B2B marketing leaders face overwhelming choices about where to focus their efforts.
New strategies, channels, and technologies constantly emerge, each promising to be the breakthrough solution.
With AI dominating conversations and content saturation reaching unprecedented levels, one question becomes critical: how do successful marketing teams actually break through the noise?
Using Wynter, we went straight to the source and surveyed 100 marketing leaders at$50M+ B2B SaaS companies to find out the strategies that are genuinely driving results in today's market.
This report reveals what's working, what's failing, what channels they're prioritizing, and how they're positioning their search strategies for an AI-powered future.
Consider this your definitive map to navigating this year's territory, based on real data from those already finding success.
02.
AI integration in marketing teams
Current state of AI adoption
It feels like everyone is talking about AI. But despite the buzz, most marketing teams are only in early stages of implementation. We discovered the majority of marketing leaders primarily use AI as a first-pass engine for content, helping them come up with ideas and move faster with increased output while maintaining brand consistency (thanks to fine-tuning their chosen LLMs).
We use ChatGPT for a lot of our marketing created content. We have trained the model by uploading pieces previously written by our thought leaders to establish the correct tone and format. We use it to create bios, social posts, emails, webinar abstracts, landing page copy etc
— Ruth, Head of Global Campaigns, 501–1000 employees, SaaS/software
My team has implemented AI by using ChatGPT to create custom content. By using this tool with prompts, we were able to get rid of 5 freelance writers, and used our remaining writers to QC and ensure all content was accurate and correct. This saved us over $80,000 annually.
— Janae, Director Oo Digital Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
The first way we use ChatGPT is for copy prompts for brochures, email, social posts, and web pages. While the outputs still require finesse from subject matter experts, the AI helps us save hours of over-thinking. Essentially, it eliminates the need to start from a blank canvas.
— David, Director of Digital Strategy, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
Here's how marketing teams' current AI adoption breaks down:
- Content creation & copywriting (68%) The majority use AI to generate drafts for emails, blogs, ad copy, social posts, and creative briefs
- Research & data analysis (20%) Some teams use AI for competitive analysis, data insights, and meeting summarizations
- Marketing automation & workflow integration (16%) A smaller percentage have built AI into their operational workflows
Beyond LLMs: other AI tools in use
LLM tools are most widely adopted (ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity dominate), but some teams are diversifying their AI toolkit:
- Creative & content tools (24%) Tools like Adobe Firefly, Jasper, and DALL-E are helping with visual content creation
- Built-in AI features (16%) AI capabilities embedded in existing platforms(HubSpot, M365 Copilot, Asana) are helping with automations andspeeding up internal processes
- Sales enablement & analytics (12%) AI-powered tools are fast-tracking lead segmentation and customer insights
We use DALL-E to generate more creative, personalized images for pitch decks and webinars. Stock photography often doesn't do enough.
— David, Director of Digital Strategy, 1001-5000 employees,SaaS/Software
The AI feature in HubSpot has been really powerful and robust and has allowed us to save time to work on other activities. This expands possibilities for more programs through the opening up of marketing dollars.
— Tory, Director of Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
The AI SDR chatbot I have used has helped fill in some missed leads orgaps in a given quarter. Even if they are small deal sizes sometimes, weare feeling confident that we are getting even more coverage to pushour visitors through the sales funnel with gains already being realized.
— Daniel, Head of Digital Marketing, 501-1000 employees,SaaS/software
These quotes speak clearly:
AI in marketing isn't necessarily about replacing Humans, it's about filling in the gaps and freeing teams to do what machines can't: think strategically, build relationships, and drive brand innovation.
The teams finding success with AI are operating in that sweet spot between speed and brand control, where they’re blending AI efficiency with human creativity.
AI implementation by company size
We discovered the size of your company tends to say lot about current AI strategies.Small teams go for whatever tools help them right now. Midsize companies are thinking ahead, trying to plan their next few steps. Bigger businesses are building custom integrations and focusing on compliance.
It comes down to what each company can do. Small teams move fast because they have no other choice. Bigger teams move slower because mistakes are costly. And the rest are still figuring out which side they’re closer to.
