B2B marketers have uncovered 3 key behavior changes that require today’s SMB to incorporate thought leadership in their marketing efforts. The good news it is neither as expensive nor as time-consuming as it used to be.

In this dynamic social media driven world, it is more important than ever to utilize these strategies and techniques to successfully be a thought leader in your industry.

There is a sea change in the way buyers and vendors engage each other and that is being driven by three key developments in buyer behavior:

First, research is being conducted by chief executives themselves. According to a 2009 Report by Forbes Insights in association with Google, more than half of C-suite executives prefer to locate information themselves instead of delegating to subordinates.

Second, the internet has become the preferred means of business research. In the same Forbes report, executives declared the internet more valuable than any other source for gathering business information, surpassing even colleagues and personal networks.

Third, when executives go online, they first turn to mainstream search engines. This development levels the playing field for B2B companies. A firm’s appearance in search engine results does not require the substantial budget required for conventional advertising/branding campaigns.