89 B2B Marketing Statistics You Need to Know in 2024

Let's explore the most important B2B marketing stats for 2024 and beyond.

B2B Marketing Priorities and Challenges

1. The number one priority for B2B marketers is growing a high-quality lead pipeline, with 37% naming it as one of their top areas of focus. (LinkedIn)
2. Other top priorities for B2B marketers include implementing AI technology (35%), using data to drive decisions and measure performance (33%), and building relationships with new customers (32%). (LinkedIn)

Image Data Source: LinkedIn

1. For 58% of B2B marketers, lack of resources is a challenge. (CMI)
2. 45% find alignment between sales and marketing teams difficult. (CMI)
3. 34% of B2B marketers struggle to keep up with new tech, including AI. (CMI)
4. 25% of B2B marketers admit lack of strategy is an issue. (CMI)
5. 85% of B2B marketers struggle to connect marketing performance to business outcomes. (WPromote)

Takeaways:

Overall, B2B marketers are optimistic and focused on lead quality and AI adoption.

Despite technical advancements, marketing teams face age-old challenges like resource constraints and alignment with sales.

The outlook is positive, but marketers need to address these key challenges to fully capitalize on opportunities.

B2B Marketing Team Statistics

1. Nine in 10 B2B CMOs feel good about their team's ability to drive revenue. (LinkedIn)
2. 56% of B2B marketing leaders are investing more in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to build better, more diverse teams. (LinkedIn)
3. Eight in 10 B2B CMOs say they have gender-diverse teams. And three in four say their teams are racially and age diverse. (LinkedIn)
4. Over 40% of B2B marketing teams underwent a reorganization in 2023. And 67% of B2B CMOs warn a reshuffle is likely in 2024. (LinkedIn)
5. 28% of B2B marketers report team members resigned in the last year. And 20% say team members were laid off. (CMI)
6. Only 20% of B2B marketers found collaboration difficult because of remote or hybrid work. (CMI)
7. 44% of B2B companies have in-house marketing teams, 33% do their marketing both in-house and outsourced, and 21% outsource their marketing. (Sagefrog)
8. 93% of companies who outsource their marketing find outsourcing effective. (Sagefrog)

Takeaways:

B2B marketing teams are focusing on diversity and adaptability.

Despite organizational changes and fluctuation, CMOs feel confident in their teams' abilities. And there's a growing trend of blending in-house expertise with external talent to meet marketing goals.

B2B Marketing Budget Statistics

1. Companies selling B2B products allocate on average 9.7% of their total budget to marketing. (CMO Survey)
2. 68% of B2B marketing leaders have a higher budget than last year. (LinkedIn)
3. 90% of B2B marketing leaders agree their marketing budget is in line with the company's revenue and growth goals. (LinkedIn)
4. B2B marketers dedicate 19% of their budget to advertising, followed by content (17%), tools and technology (16%), and people (12%). (Salesforce)

Image Data Source: Salesforce

1. 67% of B2B marketers are increasing budgets for brand-building efforts. (LinkedIn)
2. 64% of B2B marketers are allocating more budget to customer experience. (LinkedIn)
3. 45% of B2B companies plan to increase their content marketing spend within the next year. 42% will stick to the same budget. Only 6% will spend less, and 7% are unsure. (CMI)
4. Six in 10 marketers feel their budgets and ROI are being monitored more now than in the past. (HubSpot)
5. 40% of B2B marketers intend to increase paid search spend. (Wpromote)
6. 56% of B2B marketers are planning to spend more on social media. (Wpromote)
7. 40% of B2B marketers are planning to increase their budget for email marketing. (Wpromote)

Takeaways:

Overall, B2B marketing budgets are growing.

Businesses are spending more on key areas like brand-building and customer experience.

They are also allocating more resources to content, SEO, and social media-and marketers are confident spending is aligned with business objectives.

B2B Sales and Lead Generation Statistics

1. 84% of marketers say driving new business is their top priority. But only 27% say they are effective at it. (Sirkin Research)
2. 48% of B2B marketers say driving enough leads is a challenge, and 24% reported difficulties with converting leads to revenue. (Sirkin Research)

1. Seven in 10 B2B respondents have increased their budget for lead generation. (LinkedIn)
2. 60% of B2B marketing budgets are allocated to acquiring new customers, whereas 40% are dedicated to retention. (LinkedIn)
3. B2B ecommerce has emerged as the most effective sales channel in 2024. 35% of leaders rank it first, followed by in-person sales (26%), video conferencing (12%), email (10%), and telephone (8%). (McKinsey)
4. Five key strategies drive B2B sales success in 2024: advanced sales tools, highly personalized marketing, hybrid sales teams, tailored third-party marketplace strategies, and investment in an owned marketplace. Companies implementing all five strategies are two times more likely to achieve over 10% market share growth. (McKinsey)
5. 69% of B2B professionals report sales is becoming more difficult. (Salesforce)

Takeaways:

B2B sales statistics show that lead generation strategy is the main focus for most marketers.