Here’s how AI adoption varies significantly by company size:
- Smaller companies (201-500 employees): Focus on content generation to stretch limited resources, with cost savings as a primary driver
- Mid-sized companies (501-5000 employees): Balance between creative tasks and workflow automation, integrating AI into both content creation and operational processes
- Large enterprises (5001+ employees): Custom integrations with strict compliance measures, often focusing on complex reporting automation while navigating data governance concerns
We leverage AI tools to help generate or modify content copy so that less time is taken to write new or edited content.
— Amanda, Senior Field Marketing Manager, 1001-5000employees, SaaS/software
Despite the hype, 38% of marketing teams are still exclusively using LLMs. 12% of this group are curious to learn more and are actively looking for new tools to adopt.
I'm open to learning more about what's available and how other marketers are using these tools.
— Lindsey, Senior Director of Marketing Strategy and Growth, 201-500 employees, Saas/software
And 8% would like to add new AI tools to their stack but face strict corporate restrictions on AI adoption.
We have not officially integrated AI tools due to legal and compliance rules set by our company.
— Amber, Director of Corporate Marketing, 201-500 employees, Saas/software
So, not everyone is on board. Not everyone has fully embraced it, and the vast majority of the "AI revolution" is mainly just faster content creation - at least for most people.
So, not everyone is on board. Not everyone has fully embraced it, and the vast majority of the "AI revolution" is mainly just faster content creation - at least for most people.
Our advice:
If you're wanting to adopt AI into your workflow and are unsure where to start, stop asking "what AI tools should I use?" and begin with "what problems needs olving?". Then get researching on what will work for you.Remember, successful teams aren't always starting with new tools. A lot of the time, they're maximizing their impact by upgrading AI features on the platforms they've already got.
03.
Channel evolution: What’s gaining importance?
LinkedIn dominates
Despite marketing leader’s frustrations with LinkedIn’s algorithm favoring "expertise signals", and teams experiencing “lower reach” than in previous years, LinkedIn remains the central channel for their marketing efforts.
LinkedIn has always been our go-to and has been one of the main drivers of users to our website. To be honest, it's still the main channel for us.
— Anne Marie, Head of Marketing & Communications, 201-500employees, SaaS/software
20% of marketing leaders said it's growing in importance for them, for targeted paid campaigns (18%), and thought leadership content (10%) and Thought Leader ads (6%).
The algorithm updates of precision targeting, and the rise of founder-led content is helping marketing leaders put their message directly in front of decision-makers.
LinkedIn thought leader ads have been incredible performers for us - generating 300x more reach and engagement for the same budget.
— Meghan, Head of Marketing, 10,000 employees, SaaS/software
We've put more of an emphasis on digital ads - especially on LinkedIn. We have found that we can hit our target audience with top and bottom of funnel messages.
— Tory, Director of Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
From a paid perspective, LinkedIn has evolved significantly, with a growing focus on Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and a shift in spend toward more refined audiences. LinkedIn has targeting capabilities that no other platform can match for B2B marketing.
— Sarah, Senior Integrated Marketing Manager, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
Our research shows teams are seeing the most success from combining organic thought leadership, targeted paid campaigns, and genuine employee advocacy on their own pages. Their strategies focus on offering expert insights, demonstrating industry knowledge, and resisting the urge to just post promotional messaging and filler content.
The bottom line: LinkedIn isn't perfect, but it's still the only channel for reaching B2B decision-makers at scale. The majority of teams are putting expertise first, promotion second. Right now, audiences are rewarding value over volume, and that's not changing anytime soon.
Search: From keywords to LLMs
20% of marketing leaders report major changes in their search strategy, and 12% say they're shifting their focus towards LLM-based search.
In the past 3 months we have seen an explosion in traffic fromLLM-based search, and we are now optimizing for it.
— Chris, Director Integrated Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software employees, SaaS/software
The rise of LLM-based discovery is forcing marketers to rethink keyword strategies, embrace AI assistance as first-touch points, and focus more on branded search to protect market share.
