Content Marketing
B2B Marketing Statistics – 2025 Reports and Figures
B2B marketing is a section of the advertising industry that involves the promotion of products and services from one business or organisation to another. This industry has a key focus on building relationships and targeting the specific needs of businesses, rather than individual consumers.
The global B2B marketing industry is growing year-on-year, with an expected market size of $20.44 billion in 2025. Understanding the latest trends and statistics can provide important insights into what’s working, what’s not, and where future opportunities can be found.
In this article, we’ll walk through some of the most interesting B2B marketing statistics, including which channels offer the best chance of success, B2B marketers’ priorities, and how AI is impacting the B2B marketing industry.
Key statistics
- The B2B marketing industry is predicted to reach a market size of $20.44 billion in 2025 and $30.79 billion by 2030.
- In-person events (52%) and webinars (51%) are the most effective B2B marketing channels according to marketing professionals, while email newsletters are the least effective (37%).
- On average, 13% of B2B leads convert to opportunities, and the average time it takes to reach a conversion is 84 days.
- 80% of marketers use LinkedIn, and 82% of those who use it say they see their biggest success on the platform compared to other social channels.
- In terms of success, LinkedIn (85%) is far ahead of the next most valuable social channels, Facebook (28%), YouTube (22%), and Instagram (21%).
- On average, B2B companies allocate just 8.7% of their overall budgets to marketing.
- 63% of B2B marketers say they plan to use generative AI for promotional content like emails and landing pages, while 59% plan to use it for analytics and measurement.
- The biggest advantage of AI use among B2B marketers is improving efficiency and productivity (40%), followed by speeding up content creation (39%).
B2B industry market size
When looking at the broader B2B industry, separately from the B2B marketing industry, the global B2B eCommerce market is valued at $31.11 trillion as of 2025. This is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.5%, hitting an estimated $36.16 trillion in 2026. The market has already shown significant growth year-over-year since 2019, more than doubling in the six years from 2019 to 2025.
This strong growth across the industry presents opportunities for B2B marketers to generate new business and add more value to their existing clients.
In 2024, the B2B marketing market size was estimated at $18.89 billion, and is predicted to reach $20.44 billion in 2025, and $30.79 billion by 2030.
B2B content marketing channels
The most common channels B2B marketers use to distribute their content are organic social media platforms, used by 89% of marketers, and blogs on corporate websites, used by 84% of marketers.
Less than half of B2B marketers use channels like digital events (40%), podcasts (27%), and microsites (26%), and the least used channels are separate content brands (5%) and mobile apps (8%).
It’s no surprise that marketers are harnessing the power of social media and content marketing to advance their marketing efforts. Engaging with potential customers through these channels can enhance brand visibility and allow marketers to use targeted advertising and data-driven insights.
| Most common content distribution channels | |
| Marketing Channel | Usage (%) |
| Organic social media platforms | 89% |
| Blogs on corporate websites | 84% |
| Email newsletters | 71% |
| 63% | |
| In-person events | 55% |
| Webinars | 55% |
| Digital events | 40% |
| Podcasts | 27% |
| Microsites | 26% |
| Digital magazines | 22% |
| Direct mail | 16% |
| Hybrid events | 16% |
| Print magazines | 15% |
| Branded online communities | 14% |
| Online learning platforms | 13% |
| Mobile apps | 8% |
| Separate content brands | 5% |
In-person events are the most effective for B2B marketing results
When it comes to distribution channels for B2B marketing, more than half of B2B marketers say that in-person events (52%) and webinars (51%) are the most effective. This suggests that direct communication with potential customers produces the best results compared to other channels.
Email newsletters are the least effective for B2B marketing, with 37% of marketers citing this channel as one of their most successful.
| Distribution channels that produce the best results for B2B marketers | |
| Distribution Channel | Effectiveness (%) |
| In-person events | 52% |
| Webinars | 51% |
| 42% | |
| Organic social media platforms | 42% |
| Blogs on corporate websites | 41% |
| Email newsletters | 37% |
Most valuable social media platforms for B2B marketing
As we mentioned, social media platforms are used by 89% of B2B marketers, and 42% cite these platforms as some of the most effective when it comes to getting results. So, which social media channels provide the best value for B2B marketing?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, B2B marketing professionals say that the social media channel that gives them the best value is LinkedIn (85%). Data shows that the majority of B2B marketers and/or their clients (80%) use LinkedIn, and 82% of those who use it see their greatest success on the platform compared to other social platforms.
In terms of value, LinkedIn is far ahead of the next most valuable social channels, Facebook (28%), YouTube (22%), and Instagram (21%).
TikTok is cited as the least valuable social platform when it comes to B2B marketing (3%). However, with 58% of TikTok users making purchases through TikTok Shop, and 71.2% of shoppers saying they have made a purchase after seeing something on TikTok, it’s likely that TikTok garners more success when it comes to B2C marketing.
Most used paid channels for B2B marketing
Paid marketing channels go hand in hand with organic marketing efforts, often enhancing a marketing strategy, and 84% of marketers say they use paid channels as part of their strategy. Let’s take a look at the most-used paid channels for B2B marketing.
The most used paid marketing channel is social media advertising and promoted posts, with three-quarters (73%) of B2B marketers using these channels. This is followed by search engine marketing and pay-per-click ads (64%), digital display advertising, and sponsorships (both 62%).
