Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
73% of B2B marketers and advertisers use content marketing as part of their overall strategy
40% of B2B marketers say they have a documented content marketing strategy
83% of B2B marketers say producing content is their top challenge
61% of B2B marketers state that generating high-quality leads is their number one challenge
Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads
53% of marketers say webinars is the top-of-the-funnel format that generates the most high-quality leads
LinkedIn is the most effective social media platform for B2B lead generation, consisting of 80% of B2B leads
96% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn for organic social media marketing
75% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-level executives use social media to make purchasing decisions
Email marketing has an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent in the B2B sector
81% of B2B marketers use email newsletters as part of their content marketing
The average open rate for B2B emails is 15.1%
77% of B2B buyers state that their latest purchase was very complex or difficult
The typical B2B buying group involves 6 to 10 decision-makers
B2B buyers spend only 17% of the buying journey meeting with potential suppliers
Buyer Behavior & CX
- 177% of B2B buyers state that their latest purchase was very complex or difficult
- 2The typical B2B buying group involves 6 to 10 decision-makers
- 3B2B buyers spend only 17% of the buying journey meeting with potential suppliers
- 470% of B2B search queries are made on mobile devices
- 567% of the buyer's journey is now done digitally
- 680% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels by 2025
- 773% of millennials are involved in the B2B buying process
- 890% of B2B buyers turn to online search to research business purchases
- 9B2B buyers conduct an average of 12 searches before engaging on a specific brand's site
- 1044% of millennials prefer no sales interaction during the B2B buyer journey
- 1184% of B2B buyers say the buying experience is as important as the product itself
- 1275% of B2B buyers prefer an agent-free rep-free experience
- 13B2B customers are 34% more likely to buy if the content speaks to their specific needs
- 1494% of B2B buyers conduct some form of online research before purchasing a business product
- 1570% of B2B buyers watch a video throughout their buying path
- 1680% of B2B buyers surveyed expect the same buying experience as B2C customers
- 17Trust is the #1 factor in closing the deal for B2B buyers
- 1861% of B2B buyers will check review sites before making a purchase
- 1933% of B2B buyers desire a seller-free sales experience
- 2062% of B2B buyers say a web search was one of the first three resources they used to learn about a solution
Interpretation
B2B buying has become a mobile-first, digitally driven endurance test: complex purchases decided by six to ten stakeholders now unfold mostly online, with buyers doing a dozen searches, watching videos, checking reviews, and often preferring a seller-free, B2C-style experience, so companies that build trust, personalize content, and make self-service effortless win.
Content Marketing Strategy
- 173% of B2B marketers and advertisers use content marketing as part of their overall strategy
- 240% of B2B marketers say they have a documented content marketing strategy
- 383% of B2B marketers say producing content is their top challenge
- 4Short-form video is the content format with the highest ROI for B2B marketers
- 569% of B2B marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget in 2024
- 6Case studies are the most effective content format for B2B marketing
- 791% of B2B businesses use content marketing to reach customers
- 8Only 29% of B2B marketers consider their organization extremely or very successful with content marketing
- 9B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads than those that do not
- 1052% of B2B buyers say they are "definitely" more likely to buy from a vendor after reading their content
- 11The average B2B blog post takes just over 4 hours to write
- 1248% of B2B marketers say that webinars produce the best results for their content strategy
- 13Visual content is used in 87% of B2B marketing strategies
- 1462% of B2B marketers outsource at least one type of content marketing
- 15Interactive content generates 2x more conversions than static content for B2B
- 1671% of B2B marketers say content marketing has become more important to their organization in the last year
- 1731% of B2B marketers use podcasts as part of their content strategy
- 1865% of B2B marketers prefer to re-evaluate their content performance on a monthly basis
- 19Long-form content (3000+ words) gets 3x more traffic in B2B sectors
- 2084% of B2B marketers are outsourcing content creation
Interpretation
Content is clearly the currency of B2B: 91% use it and 69% plan bigger budgets; formats from short-form video and case studies to long-form blogs and interactive pieces deliver the best ROI and leads; yet with only 40% having a documented strategy and just 29% calling their programs very successful, most firms are outsourcing production to solve the stubborn production problem.