I used to think paid search was a very important channel but with LLMs now functioning as search engines, this channel isn't as important/has lower performance.
— Lauren, Senior Director Customer Marketing, 1001-5000employees, SaaS/software
Others are adapting their existing SEO approach:
SEO has become more significant and top of mind as we navigate AI impacts on search. Google usage is up, even if traffic is down. Figuring out how to be more visible and tie that to business impact is a significant evolution for us.
— Ben, Director of Inbound Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
Some are seeing continued success with traditional search, but they're enhancing their efforts:
It's still very much paid search but enhanced for multi variant formats(pMax) and new placements (search partners) that helped us expand our reach.
— Pete, Marketing Director, 201-500 employees, technical services
Search is evolving in both platform allocation (e.g. Google vs. Bing) and content structure (comprehensive answers vs. keywords), but the main goal for marketing leaders right now? To position themselves properly for the rise of LLM discovery.
Here's what's actually happening: Decision makers are increasingly asking AI for vendor recommendations before they ever visit your website. The companies getting mentioned in those AI responses are creating content so authoritative that AI systems naturally reference it when prospects ask for solutions.
The revival of in-person events
16% of marketing leaders told us in-person events as their most reliable pipeline generator. Not webinars. Not LinkedIn ads. Not even email sequences. Their strategy? Simply showing up and having conversations in real life.
In person conferences and events. Not exactly lesser known but a channel that's underrated. We just show up.
— Ben, Director of Inbound Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
Why is this old school tactic working? This Head of Digital Marketing put it best:
With ad costs rising, AI content overload and general digital fatigue, in-person presence creates a competitive advantage that algorithms can't replicate.
— Antonio, Head of Digital Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
We all know everyone's inbox looks like a ChatGPT fever dream and decision makers are inundated with generic outreach. It turns out putting them in a room where they can have uninterrupted discussions works and actually helps them close deals.
Marketing leaders told us events work particularly well for them when:
- Teams show up focused on relationship building with target accounts (they go with goals in mind)
- Combined with pre-event nurturing (personalized emails and check-ins)
- Designed as intimate or casual gatherings rather than large trade shows (relaxed moments are often when the most authentic connections are made)
Other major benefits include:
Helping speed up the sales cycle:
We find it particularly good to help speed up deal cycles and for prospects in an open opportunity to increase the close rate. Especially for something like a more intimate event (less than 20people) versus something massive like a tradeshow.
— Stephanie Annie, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
And breaking into new geographic regions:
We've expanded our events and used this as a way to break into the US market more. Face to face time is so important with the rise in digital channels.
— Ben, Director of Inbound Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
This old-school approach has unexpectedly become cutting-edge again, creating connections that AI can't replicate, out of email's reach, and accelerating deals that tend to stall in online communications.
Remember: B2B buying decisions still happen between humans and sometimes the most advanced marketing strategy is simply showing up.
Channels in decline
As some channels rise up, and more get added into the marketing team’s platform mix, leaders are actively eliminating, reducing investment in, and halting channels that fail to deliver measurable results.
Here’s what tactics they’re currently cutting back on:
- Paid social outside LinkedIn (24% cutting back): Facebook and X ads showing poor ROI
- Underperforming paid digital advertising (22% reducing): Teams are shifting to more targeted approaches and platforms their ICP are on
- Organic social (10% deprioritizing): Diminishing reach and unclear impact on pipeline
- Content syndication (6% cutting): Low-quality leads and attribution challenges
- Print advertising (6% eliminating): Declining circulation and weak pipeline connection
- Cold calling (4% stopping): Low connect rates and poor efficiency
Instead, marketing leaders are favoring strategic, data-informed approaches over one-size-fits-all methods. Their goal is maximizing ROI through matching their messaging with what buyers actually need and showing up on the platforms their customers are actually consuming content on.
24% told us they're actively cutting back on paid social that's not converting. While this varies from business to business, the majority of channels cuts are those except LinkedIn:
Stopped doing FB, just worthless ROI. I think we were doing IG as well, but also stopped doing that but more because the audience wasn't there.