That being said, ecommerce is a key trend. Since B2B customers increasingly expect Amazon-style digital experiences where they just click and check out.

B2B Content Marketing Statistics

1. 52% of B2B marketers believe their content drives leads, but only 33% think it actually drives revenue. (Sirkin Research)
2. 28% of marketers claim their organization's B2B content marketing is "extremely or very" successful. 57% report moderate success. Only 15% say their content is "minimally or not at all" successful. (CMI)
3. 84% of B2B marketers report that their content marketing built brand awareness in the last year. (CMI)
4. 76% of B2B marketers believe content marketing supports their demand generation and lead generation efforts. (CMI)
5. 58% of B2B marketers believe content marketing helped increase sales and revenue in 2024, up from 42% in 2023. (CMI)
6. 9% of B2B marketers don't have a content marketing strategy. (CMI)
7. The average B2B buyer consumes 13 pieces of content before making a purchase. (FocusVision)
8. 56% of B2B marketers are planning to create more blog posts and thought leadership articles in the future. (LinkedIn)
9. In the past 12 months, B2B marketers have used a diverse mix of content types (CMI):

• 94% created short articles and posts
• 84% produced videos
• 78% developed case studies
• 71% wrote long articles
• 60% made visual content
• 59% created whitepapers and ebooks

Image Data Source: Content Marketing Institute

1. Social media is the top content distribution channel in B2B, used by 90% of marketers. (CMI)
2. 57% of B2B marketers find it challenging to create the right content for their audience. (CMI)

Takeaways:

These B2B content marketing stats show content is hitting its stride, with the vast majority of B2Bmarketers reporting at least some success.

Content plays a key role in driving awareness, sales, and revenue. B2B buyers are content-hungry, typically consuming 13 pieces of content before making a decision.

While creating the right content remains tricky, marketers are adapting. By experimenting with different formats and distribution channels.

B2B SEO Statistics

1. 23% of B2B marketers believe organic search is the most effective channel at driving revenue. (Wpromote)
2. 50% of B2B brands with excellent user experience prioritize SEO, compared with 29% of all B2B companies. (Wpromote)
3. 70% of B2B marketers say SEO drives more sales than PPC. (Databox)
4. 55% of high-growth B2B brands have dedicated in-house SEO capabilities. (Bain)
5. When it comes to adapting SEO strategy for AI, 31% of B2B marketers are focusing more on user intent and answering questions, 27% are crafting more thought leadership content, and 22% are creating more conversational content. (CMI)
6. Website and SEO (45%) and virtual events (45%) are the most powerful marketing channels for lead generation. (ViB)
7. 96% of B2B marketers agree SEO is "very effective" or "somewhat effective." (ViB)
8. 66% of B2B buyers use internet search results to find information before making a purchase. This puts organic search ahead of online ads (35%) and social media (23%). (Statista)
9. SEO is the most popular marketing tactic, with 49% of B2B companies using it as part of their marketing strategy. This means more B2B marketers use SEO than organic social (43%), paid social (35%), and video (21%). (Sagefrog)

Takeaways:

SEO remains a powerful tool, outperforming paid search (at least, according to the majority of marketers).

Many successful B2B companies invest in in-house SEO teams.

With the rise of AI Overviews, marketers are adapting their SEO strategies by focusing more on user intent and creating thought leadership content.

1. 60% of B2B marketers believe social media is the top channel for generating revenue. (Wpromote)
2. 75% of B2B marketers say social media is their most-used channel. (LinkedIn)
3. 84% of B2B marketers find LinkedIn is the organic social media platform that delivers the most value, ahead of Facebook (29%), YouTube (22%), and Instagram (21%). (CMI)

Image Data Source: Content Marketing Institute

1. 72% of B2B brands started using LinkedIn more over the last 12 months. (CMI)
2. 32% of B2B brands doubled down on YouTube, 31% increased Instagram use, and 22% grew their Facebook presence. (CMI)
3. 27% of B2B marketers plan to start leveraging YouTube for the first time in 2024. (HubSpot)
4. 32% of B2B marketers have decreased their use of X (formerly Twitter). (CMI)
5. 19% of B2B marketers use TikTok which is more than double the previous year. (CMI)
6. 43% of B2B marketing teams leverage organic social, and 35% run paid social ads. (Sagefrog)
7. 97% of B2B companies have social media pages. (Sagefrog)

Takeaways:

B2B marketers rely on social media to drive results for their business.