Email Marketing & Automation
- 1Email marketing has an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent in the B2B sector
- 281% of B2B marketers use email newsletters as part of their content marketing
- 3The average open rate for B2B emails is 15.1%
- 464% of B2B marketers say their email marketing strategy was effective for meeting business goals
- 5Personalized email subject lines boost open rates by 26% in B2B
- 659% of B2B marketers cite email as their top channel for revenue generation
- 731% of B2B marketers send email newsletters as a way to nurture leads
- 8Click-through rates for B2B emails are 47% higher than B2C emails
- 985% of B2B organizations use email marketing software
- 10B2B marketing emails see the highest click-to-open ratios on Tuesdays
- 11Automated email messages generate a 320% higher revenue than non-automated emails
- 1240% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the most critical to their content marketing success
- 13Plain text emails can have higher click-through rates in B2B than HTML emails
- 1442% of B2B marketers say email is one of the most effective lead nurturing channels
- 15Subject lines with 6 to 10 words have the highest open rate in B2B email marketing
- 1643% of B2B marketers use AI for email marketing copy generation
- 17Re-engagement emails in B2B have an average read rate of 12%
- 1889% of B2B marketers use email for lead generation
- 19Only 21% of B2B marketers use AI to optimize email send times
- 20Emojis in subject lines can increase open rates by 1-3% depending on the industry
Interpretation
Email remains the B2B workhorse, returning about $36 for every $1 spent and used by nearly all marketers for lead generation and newsletters; automation and personalization drive outsized results, with automated messages generating roughly 320% more revenue and personalized subject lines boosting opens by about 26%, while smart timing, concise six to ten word subject lines and even plain-text formats (Tuesdays show the best click-to-open ratios) further lift engagement, even as AI is mainly used for copy rather than send-time optimization and re-engagement metrics stay modest and emojis only nudge open rates by a percent or three.
Lead Generation & CRM
- 161% of B2B marketers state that generating high-quality leads is their number one challenge
- 2Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads
- 353% of marketers say webinars is the top-of-the-funnel format that generates the most high-quality leads
- 480% of new B2B leads are never followed up on by sales
- 5Companies with mature lead generation and management practices result in a 9.3% higher sales quota achievement rate
- 668% of B2B businesses use landing pages to garner a new sales lead for future conversion
- 7SEO is the top channel for B2B lead generation for 59% of marketers
- 8It takes an average of 8 touches to generate a conversion from a cold lead
- 979% of marketing leads never convert into sales due to a lack of lead nurturing
- 10B2B companies with aligned sales and marketing teams achieve 24% faster revenue growth
- 1144% of B2B marketers gather lead data from online forms compared to other methods
- 12Referrals have the highest conversion rate (3.74%) among B2B acquisition channels
- 1357% of B2B marketers feel their lead generation campaigns are only "somewhat effective"
- 14Implementing marketing automation increases sales productivity by 14.5%
- 1596% of visitors who come to your website are not ready to buy yet
- 16Outbound B2B lead generation costs 39% more than inbound leads
- 1727% of B2B leads are ready to buy when first generated
- 1885% of B2B marketers say lead generation is their most important content marketing goal
- 1956% of B2B companies verify valid business leads before passing them to sales
- 20Account-Based Marketing (ABM) delivers higher ROI than other marketing activities for 76% of B2B marketers
Interpretation
If 61% of B2B marketers say generating high-quality leads is their biggest headache, the playbook is clear: invest in SEO, webinars and landing pages to attract prospects, verify and nurture every lead through roughly eight touches because 96% of website visitors are not ready to buy and 79% of leads never convert without nurturing, align sales and marketing and add automation to boost productivity and quota attainment, favor inbound over outbound which costs 39% more, and double down on referrals and ABM for the higher conversion and ROI that mature lead practices deliver.
Social Media & Influencers
- 1LinkedIn is the most effective social media platform for B2B lead generation, consisting of 80% of B2B leads
- 296% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn for organic social media marketing
- 375% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-level executives use social media to make purchasing decisions
- 4Employee advocacy on social media results in a 5x increase in web traffic for B2B brands
- 589% of B2B marketers use Facebook to distribute content
- 6Twitter/X is used by 82% of B2B content marketers for organic content distribution
- 7Cost Per Lead (CPL) on LinkedIn is 28% lower than on Google AdWords
- 846% of B2B marketers work with influencers to co-create content
- 9User-Generated Content (UGC) drives a 73% increase in email click-through rates for B2B campaigns
- 1030% of B2B marketers engage with influencers to improve brand credibility
- 1165% of B2B companies have acquired a customer through LinkedIn
- 1259% of B2B marketers use YouTube for video marketing
- 13Instagram is used by 46% of B2B brands for content distribution
- 1490% of top-performing B2B content marketers invest in building an online community
- 15Content shared by employees receives 8x more engagement than content shared by brand channels
- 1624% of B2B marketers currently use TikTok in their strategy
- 1784% of B2B executives use social media as a source for making purchase decisions
- 18Leads developed through social media employee advocacy convert 7x more frequently
- 1960% of B2B marketers say influencer marketing generates a better quality of leads than other channels
- 20Posts with images on B2B LinkedIn pages get 2x higher comment rates
Interpretation
Ignore social at your peril: LinkedIn alone drives roughly 80% of B2B leads, is used by 96% of content marketers and yields a 28% lower cost per lead than AdWords, employee advocacy and content shared by employees multiply traffic, engagement and conversions, user generated content and influencers improve email performance and lead quality, and buyers plus C level executives increasingly rely on social, so investing in visuals, communities and cross platform distribution is the fastest, most cost effective way to win real B2B customers.