— Christopher, Marketing Director, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
We have significantly cut back on our traditional, digital advertising through trade and similar publications.
— Sandy, Senior Director Corporate Marketing, 201-500 employees SaaS/software
Rising CPCs, shrinking impressions and poor lead quality mean 22% are getting rid of their underperforming paid digital ads. That’s why they're niching down to try podcasts, ABM ads, and targeting key newsletters their ICP reads:
They are not creating or driving demand and we have seen more success by shifting this budget into channels we know our ICP is actually on, such as podcasts and newsletters they read.
— Ruth, Head of Global Campaigns, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
For 10%, organic social has shifted away from being leads focused to becoming a credibility check box:
We do have a basic strategy in place but transparently it's only to keep the accounts alive and credible. Marketing-wise, there are no goals or targets for organic social.
— Christian, Senior Director of Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
Content syndication faced criticism but only when the audiences were misaligned (6%):
We've cut back on many content syndication channels as we feel like some of these vendors are sending bogus leads that didn't actually download our content.
— Jim, Director Of Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
And cold calling is on the way out:
This is less and less effective each year in western countries. We find you have to do hundreds of calls just to connect one, which is not cost efficient.
— Mike, Digital Marketing Director, 5001-10000 employees, SaaS/software
Channel preferences and performances will continue to evolve. And we can’t predictwhat channel is going to take over next. But strategically speaking we can prepare,and this is what marketing leaders are prioritizing right now:
- Reallocating to precision channels. They’re moving away from generic reach into tactics that actually reach their ICPs and generate pipeline.
- Personalized outreach. Teams are swapping mass cold calls and email blasts for segmented InMails and account-based sequences.
- Quality over quantity. Fewer, more impactful touchpoints (webinars, partner events, well targeted paid ads) replace broad tactics with poor conversions.
- Organic social = credibility, not performance. It’s still alive, but not under pressure to convert.
- Responsive channel mix. They’re focused on measuring. Budgets shift fast based on what’s actually working.
04.
Effective marketing playbooks
The marketing playbooks working best right now
We’ve learned that B2B SaaS marketing leaders are abandoning outdated tactics and having to fine tune their playbooks to mirror how their buyers actually think, research, and make decisions.
But how are they adapting and what is actually driving success for them?
We asked marketing leaders to reveal their most effective playbooks that are driving pipeline right now, here's what they told us:
Integrated multi-channel campaigns (34%)
These marketing leaders understand that their buyers don't live in a single channel.They're adapting and seeing success from running coordinated campaigns across multiple touchpoints:
Our marketing playbook combines SEO, paid social, and lead nurturing via email. We drive awareness and traffic through high-value content and targeted ads, then capture leads with lead magnets and nurture them with automated email sequences. This funnel approach works well because it meets prospects where they are and gradually builds trust and interest before the conversion point.
— Janae, Director Of Digital Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
The foundations of this playbook include:
- Tying each tactic (email, paid social, events) back to a single campaign theme and metrics
- Ensuring seamless hand-offs between demand gen, nurture, and sales enablement
- Blending inbound, outbound, and partner efforts to maximize reach and accelerate pipeline
They're also mapping customer journeys across touchpoints, then using stage-based approaches that reinforce messaging at each stage of the funnel. Another goal? Turning these customers into advocates for social proofing, increased word-of-mouth reach and brand loyalty.
Our playbook is roughly: Stage 1 -> Ecosystem events (webinars, etc.) to build awareness and capture emails Stage 2 -> Outbound campaigns to build intent and share value Stage 3 -> Invite to ABM events through partners and Ambassadors Stage 4 -> Ask for referrals from existing network Stage 5 -> Book into pipeline or offer free trial.
— Chris, of Director Integrated Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
We run integrated campaigns, work closely with sales, launch new products that we can monetize, enable our sales team with insights and content, and turn our customers into advocates.
— Joe, Director Integrated Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
The key insight:
This playbook works due to the focus on the invisible moments between touchpoints - when a LinkedIn ad reminds someone about last week's webinar, when a sales email references content they downloaded months ago, when a peer mentions or validates what they've been thinking. Success happens in these connective moments, not in isolated channel performance.
