality.
Practical Steps to Implement Human-First B2B Marketing
Start with Your Team’s Stories
Showcase your team’s expertise and personality through LinkedIn posts, videos, or podcasts. For instance, have your CEO share a lesson learned from a client project.
This humanises your brand and builds trust with B2B buyers who value relationships.
Giraffe Social’s success comes from featuring team members in content, making clients feel they’re working with real people, not just a logo.
Avoid generic AI posts; instead, let employees’ unique perspectives shine.
This approach not only differentiates you but also fosters internal advocacy, as team members become proud brand ambassadors.
Create Value-Driven Content Ecosystems
Replace one-shot landing pages with ecosystems that provide value at every step.
Offer free resources like templates or industry reports that address your ICP’s pain points without requiring immediate sign-ups.
For example, a tech firm could host a webinar on compliance challenges, linking to a blog with actionable tips.
Use soft CTAs like “explore more” to keep prospects in play, aligning with the Pinball Method. Track engagement metrics (e.g., time on page) and qualitative feedback (e.g., LinkedIn comments) to refine your ecosystem, ensuring it supports both brand and performance goals.
Measure Advocacy, Not Just Metrics
Advocacy drives long-term value but is hard to quantify. Use tools like Brandwatch or Mention to track mentions in forums or Slack communities.
Encourage employees to share authentic content on LinkedIn, and monitor referral traffic or direct inquiries from these posts.
For example, a client’s recommendation in a niche group can lead to high-intent leads. Combine this with performance metrics like conversion rates to see how advocacy boosts results.
In B2B, where relationships are key, prioritising advocacy over short-term leads creates a sustainable pipeline.
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he Role of AI in Human-First B2B Marketing
AI-generated content is ubiquitous, often boosting posting frequency but lacking depth. Phil emphasises that AI isn’t the enemy; lazy AI is.
In human-first B2B marketing, AI should assist, not replace, humans.
Use it for ideation or drafting, but always infuse human elements like personal anecdotes or unique insights to avoid the “average” output AI produces from vast datasets.
For B2B, where trust is paramount, generic AI posts erode credibility; instead, leverage AI to amplify human stories, such as summarising team discussions for LinkedIn.
Phil’s book promotion succeeded through authentic updates, not AI spam, proving vulnerability and real journeys resonate. In B2B’s specialised audiences, human-in-the-loop AI ensures content addresses niche pain points emotionally, fostering advocacy.
Balance AI efficiency with human authenticity to stand out amid content fatigue, turning posts into conversations that build lasting relationships.
Measure success by engagement quality, comments, shares over volume, ensuring AI supports, not supplants, your human-first strategy.
Applying the Pinball Method to B2B Teams
For smaller B2B marketing teams juggling limited resources and specialised audiences, the Pinball Method offers a flexible alternative to rigid funnels.
Embrace chaos by creating multi-touch content that keeps prospects engaged across stages. Start with awareness through value-packed posts or podcasts, then foster engagement via interactive webinars or LinkedIn polls.
Conversion happens naturally through low-friction CTAs, like free audits, leading to advocacy where clients share successes.
In B2B’s long cycles, this method shines: a prospect might hear your podcast, engage on LinkedIn months later, then convert via a referral.
Phil’s Giraffe Social applies this by featuring team stories, building rapport without forcing paths. For stretched teams, focus on high-impact tactics; employee advocacy on LinkedIn amplifies reach organically.
Track “in-play” metrics like repeat visits or mentions, not linear progression.
This adapts to B2B’s stakeholder-heavy decisions, turning unpredictable journeys into opportunities.
By flipping the funnel, teams prioritise retention and value, yielding higher-quality leads without burnout.
Overcoming Challenges in Human-First B2B Strategies
Adopting human-first B2B marketing isn’t without hurdles, especially in metrics-driven environments.
One challenge is measuring success beyond clicks, advocacy’s impact, like word-of-mouth in Slack, is often invisible.
Counter this by blending qualitative tools (social listening) with quantitative ones (referral tracking). Another issue: resistance to vulnerability, as teams fear unpolished content.
Phil counters that authenticity, like sharing writing struggles for his book, builds trust faster than perfection.
In B2B, where decisions are human-to-human, this fosters deeper connections. Time constraints for small teams? Start small, repurpose one team story weekly across platforms.
Avoid over-reliance on AI; use it sparingly to enhance, not create, content.
Finally, balance with performance: human-first complements ads, boosting conversion rates through warmed-up leads.
Phil’s success shows overcoming these yields advocates who drive sustainable growth.
In high-stakes B2B, embracing these challenges turns marketing into a force for genuine value, outlasting gimmicks.
FAQs
Q: What is human-first B2B marketing?
A: Human-first B2B marketing focuses on people, stories, and relationships over automation and funnels — prioritising real connection over clicks.
Q: Why are traditional B2B marketing funnels failing?
A: Linear funnels no longer reflect how people buy. Modern journeys are non-linear and chaotic, making old-school funnels less effective.
Q: What is the Pinball Method in B2B marketing?
A: It’s a new framework where the goal is to keep buyers ‘in play’ — engaging across touchpoints — rather than forcing them through a set path.
Q: How can B2B brands build advocacy?
A: By celebrating customers and employees, encouraging storytelling, and making content people actually want to share.
Q: Should B2B teams still use landing pages?
A: Landing pages still work, but modern buyers may prefer content ecosystems with navigation, value-first content, and lower-friction CTAs.
