BY Kathy Crosett
B2B marketers face mounting challenges in 2025. The new State of B2B Pipeline study identifies these challenges and highlights solutions. Be prepared to share these solutions as you help your accounts launch their best B2B marketing campaigns.
Top Challenges
Like most businesses, a significant portion (45%) of B2B operators say economic uncertainty makes it difficult to plan marketing campaigns this year. 36% are dealing with unrealistic expectations from members of the C‑suite. And then there is a very scary factor according to 35%: Even the best B2B marketing campaigns aren't sufficient. They’re seeing less engagement.
High-performing Teams
Researchers identified key differences between high-performing and low-performing teams. If your accounts want to close the gap between themselves and their top competitors, show them what they need to improve.
Specifically, high-performing teams engage in the best B2B marketing campaigns. Those campaigns give them a 50-point lead when it comes to:
- Consistent buyer engagement
- Lead nurturing
- Producing quality content
The problem with marketing isn’t always about budget. At least 32% of U.S. companies claim to have good marketing budgets this year. But with over 30% of these businesses facing engagement challenges and content creation issues, their marketing campaigns need improvement.
When it comes to measuring how well their marketing is working, B2B operators are scrutinizing a range of KPIs. For lead generation, businesses are relying on the following data points:
- Website traffic 43%
- Revenue generated 42%
- Sales qualified leads 39%
- Engagement 34%
However, the highest performers have a slightly different KPI focus. While they too study revenue generated, they are far more likely than low performers to check out their marketing qualified lead metrics. They are also keeping track of their marketing sourced pipeline.
Bottom line? Your accounts need more leads to meet their goals. And they should be tracking progress toward their goals. Those that don’t risk having their budgets cut. One way to generate leads is to roll out their best B2B marketing campaigns.
How are B2B Operators Generating Leads?
B2B operators have long used email as a lead generation tool. Their reliance on email is increasing. Between 2024 and 2025, the percentage of survey B2B operators using the tool grew from 63% to 66%.
The other tactics for finding quality leads include:
- Paid social 58%
- Paid search 50%
- SEO 47%
- Email/webinars 45%
- Direct mail/offline 35%
- Referral/partner programs 27%
How do High Performers Stand Out?
Researchers found a significant gap between high performing businesses and the others when it came to email marketing. 72% of high performers use email marketing. The format works well to connect with leads in all stages of the purchase funnel. If your accounts aren’t using email marketing effectively, pitch them on your services. Webinars and referral programs also found favor with high performers. These media formats can be another opportunity for you to sell services to your accounts.
Engagement
Regardless of the type of marketing and media formats used, B2B sellers remain frustrated about the level of audience engagement they are experiencing. 55% want their audience engagement levels to improve.
The difference between high- and low-performing B2B companies with respect to engagement is stark. 72% of high performers tout solid reach and engagement with their audience. Only 15% of low performers make this claim.
How to Improve Engagement
Over half of high performers believe that developing buyer personas will “improve their ability to reach target groups.” When combining personas with their best B2B marketing campaigns, your accounts will see increased engagement.
What’s Happening to the Sales Cycle?
One challenge B2B sellers face is a lengthened sales cycle. About 28% are seeing up to a 2‑month extension while another 28% are encountering a sales cycle that lasts 2–4 months longer.
Sellers are also contending with a bigger panel of decision-makers. For example, the finance department might have a bigger say in a purchase than they previously had. The additional decision-makers in the sales funnel slows down progress.
In addition, your accounts might also be up against a non-linear sales cycle. Deals may get stalled in the pipeline for months.
What’s the Solution?
Because your accounts are selling to a broad range of decision-makers, they need different types of content. Once they identify the individuals who are influencing the decision, you can help them build content that speaks to those people and their concerns. To understand which media formats connect with B2B decision-makers, check our B2B BuyerSCAN, available with an AdMall subscription.
From there, you can help your accounts develop the best B2B marketing campaigns to drive the results they are looking for.