Audience-first segmentation (26%)
26% are investing in this customer-centric approach of defining ICPs, understanding specific buyer groups and pain points before picking channels or crafting messages.
The more personal, the better. We try to make the buyer's journey as personal as possible and meet them where they are at.
— Kylee, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Here's how they actually do it:
- Map pain points first, then build everything else around those insights
- Mine sales interviews and "How did you hear about us?" forms for real buyer language
- Let audience struggles drive content strategy and positioning decisions
- Constantly reassess customer journey touchpoints based on actual buyer behavior
It all starts with Product Marketing creating the story we need to tell, identifying the audience and their pain points, and clearly defining how our solutions solve those pain points better or different than anything in the market. We then create content to support and deliver content to the BDR team who leverages the content to find prospects.
— David, Director Of Digital Strategy, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
A customer centric content strategy focused on providing relevant messaging when and where the user needs it across every touchpoint across the customer journey is our playbook.
— Ben, Director of Inbound Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
This approach demands more upfront investment of customers research, analyzing sales calls, and mapping buyer psychology before launching anything. But the payoff is massive - messaging that feels like it was written specifically for each prospect because, in many ways, it was.
Key insight:
By deeply understanding their audience segments, marketing leaders can create content that feels more aligned with real customer problem solving. It works because they're personalizing understanding. And that understanding shows up in every email, every ad, and every sales conversation.
Content-driven marketing (18%)
18% of marketing leaders are winning with something deceptively simple: being useful, consistently.
Be a consistent, reliable source for good intel... Doesn't need to be flashy, just be the consistent presence month after month that the audience knows will be worth a few minutes of their time to click.
— Alex, Director of Corporate Marketing, 10,000 employees, SaaS/software
These teams have cracked the content recycling game:
- Build one "keystone" asset (ebook, playbook, report) and transform it into dozens of touchpoints
- Master evergreen formats (LinkedIn carousels, white papers) that generate value for months
- Choose quality over quantity, focusing on resources that actually educate and establish thought leadership
- Map different content types to specific buying personas and decision stages
The best playbook includes creating strong and compelling content that supports multiple funnel stages and campaigns.
— Jim, Director of Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
Right now we are consistent with fresh content on LinkedIn. Found out that LinkedIn now favors 'carousel posts' so we recently started making sure that at least two posts per week are carousels.
— Anne Marie, Head of Marketing & Communications,201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Industry expertise is also a crucial aspect, the more actionable insights they provide, the stronger their position becomes:
Regular presentation of information and updates on government policies coupled with accurate information and facts about financial conditions of our industry have proven to be the most valuable to our clients and prospects.
— Tom, Marketing Director, 201-500 employees, technical services
18% of marketing leaders are winning with something deceptively simple: being useful, consistently.
Key insight:
Content-driven marketing works because it reverses the typical buyer-seller dynamic. Instead of chasing prospects with pitches, you become the source they bookmark and reference.
When a CFO saves your industry analysis or forwards your regulatory update to their team, you've moved from “someone trying to sell us something” to “the expert who helps us understand our market.” By the time they're ready to buy, the sales conversation starts with “We've been following your content” rather than “Tell us about your company.”
Account-based marketing (10%)
While only 10% of marketing leaders cited account-based marketing (ABM) as a growing part of their strategy, those implementing it are seeing weighty returns.
Our playbook is increasingly ABM focused and the strategy, tactics, channels and messaging have evolved accordingly. We have found that identifying specific organizations as targets and developing efforts and content specifically for those targets have leveraged better results.
— Christian, Senior Director of Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
Marketing leaders are evolving their approach from broad-based campaigns to highly-targeted, account-specific messages. The difference they're seeing is game-changing: higher conversion rates, faster sales cycles, and ROI that's easy to track and defend in budget meetings.