61% of marketers also say that search engine marketing and pay-per-click ads generate the best results.
| Paid Channel | % of B2B marketers who use it |
| Social media advertising/promoted posts | 73% |
| Search engine marketing / Pay-per-click | 64% |
| Digital display advertising | 62% |
| Sponsorships | 62% |
| Native advertising / Sponsored content | 34% |
| Partner emails | 30% |
| Print display advertising | 21% |
| Influencer marketing | 16% |
| Other | 5% |
B2B marketing budget allocation
On average, B2B companies allocate just 8.7% of their budget to marketing. For B2B product companies, this is 8.7%, while it’s only 8.5% for B2B service companies. This seems incredibly low considering how much of an impact marketing can have on a business. Successful marketing introduces your brand to new potential customers, ultimately turning them into leads and sales.
When looking at the equivalent budget allocation for B2C companies, product organisations allocate 14.3% of their budgets to marketing, while service organisations allocate 10.8%.
It seems that most companies, whether B2B or B2C, are not making the most of the potential gains that marketing can bring them when it comes to budget allocation, perhaps relying more on lower-cost marketing strategies like organic social media and search engine marketing.
Generating new leads accounts for the highest proportion of marketing budgets (36%)
For marketing teams, budget allocation trends show that 36% of B2B budgets are being allocated towards generating new leads, making this the biggest share of marketing budgets. B2B marketing leaders are also allocating significant portions of their budget towards brand building and awareness (30%), demand generation (20%), and account-based marketing (15%).
70% of B2B leaders say that they focus their budget on generating new business, with the tech sector most likely to allocate budget towards generating new business (85%).
| B2B Marketing Budgets (Global) 2023 | |
| Category | Budget Allocation |
| Lead Generation | 36% |
| Brand Building & Awareness | 30% |
| Demand Generation | 20% |
| Account-Based Marketing | 15% |
Across all regions, B2B marketers are dedicating 71% of their budget to generating new business, and 29% to retaining their existing customers, but those in North America are spending the highest proportion of their budget on generating new business (74%).
Lead generation and conversion
On average, 13% of B2B leads convert to opportunities, and the average time it takes to reach a conversion is 84 days. However, only 6% of opportunities convert to sales, but this conversion takes an average of 18 days.
Lead conversion rates vary by industry as well, with professional services like consulting and legal activities generally seeing the higher lead conversion rates (3-7%). Technology and software (SaaS) companies typically have the lowest B2B lead conversion rates (1-2%).
| Industry | Lead Conversion Rate Range |
| Professional Services (e.g., Consulting, Legal) | 3 – 7% |
| Media & Publishing | 2.5 – 5% |
| Education & Training | 2 – 5% |
| Retail & E-commerce (B2B) | 2 – 4% |
| Healthcare & Life Sciences | 1.5 – 4% |
| Manufacturing & Industrial | 1.5 – 3.5% |
| Financial Services (e.g., Banking, Insurance) | 1 – 3% |
| Technology & Software (SaaS) | 1 – 2% |
AI and B2B marketing
The adoption of AI has expanded rapidly across many industries in recent years. In fact, 95% of B2B organisations are using or planning to use some form of AI tool by the end of 2025, and only 4% of B2B marketers say they do not plan to use AI tools at all.
63% of marketers say they plan to use AI for promotional content like emails and landing pages, while 59% plan to use it for analytics and measurement.
Though AI is still a relatively new tool to the wider public, it’s clear that there are plenty of applications for it when it comes to marketing, and that B2B marketers are taking the opportunity to use it where it makes sense for them.
Benefits of using generative AI tools for marketing
The top benefit of AI for B2B marketers is the increase in efficiency and productivity, with 40% of marketers highlighting this benefit. This is followed by the acceleration of content creation (39%) and improvements in campaign ideation and optimisation (30%), as well as cost efficiencies (30%).
| Benefit | Percentage of B2B marketers |
| More efficiency/increase productivity | 40% |
| Acceleration of content creation | 39% |
| Better campaign ideation/optimization | 30% |
| Cost efficiencies | 30% |
| Increased creativity | 29% |
| More personalized content/campaigns | 27% |
| Better data analysis and insights | 26% |
| Improved customer engagement | 24% |
| More time to build relationships with peers/customers/etc. | 24% |
Disadvantages of using generative AI for marketing
While there are benefits to using generative AI in B2B marketing, it’s not without its drawbacks. 40% of B2B marketing professionals say that the lack of humanity in AI-generated content is the biggest drawback, followed by the risk of plagiarism (34%), and the inclusion of inaccurate information.
Perhaps in an effort to avoid some of these issues, 59% of organisations say they have established guidelines for the use of generative AI, while 55% provide training opportunities for these tools.
| Downside | Percentage of B2B marketers |
| AI-generated content lacks humanity / too robotic | 40% |
| Risk of plagiarism | 34% |
| Inaccurate information | 32% |
| Data privacy & security | 31% |
| Poor quality content | 29% |
| Lack of training | 27% |
| Hinder creativity | 24% |
| Lack of data | 23% |
| Cost & implementation | 22% |
Biggest priorities for B2B marketers in 2025
Marketing priorities can constantly shift, with the introduction of new technology, and changing goals all impacting what businesses prioritise when it comes to their marketing efforts.
In 2025, 37% of B2B marketers say they are prioritising growing a high-quality lead pipeline, making this the biggest priority, followed closely by implementing AI technology (35%), and leveraging data to inform decisions and measure performance (33%).
It’s clear that the use of AI is growing in the marketing industry, whether it’s to generate content, come up with new ideas, or increase employee efficiency, the robots are here to stay.
| Priorities | % of B2B marketers |
| Growing a high-quality lead pipeline | 37% |
| Implementing AI technology | 35% |
| Leveraging data to inform decisions and measure performance | 33% |
| Building relationships with new customers | 32% |
| Balancing long-term and short-term marketing goals when the business is focused on short-term ROI | 32% |
