From RAG to Riches
From RAG to Riches: Why You Need to Get Your Marketing Story Straight
Some B2B buyers already know who they want to shortlist. Those that don’t already know aren't just Googling anymore. They're asking direct questions to AI assistants like Copilot, Perplexity, and ChatGPT: "What's the best solution for...?"or "Compare Company X with Company Y."
Those that did already have an idea of companies they wanted to consider buying from are still going to an AI for validation of their initial thoughts.B2B prospecting is changing because people are asking LLMs about what to buy, and why. That means the question those of us in PR and marketing need to consider, is what answer do they get back?
It’s not magic. The AI is actively reading the web to form its recommendation. If your company's story is a mess—a patchwork of old press releases, conflicting blog posts, and an 'About Us' page from 2014, the AI will won’t understand you.
An AI that doesn’t understand you also won't recommend you. It will recommend your competitor who has got their story straight.
What is RAG?
I’ve written before about how LLMs work, but the key system you need to know about is RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation).
In simple terms, RAG is the AI's research arm:
- Retrieval : The AI searches the live internet for relevant, authoritative information (just like traditional SEO).
- Augmentation: It uses that high-quality information to augment its knowledge and generate a single definitive answer.
RAG is the new SEO, but with higher stakes. You're no longer just competing for a spot high up on page one of the ranking results, you're competing to become the single source of truth for the AI's answer. Its primary signal for 'truth' is consistency.
Inconsistency Will Cost You
Right now, an AI is scanning your digital footprint. What does it see?
Does it see "enterprise-level financial services "on your website, but "agile tech start ups" in a two-year-old guest blog? Does a press release from last quarter highlight a feature for "mid-market logistics"?
A human might just get confused. The AI sees a credibility gap and omits you entirely. Or worse, it cites the 'tech start up' blog when answering a query from a major bank. Meanwhile, your competitor, who has hammered home "enterprise-level financial services" across all channels, gets presented as the definitive, trustworthy solution.
Your AI Strategy Is Your Integrated Marketing Strategy
The thing is, this isn't even a new problem. AI is just the high-speed, high-stakes accelerant.
As our 2025 B2B Tech Barometer revealed, this is already a core buyer demand. We found that over two-thirds (68%) of technology buyers report that consistent messaging across all channels is an 'important factor' for them when making a purchase decision.
AI-powered search is now turning that 'important factor' into a non-negotiable technical requirement. The doubt that 68% of humans feel is now an automated, algorithmic filter.
By the way, ‘all channels’ very much includes your earned media coverage, which your LLM of choice synthesises into its recommendations.
Your 'AI strategy’ should therefore be about fixing your fundamentals. Performing well in AI-based search is about enforcing the ruthless message discipline we in PR have been championing all along.
From RAG to Riches: Get Your Story Straight
Don't let your messaging be the 'rag' that the AI discards. As our B2B Tech Barometer proves, buyers were already demanding consistency. The rise of AI has just given that preference sharp, algorithmic teeth. The brands that win in this new era – the ones that get the ‘riches’ of high-intent, AI-qualified inbound leads— will be the ones who told the clearest story.
Is your story straight? If you're not sure, it's time to audit your messaging before an AI does it for you.
Get more insights on what B2B buyers really want—download the full 2025 B2B Tech Barometer HERE.