LinkedIn stands out as the top platform, with most brands increasing their presence there. YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook have also seen growth, while X usage has declined.

TikTok is gaining traction in the B2B space. Overall, social media remains a crucial channel for B2B marketing strategies.

B2B Video Marketing Statistics

1. 93% of B2B buyers think video is important for building trust in a brand. (Brightcove)
2. Over the past three months, 88% of B2B buyers have watched videos to research a company's products or services. (Brightcove)
3. Marketers who leverage video drive revenue 49% faster than those who don't. (Brightcove)
4. 84% of B2B brands create videos. (CMI)
5. 69% of B2B marketers plan to increase their investment in video marketing in 2024. (CMI)
6. Over 50% of B2B marketers say videos and infographics are their preferred content formats. (LinkedIn)
7. 65% of B2B marketers plan to do more video. (LinkedIn)
8. 55% of B2B marketers find short-form, social videos produce the highest ROI, ahead of case studies, demos, thought leader interviews, and webinars. (LinkedIn)

Takeaways:

Video marketing has become a powerhouse in B2B marketing.

It's key for building trust and driving revenue. As buyers turn to video for product information, it's clear a strong video strategy is essential for B2B success.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of B2B marketers are planning to increase their video investment.

B2B Email Marketing Statistics

1. B2B brands run one email marketing campaign every 25 days, on average. (SuperOffice)
2. 83% of B2B marketers consider email one of their most important channels. (ViB)

1. For 44% of B2B marketers, email is their most effective content distribution channel. (CMI)
2. Around 44% of B2B marketers use email to drive traffic to landing pages, ahead of SEO (~36%) and paid ads (~33%). (HubSpot)

1. The average B2B cold email open rate is around 36%, but it varies based on industry. (Focus Digital)

Takeaways:

Email marketing remains a key strategy for B2B companies.

Most B2B marketers find email campaigns more effective for content distribution and traffic generation. Companies typically send out emails about once a month. To avoid overwhelming subscribers while still maintaining engagement.

B2B Data and Analytics Statistics

1. B2B marketers use 18 data sources for reporting on average. (Salesforce)
2. 14% report challenges with low-quality data, and only 65% of marketers say they have high-quality data on their target audience. (HubSpot)
3. 26% of marketers believe data helps their marketing drive more ROI. (HubSpot)
4. Only 1 in 4 marketers say their marketing data fully integrates with the other tools they use. (HubSpot)
5. Seven in 10 have the right technology in place to measure marketing activities, and 82% have the marketing data they need to demonstrate impact to the C-suite. (LinkedIn)
6. Companies leading in B2B revenue are two to six times more likely to have marketing functions such as data science and analytics, marketing automation, and account-based marketing in-house. (Bain)

Takeaways:

B2B marketers in 2024 are data-savvy, leveraging multiple sources to inform their strategies. They understand the importance of data-driven marketing.

Most feel confident in their data quality and ability to derive insights. And the majority have the right tech and analytics to demonstrate marketing impact to leadership.

However, there is still room for growth.

B2B Marketing AI Statistics

1. Generative AI will have a significant impact on content creation in 2024, according to 85% of marketers. (HubSpot)
2. 81% of marketers who use Gen AI say it enhances their roles. (HubSpot)

1. Two in three B2B marketers are currently using GenAI, but only 28% have a good understanding of how to use AI in marketing activities. (LinkedIn)

1. About half of B2B marketers use generative AI to brainstorm new topics. 45% use the tools to research headlines and keywords, and 45% use AI to generate drafts. (CMI)

Image Data Source: Content Marketing Institute

1. 91% of marketers who use generative AI tools use free tools (like ChatGPT), while 27% pay for AI content writing tools. (CMI)

1. 67% of B2B marketers feel positive about AI. 5% are terrified, 26% are excited, 34% are hopeful and 7% are relieved. Only 12% are indifferent and 16% are apprehensive. (WPromote)
2. 85% of marketers believe AI will have a positive impact on B2B marketing in the next year. (ViB)

Takeaways:

AI is rapidly gaining traction in B2B marketing. Most B2B companies use AI tools. And the majority of marketers feel positive about AI's impact.

Marketers find generative AI particularly effective, using it for tasks like brainstorming, research, and content creation.

While adoption is high, there's still a knowledge gap in applying AI to marketing activities.

Elevate Your B2B Marketing Strategy

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