B2B buying has fundamentally changed. And the companies that adapt will dominate their category while those that keep chasing buyers will continue to struggle.

So, if the traditional funnels and demand generation frameworks are quickly losing effectiveness, what can replace them?

Brand gravity.

A new foundation for attracting buyers, brand gravity draws on the physics metaphor of pull, powered by two forces:

1. Brand mass: the accumulated credibility and substance of a company's market presence
2. Brand proximity: the accessibility and visibility of a company when buyers start their research

Together, those forces drive three dimensions of pull:

1. Awareness: buyers know you
2. Availability: buyers can easily find and evaluate you
3. Affinity: buyers develop preference and trust

Finally, G.R.A.V.I.T.Y. is the structured blueprint for creating sustainable brand gravity:

• Gather insights: Understand hidden market forces.
• Realign strategy: Adapt to how buyers now purchase.
• Accumulate digital mass: Build expertise and credibility.
• Validate with social proof: Provide independent proof of capability.
• Integrate for maximum pull: Connect all brand touchpoints.
• Track what matters: Measure genuine influence, not vanity metrics.
• Yield sustainable results: Maintain and strengthen gravitational pull over time.

In this excerpt from Brand Gravity: How to Create Magnetic Pull in the Age of Buying Groups, we go to the end—to the Y in GRAVITY—to see what yielding sustainable results looks like.

Understanding Sustainable Pull in an AI-First World

Sustainable pull matters more than ever: Buying groups, which conduct up to 1,300 interactions during evaluation, need consistent evidence that builds confidence. But the channels where those interactions happen have fundamentally changed.

Search has fragmented across traditional engines, AI-powered platforms, and community conversations. Buyers now turn to ChatGPT and Perplexity for quick answers; they explore Reddit and LinkedIn for peer validation; and they engage in private Slack channels for deeper discussion.

That transformation demands new approaches to maintaining gravitational pull. Sustaining traditional marketing operations is not enough—companies must build a sustainable presence across an ever-expanding universe of buyer research channels.

The Resource Challenge

Short-term pressures are inevitable: Revenue dips, shifting priorities, and urgent pipeline demands will test even the strongest strategies. Resource challenges follow close behind, as maintaining expertise, content, and presence can feel less critical than chasing immediate wins.

The warning signs are clear: Updates to technical documentation slow, engagement efforts stall, and validation frameworks fall out of sync with product evolution or buyer needs.

When that happens, push back by framing the danger for nonmarketers in tangible terms: Explain that without sustained effort, visibility erodes where buyers research, from search engines to AI platforms and community discussions.

Losing that gravitational pull doesn't just mean fewer leads; it risks irrelevance as competitors fill the void, undoing hard-won momentum and trust in a matter of months.

Building Sustainable-Pull Operations for an AI-Driven World

The path to sustainable gravitational pull requires mastering three critical elements for modern buying behavior.

A consulting firm shows how that works.

1. Sustainable expertise operations

Instead of relying on individual content creators, the firm built expertise-sharing systems where technical experts and documentation teams collaborate regularly. The firm structures information so human researchers and AI models alike can easily find and understand it. Simple workflows mean updates continue even during team changes.

2. Sustainable presence management

The firm's technological choices focus on durability over features. Rather than deploying complex systems requiring constant attention, it deploys manageable tools for maintaining technical documentation and validation frameworks across all research channels. Content frameworks adapt easily as search behavior evolves. Budget structures shifted from project-based funding to sustained program investment, protecting critical capabilities from quarterly pressures.

3. Sustainable measurement capabilities

The firm tracks presence not just in traditional search but across AI-generated results, community discussions, and social platforms. Regular audits ensure its expertise remains discoverable wherever buyers look.

The Evolution of Sustainable-Pull Search Presence

A technology company shows how search visibility must strengthen over time.

Its expertise documentation, validation frameworks, and measurement capabilities connect coherently so improvements in one area automatically enhance others. Content structures work both for traditional search engines and for AI models. Technical validation frameworks serve human researchers and AI-driven discovery alike.

Most important, its systems enable rather than limit growth. Content frameworks accommodate new expertise easily. Validation tools evolve with market needs smoothly. Measurement capabilities expand naturally as search behavior changes.

Each enhancement builds on existing foundations rather than requiring complete rebuilds.

Making It Work at Scale

Success requires clear principles adapted for modern buying:

• Start small but be systematic: Build basic capabilities thoroughly before expanding, ensuring your expertise works across all research channels.
• Focus on compound effects: Each improvement should enhance both traditional and AI-driven discovery, building a presence that grows stronger through use.
• Enable natural evolution: Create flexible systems that adapt as search behavior changes and new platforms emerge.

Most important: impact can be measured through presence strength across all channels rather than just activity volume.

The Program Management Evolution

A manufacturing company demonstrates effective program sustainability.

Its expertise development follows precise rhythms, with technical teams reviewing documentation monthly based on actual buyer questions and product evolution. Validation frameworks undergo quarterly assessment, ensuring alignment with market needs.

Its presence management operates similarly. Weekly reviews identify gaps in research channel visibility. Small, regular adjustments maintain effectiveness better than major overhauls. Content updates flow steadily rather than surging sporadically.

That systematic approach yields consistent results as buyers find current information during research, and sales conversations start at deeper levels.

Systems That Scale Across Search Channels

A technology company shows how pull sustainability now requires presence across an expanding research ecosystem.

Its visibility is strengthened through the following:

• AI-ready knowledge architecture. The company's expertise gets structured so AI models can easily understand and cite it. Documentation frameworks ensure consistent representation whether buyers find them through traditional search, AI-generated answers, or community discussions.
• Community-driven validation. Regular engagement in technical forums and industry discussions creates natural reference points that strengthen both human and AI discovery. Instead of just publishing content, the company participates in conversations that shape how its expertise appears in search results.
• Measurement evolution. Its analytics capture presence across traditional search, AI platforms, and community channels. Regular audits ensure it maintains visibility wherever buyers conduct research.

The Modular Approach

A manufacturing company revolutionized its approach to solution documentation by creating modular content that could evolve efficiently.

It mapped its expertise to specific buyer questions and evaluation needs. When it enhances a specific capability, it updates only that capability's technical specification, related implementation considerations, and affected validation requirements. That modular approach means updates happen efficiently, content stays current, and resources scale sustainably.

Most important, the modular approach works across all research channels—from traditional search to AI-powered discovery.

Sustainable Search Presence

Buyers are increasingly turning to AI-powered platforms for initial research. That requires new approaches to maintaining visibility:

• Content structure: Technical documentation must work both for human readers and for AI models; clear organization helps both audiences understand and trust the information.
• Citation framework: Resources need consistent terminology and clear evidence that helps AI models confidently reference them in answers.