In a difficult market characterised by persistent volatility, prolonged shopping for cycles and disruption from AI, B2B companies are on the lookout 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 techniques for producing leads are altering. That’s in comparison with only a quarter (25.4%) who report techniques are staying the identical.
Some 69.5% of entrepreneurs in SMEs (250 staff and beneath) and 63.7% of these in massive B2B corporations report their strategy to guide technology is evolving.
When requested what this transformation appears like, most B2B entrepreneurs (69.9%) say their enterprise is more and more targeted on creating content material to drive engagement, equivalent to thought management articles and podcasts.
Nearly 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 on the lookout 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 techniques for producing leads are altering. That’s in comparison with only a quarter (25.4%) who report techniques are staying the identical.
Some 69.5% of entrepreneurs in SMEs (250 staff and beneath) and 63.7% of these in massive B2B corporations report their strategy to guide technology is evolving.
When requested what this transformation appears like, most B2B entrepreneurs (69.9%) say their enterprise is more and more targeted on creating content material to drive engagement, equivalent to thought management articles and podcasts.
Nearly 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 staff as influencers to boost consciousness and are looking for to develop deeper relationships with key accounts (44.4%).
Fifth of enormous B2B manufacturers have minimize 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 primary shift in lead technology techniques seen inside SMEs, with over half (55.2%) of those smaller B2B corporations additionally upping their give attention to social media through platforms like LinkedIn and TikTok.
Over two-fifths (42.8%) of small companies are selling staff as influencers in a bid to boost consciousness. Over a 3rd of SME B2B manufacturers are additionally trying to generate leads by creating deeper relationships with key accounts (38.6%), investing in occasions/experiential (37.9%) and focusing extra on how you can greatest use efficiency advertising and marketing (35.2%).
These smaller corporations are much less more likely to have pivoted in the 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 corporations, though the information suggests content material, equivalent to thought management and podcasts, is rising in reputation (70%) as a type of lead technology.
Over half of those greater companies are looking for to develop deeper relationships with key accounts (51.7%) as a method to drive leads, whereas 48.3% are more and more positioning staff 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
Trying particularly on the manner 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 internet affiliate marketing (10%).
In the case of long-term model funding, properly 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 information suggests a expertise hole could possibly be rising.
A fifth (19.6%) of corporations have recognized a social media expertise hole throughout the advertising and marketing workforce, 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.