Their winning formula involves:
- Layering ABM tactics onto existing campaigns by identifying and profiling specific target accounts
- Creating bespoke content and outreach sequences for different account tiers(one-to-many, one-to-few)
- Using intent signals and contact-level personalization to compress sales cycles
Budget pressure is actually fueling this shift:
ABM is becoming a much bigger part of the mix for our B2B efforts. As ad dollars get squeezed, the need for us to be more effective and targeted with each and every one is key, which is what ABM brings to the table.
— Andy, Director Digital Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
ABM delivers quality over quantity. By focusing resources on understanding specific customer challenges and adapting messaging for high-potential accounts, marketers avoid spreading efforts too thin. The result? Better ROI and stronger marketing-sales alignment-a clear win/win.
Key insight:
Success from this playbook comes from triggering the "This person gets us" response that generic messaging rarely achieves. It's the difference between joining a meeting saying "Here's how we help SaaS companies" versus "Here's how we solve the exact problem you’re experiencing."
This is why ABM works, it’s an opportunity for instant credibility and shortening the entire sales process.
05.
Changing buyer behaviors and adaptations
Extended research and sales cycles
It's not just the channels and playbooks that are changing. B2B purchasing behaviors are also experiencing powerful yet subtle shifts. Marketing leaders are reporting that buyers no longer follow straight lines from awareness to purchase. They're comparing vendors more carefully, bringing more decision-makers to the table, and requiring clear evidence of ROI before even joining a sales call.
We've mapped out the key changes happening right now across company sizes:
- 16% report customers conducting extensive research before any sales conversations
- 12% note longer sales cycles with larger buying committees
- 12% see increased price sensitivity and budget scrutiny
- 6% are witnessing shrinking attention spans and demand for bite-sized content
In their words, here's what they've been noticing:
They are doing more research and requiring more competitive intel, reviews / case studies / referrals & references.
— Mackenzie, Director of Digital Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
There are larger buying groups and slower sales cycles. For example, IT has become more involved in the buying circle and so we've thought about creating content, messaging, ads, etc. for IT specifically.
— Stephanie Annie, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Customers are much more budget concerned and want to really understand what the ROI will be to investing in software.
— Lauren, Senior Director of Customer Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
They have extremely low attention spans. We have structured more and more of our content to be shorter and shorter to meet the needs.
— Sandy, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing. 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Buyers are becoming self-sufficient researchers. They're finding answers, comparing options, and building business cases before they ever reach out to your sales team.
Marketing teams must focus less on basic education and more on problem solving, tackling common concerns head-on, and building trust through transparent, value-driven content.
But that's just half the battle.
The winning advantage comes from getting ahead and gaining mental availability. By that we mean being consistent and making sure your messaging sticks, so when buyers are ready to make a decision, you're the first company they think of. Then you’ll already be firmly positioned in their consideration set.
Here's how marketing leaders are adapting their messaging:
- Investing more in nurturing (16%): Customer-centric engagement
- Emphasizing trust-building (12%): More personalized, authentic communication styles
- Developing multi-stakeholder content (8%): Different types of messaging for different roles and their needs
- Creating shorter, snackable content (6%): Concise communications, zero fluff
These adaptations focus on meeting buyers where they are in their research process, providing exactly the information they need to move forward confidently.
Buyers seem to require a lot more marketing touches and content consumed before recognizing and being open to further engage with a brand. To adapt, I focus more on both retargeting across ad channels and personalizing experiences on the website to best nurture prospects.
— Sarah, Senior Integrated Marketing Manager, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
Customers require greater confidence in a vendor, so reinforcing trust isa key focus of our messaging.
— Nicola, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
Target customers want snackable content these days. So we've adapted from long white papers to shorter ebooks. Video and social content that is quick and easy to digest.
— Rashmi, Marketing Director, 10,000 employees, SaaS/software
And they're using these behavioral shifts as competitive advantages:
- Moving from education to validation: Buyers understand their problems; they need evidence you can solve them
- Balancing comprehensive research with executive summaries: Detailed resources for thorough evaluation alongside quick-scan formats for senior stakeholders
- Addressing the entire buying committee: Creating content that speaks to bothtechnical implementers and financial decision-makers
If we could sum up how you should be adapting in 2025. This quote would be it:
They need comms that speak directly to their needs, and real, trustworthy proof that you'll deliver on your promises.
