In a difficult market characterised by persistent volatility, prolonged shopping for cycles and disruption from AI, B2B companies are searching for recent methods to generate leads, new Advertising Week knowledge suggests.
Two-thirds (66.7%) of the 450 respondents to the 2025 State of B2B Advertising survey say their ways for producing leads are altering. That’s in comparison with only a quarter (25.4%) who report ways are staying the identical.
Some 69.5% of entrepreneurs in SMEs (250 workers and beneath) and 63.7% of these in giant B2B companies report their method to steer technology is evolving.
When requested what this variation appears like, most B2B entrepreneurs (69.9%) say their enterprise is more and more targeted on creating content material to drive engagement, similar to thought management articles and podcasts.
Virtually half (48.9%) of the whole pattern work for a enterprise which has upped its give attention to social media, together with LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.
In a difficult market characterised by persistent volatility, prolonged shopping for cycles and disruption from AI, B2B companies are searching for recent methods to generate leads, new Advertising Week knowledge suggests.
Two-thirds (66.7%) of the 450 respondents to the 2025 State of B2B Advertising survey say their ways for producing leads are altering. That’s in comparison with only a quarter (25.4%) who report ways are staying the identical.
Some 69.5% of entrepreneurs in SMEs (250 workers and beneath) and 63.7% of these in giant B2B companies report their method to steer technology is evolving.
When requested what this variation appears like, most B2B entrepreneurs (69.9%) say their enterprise is more and more targeted on creating content material to drive engagement, similar to thought management articles and podcasts.
Virtually half (48.9%) of the whole pattern work for a enterprise which has upped its give attention to social media, together with LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. Over two-fifths (45.1%) of B2B entrepreneurs have seen their firm begin utilizing workers as influencers to boost consciousness and are searching for to develop deeper relationships with key accounts (44.4%).
Fifth of enormous B2B manufacturers have reduce company spend in favour of AI
Some 35% of B2B companies are ramping up their presence at occasions and wider experiential efforts, whereas a 3rd (33.5%) have positioned a much bigger give attention to utilizing efficiency advertising and marketing to drive leads.
To a lesser extent, B2B entrepreneurs are additionally investing in direct advertising and marketing (22.9%) and sponsorships (16.5%) for lead technology.
Utilizing content material to drive engagement (70.3%) is the principle shift in lead technology ways seen inside SMEs, with over half (55.2%) of those smaller B2B companies additionally upping their give attention to social media through platforms like LinkedIn and TikTok.
Over two-fifths (42.8%) of small companies are selling workers as influencers in a bid to boost consciousness. Over a 3rd of SME B2B manufacturers are additionally seeking to generate leads by growing deeper relationships with key accounts (38.6%), investing in occasions/experiential (37.9%) and focusing extra on find out how to finest use efficiency advertising and marketing (35.2%).
These smaller companies are much less more likely to have pivoted in direction of elevated funding in direct advertising and marketing (22.1%) and sponsorships (12.4%).
There are some slight variations in terms of bigger B2B companies, though the info suggests content material, similar to thought management and podcasts, is rising in reputation (70%) as a type of lead technology.
Over half of those greater companies are searching for to develop deeper relationships with key accounts (51.7%) as a method to drive leads, whereas 48.3% are more and more positioning workers as influencers to boost consciousness.
Two-fifths have ramped up their give attention to social media (40.8%), whereas beneath a 3rd are placing extra power into efficiency advertising and marketing (31.7%) and occasions/experiential (30.8%) to ship leads.
Just below 1 / 4 (24.2%) are investing in direct advertising and marketing and sponsorship alternatives (21.7%) as a type of lead technology.
Social focus
Wanting particularly on the method B2B manufacturers are investing in social media, over half (51.2%) of the State of B2B Advertising pattern are investing in social adverts – particularly on LinkedIn – to drive short-term returns.
Certainly, social adverts are cited as the highest supply of short-term targeted spend, forward of content material advertising and marketing (46.3%), paid search (45.1%), e mail advertising and marketing (43.1%), show adverts (22.5%) and affiliate marketing online (10%).
Relating to long-term model funding, nicely over half of the pattern (59.1%) are pouring cash into social campaigns, simply behind common model campaigns (61.4%) and occasions/experiential (60.8%).
The pattern usually tend to be investing in social media to ship long-term outcomes than PR (56.7%), common promoting (44.4%) and sponsorships (36.3%).
Regardless of the rising give attention to social media inside B2B companies, the info suggests a expertise hole could possibly be rising.
A fifth (19.6%) of companies have recognized a social media expertise hole throughout the advertising and marketing crew, which is extra of a priority than an absence of ecommerce experience (15.4%). The social expertise hole is, nevertheless, decrease than that reported for efficiency advertising and marketing (34.3%), and content material and copywriting (24.3%).
Advertising Week will proceed its reporting of the 2025 State of B2B Advertising survey over the approaching weeks.
