New diagnostic tool helps B2B marketers assess their visibility and perceived relevance to the 94% of B2B buyers who use AI to research solutions.
Informa TechTarget—an indispensable partner for B2B intelligence, media, and marketing solutions—announced the launch of the B2B AI Authority Index: a diagnostic tool designed to help B2B marketers assess and enhance their brand’s ability to influence buyers in AI-mediated purchase journeys. The index addresses a critical challenge facing B2B marketers—how to quickly, effectively evolve their go-to-market strategies as AI search reshapes the B2B buyer’s journey and the broader digital marketing landscape. Currently, 94% of B2B buyers are using AI tools in their research process (Forrester).
“AI has officially entered the buying group. AI systems that scan and consume multimedia content from every corner of the web are now a key persona of the B2B buying team. Although certainly not the only source of information, AI’s influence on purchase decisions cannot be underestimated or ignored,” said Lieu Thi Pham, Vice President of Strategy—Brand and Content at Informa TechTarget. Pham leads many of the company’s strategic AI initiatives for the purpose of helping its customers compete as AI reshapes the relationship between brands and buyers.
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The B2B AI Index self-assessment uses 24 questions to identify specific areas of brand strength and weakness across areas that determine whether AI is likely to recommend that brand over a competitor’s. From the questionnaire scores, B2B marketers can identify their brand’s AI Authority archetype from among four categories: The Newcomer, The Contributor, The Referenced, and The Authority. The assessment highlights areas for improvement and recommends actions to close any authority gaps before they impact pipeline and revenue.
“AI visibility is a necessity, but optimizing for large language models is not enough. AI authority requires a much more strategic, holistic brand-building approach that resonates directly with buyers and the information sources they trust,” said Staci M. Gullotta, Chief Marketing Officer of Informa TechTarget. “B2B CMOs who make AI authority a priority—and who ensure they have the dedicated budgets, resources, and cross-functional alignment needed to achieve their goals and the right partners to help them—will drive brand preference and marketing-influenced revenue in the age of AI.”
The B2B AI Authority Index is based on Informa TechTarget’s proprietary S.I.G.N.A.L. framework, which measures strength across six core capabilities: Strategy, Insight, Governance, Authority, Narrative, and Longevity.
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- Strategy: AI authority is owned at the CMO level with budget, KPIs, and a long-term roadmap.
- Intelligence: A deep understanding of buyer research behavior across all channels.
- Governance: Content standards, processes, and technical frameworks are in place for AI discoverability.
- Narrative: The brand has a deliberate, documented plan for the topics it wants to own.
- Amplification: Recognition is systematically built through analysts, industry media, and other third-party sources trusted by buyers.
- Longevity: Ongoing investment and activity to sustain authority.
“The B2B Brand AI Authority Index and its strategic framework, combined with Informa TechTarget’s integrated marketing capabilities spanning the marketing lifecycle, enable us to be an indispensable partner to our customers in the AI age,” said Gary Nugent, CEO of Informa TechTarget. “We are in a unique position to assess their AI authority, identify opportunities to strengthen it, and then apply the full weight of our deep B2B expertise, global audience ecosystem, and comprehensive go-to-market services to help them succeed.”
The B2B AI Authority Index and its companion white paper, Closing the Gap Between Brand and AI Authority, are available via the Resources section of the Informa TechTarget website. Informa TechTarget will also host a webinar on August 20 at 12:00pm EDT called “The B2B AI Authority Index: How to Win Customers and Influence LLMs.”
Earlier this year, Informa TechTarget launched two new AI visibility content solutions—the AI Visibility Audit and the GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) Topic Planner—to empower marketers to understand and enhance their brand’s relevance in buyers’ AI searches.