— Alice, Director Of Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Key insight:
The companies winning deals are the ones whose messaging answers the specific questions buyers ask in internal meetings: "How do we justify this cost?" "What if the implementation goes wrong?" "How does this compare to building in-house?"
When your marketing materials directly address these stakeholder concerns with concrete data and realistic timelines, buyers can confidently champion your solution internally and build a bulletproof business case.
06.
Pipeline generation tactics
What's driving reliable pipeline
Our research tells us marketing leaders have turned away from the volume game and instead are focusing on (and only on) the tactics that deliver predictable, high-intent opportunities.Now, they’re earning their reliable pipeline through high-quality, high-takeaway engagements that nurture genuine trust. What’s more?
They’re focusing on these tried-and-tested channels that are driving the most measurable impact:
- Paid search (18%) Capturing high-intent buyers at key decision moments
- Webinars (18%) Deep educational sessions offering original insights
- In-person events (16%) Creating trust through human connection
- Organic SEO (12%) Delivering compounding, cost-efficient traffic
But what makes these approaches consistently effective? At their core, every winning tactic the marketing leaders told us about tactic relies on five foundational principles:
- Quality over quantity: Focusing on high-intent prospects who convert, rather than maximizing lead volume
- Measurability: Clear attribution and optimization that justifies continued investment
- Compounding impact: Building assets that deliver returns over extended periodsAI into their operational workflows
- Human connection: Creating genuine trust moments beyond digital touchpoints
- Sales alignment: Coordinating with sales via BDR teams and handoff processes
Paid search (18%)
Still king for a reason: it captures buyers at peak decision moments. Marketing leaders are feeding algorithms their most predictive conversion signals and seeing clear ROI. One marketer put it bluntly:
Paid search. It's effective because it's at the final moment of intent and capturing that demand is incredibly important.
— Lindsey, Senior Director of Marketing Strategy & Growth,201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Webinars (18%)
Webinars work by providing deep, gated learning sessions that attract serious prospects, with recordings that continue generating leads long after the live event.One team found their casual, conversational webinars delivered almost 3x the ROI of their formal, corporate events:
Our smaller targeted webinars. We make it more casual and conversational. The ROI is almost 3 fold of our standard event team formalized webinar process. People want a connection.
— Courtney, Director of Field Marketing, 5001-10000 employees, SaaS/software
In-person events (16%)
We’ve learned that in-person events are on the rise. With built-in qualification through targeted invitations and the pull of one-on-one interactions, teams are going prepared, prioritizing connections and generating pipeline by establishing proper working relationships:
Our approach is to get in front of our customers as much as possible. We accomplish this through lunch and learn and in-person events and it's been successful because once you get in front of someone, it's much easier to have a conversation and establish a working relationship.
— Tory, Director Of Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Organic SEO (12%)
Successful SEO strategies bring in high-intent traffic that compounds over time, with each optimized page potentially functioning as a 24/7 lead generator. Marketing leaders told us they’re building new pages that compliment, not compete with existing content. They're also optimizing and building with LLM search in mind:
The organic traffic just has so much more acceleration through the funnel and more intent already. It just makes sense and it is one of the hardest channels to grow but when you find something that works on ityou'll get the biggest rewards for it... we're considering how we show upon LLMs too.
— Daniel, Head of Digital Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
Our advice: The top-performing channels we've explored are driving results, but your optimal pipeline strategy may need different tactics altogether.
So how do you find your perfect pipeline mix? Success comes from identifying what works specifically for your company, not from copying what worked for others.
Regardless of which channels you select, the marketing leaders generating reliable pipeline follow three core principles:
- Psychological proximity over reach: Stop trying to reach everyone and start getting closer tosomeone's actual problems. The best marketing feels like it was written specifically for your prospect's exact situation. When a VP of Sales reads your content and thinks "This person understands my world," you've achieved psychological proximity.
