Attending the American Marketing Association (AMA) conference in June 2025 reminded me why I prioritize events like this. Each time, I aim to return with at least three new concepts I can apply or share. This year, one insight hit me hard—and it’s still on my mind. It focused on how, today, more than ever, a hidden buyer journey exists. Marketers need to take notice.
Up to 98% of a buyer’s journey happens before they ever visit a vendor’s website.
That’s not a typo.
This number flips traditional demand generation strategies on their head. It also presents a real challenge: how do you influence a buyer before they ever know you exist?
The old approach—own the entire journey and lead buyers along a carefully crafted, step-by-step approach no longer works. My apologies to those who have invested heavily in a carefully crafted marketing automation strategy. Some changes are now needed. Some are now suggesting that marketing automation will become irrelevant.
See this post by Jon Miller with his perspective, where he references that there is a marketing automation Stockholm syndrome!
Marketers can’t control a hidden buyer journey. We can only influence it.
The New Reality
This hidden phase of the buyer’s journey is where modern marketing battles are won or lost. It’s where buyers define their challenge, explore solutions, and build their vendor shortlist. Only then—maybe—do they land on your website.
I flagged this trend earlier this year—read more here: Now Is a Great Time for a Marketing Strategy Shift From Paid to Earned
So, how can marketers stay relevant when most of the action happens off-site and out of sight?
Here are three strategies to address the challenge—and reclaim some control:
1. Engage Regularly with Third-Party Experts and Influencers
Analysts, consultants, and thought leaders have unmatched influence in early buyer research. They help shape opinions and solution strategies before a vendor enters the conversation. This is where you must be.
Build consistent relationships with the experts who cover your space. Make sure they understand your market, product, and customer success stories. This is not a one-time briefing. It’s a continuous knowledge-sharing process.
- Gain a deeper perspective on the analyst relations process.
- Learn more about how you can approach an analyst relations strategy.
When buyers consult analysts and other influencers, your message must be in the mix. Influencer opinions often guide initial shortlists—long before any vendor websites are loaded.
2. Invest in Buyer Intent Strategy to Track the Invisible Journey
If the buyer isn’t coming to your site, where are they going? Buyer intent data can tell you.
With the right strategy, you can gain visibility into off-site research behavior. This includes what content is being read, which vendors are being compared, and who’s in-market.
A market has emerged offering tools that track third-party website engagement. Engaging with these “buyer intent” vendors can surface potential leads before they raise their hands. This allows you to tailor outreach to where they are on their journey—without guessing.
Instead of waiting for inbound leads, you meet buyers where they already are.
3. Prioritize Customer Review Sites Like G2
Third-party review sites are now a core part of the buying process. Buyers trust other buyers. They compare solutions, read reviews, and rank options. As consumers, we have been doing this for years. So too is the case with enterprise software and other big-ticket purchases.
If you’re not actively managing your presence on sites like G2, you’re falling behind. This includes encouraging customers to leave honest reviews, responding to feedback, and monitoring how you stack up.
Positioning here isn’t just nice-to-have—it’s a demand gen necessity. It’s one of the only ways to influence buyers during their invisible research phase. This is a great way to tap into the hidden buyer journey.
Make sure your story is told well on these platforms. It should reinforce your overall messaging and brand positioning. When a buyer finally clicks through to your site, their opinion is already formed.
Final Thought: Reassess the ROI of Influence
These three programs—working with influencers, tracking buyer intent, and managing review platforms—require time and resources. Great intelligence is never free. But their value is rising fast.
If 98% of the journey is now “hidden,” then the ROI lens must change.
It’s not just about measuring leads from your site anymore. Or choosing an attribution source reflecting the last measured contact (or some other weighted average metric).
It’s about influence and relevance in the early, unseen stages. The hidden buyer journey is real. It’s about meeting the buyer before they even know your name.
The marketers who embrace this shift will see more qualified leads, better engagement, and stronger brand trust. Those who don’t will lose to competitors who showed up earlier—silently but strategically.