- Selective visibility: Get more selective about where they show up. They're abandoning channels that don't reach their ICP, even if thosechannels generate activity. Better to own one channel completelythan to be mediocre across five.
- Micro-moments of truth: Pipeline growth happens through accumulated micro-moments where each interaction either builds or erodes trust. There are no neutral engagements. Remember every email, every piece of content, every sales handoff either moves prospects closer to buying or pushes them toward competitors.
- The breakthrough insight: The marketing leaders generating the most reliable pipeline have stopped treating channels as separate experiments. They've built systems where each touchpoint reinforces the others, creating a compounding effect that makes potential buyers more likely to convert with every interaction. Your channel mix matters less than how well those channels work together to make buying from you feel like the obvious choice.
Smart strategies that work
We asked marketing leaders how they're fighting back against rising customer acquisition costs. They're digging into their data, cutting what doesn't work, and focusing more on what does. Instead of just spending more to grow faster, they're finding ways to grow more efficiently with the same budget. Here's what they're doing to optimize:
Channel optimization (26%)
26% of marketing leaders have embraced a radical approach: complete channel elimination instead of endless optimization attempts. This marks a departure from the traditional "diversified channel" approach that dominated marketing strategy for years. Now, marketing leaders are reallocating resources entirely and assessing costs by:
- Tracking engagement vs. conversion metrics in their CRM
- Benchmarking each channel's cost per demo or SQL, not just click metrics
- Shifting budget to platforms with better performance metrics and lead quality
We've cut underperforming social campaigns that are not converting to demos. These are identified through CRM metrics allowing us to know which products and messaging for those are not working.
— Jim, Director of Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
We’ve stopped paid LinkedIn ads; we were seeing high platform engagement but very low time on page.
— Alissa, Director of Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Some teams are making surprising discoveries:
We’re putting more budget into Reddit ads and less into Google ads. Our CAC with Reddit is far less than Google and quality is often much higher.
— Kylee, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Over time, channel diversification has become channel dilution for many teams. Now, the focus is switching to fewer channels where they can dominate, rather than being average and overspending across many platforms.
Funnel & conversion improvements (24%)
24% find their biggest CAC wins come from fixing what you already have, not finding new traffic sources. So, instead of simply increasing top-of-funnel activity, marketing leaders are optimizing every touchpoint to convert more effectively:
- Digitizing onboarding to reduce sales team's time spent
- Using AI to automate prospect audits and qualification
- Updating to triggered nurture streams that pre-qualify leads
Improve the in-trial customer experience by making it more digitally led. Previously it required an AE and CSM for onboarding and a lot of hand holding. We have overcome this by adding more digital documentation, prompts and guidelines.
— Kylee, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
We have recently updated our sales tactics by providing automated audits to prospective customers using AI. This replaces manually created reports which take a lot of time.
— Janae, Director of Digital Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
This strategic shift focuses on making existing processes more efficient rather than adding more into the mix. Their goal? Extract significantly more value from the same amount of traffic.
Account-based marketing & targeted ICP (16%)
16% of marketing leaders have discovered something counterintuitive: reaching fewer people can dramatically reduce acquisition costs. By getting selective about who they target, they're making every dollar work exponentially harder. These teams focus on behavioral precision, the prospects who actually fit their ideal customer profile and show genuine buying intent.
Here's what's been working best for them:
- Building intent-based segments aligned across sales and marketing
- Enriching lists with partner data to prioritize best-fit accounts
- Creating industry-specific playbooks for sales teams
We've focused our ICP and use partner data to identify best-fit accounts.This has made sure every dollar spent is on the right account.
— Ben, Marketing Director, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
In order to reduce customer acquisition cost, we've really honed in our targeting and are being more thoughtful about specific account lists and specific messaging to those accounts to drive a more qualified pipeline.
— Lindsey, Senior Director of Marketing Strategy & Growth, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
This approach to cutting CAC is about rethinking who you're targeting and how you're reaching them. Companies seeing the greatest impact are those willing to step up and challenge long-held assumptions about channel mix, lead volume, and marketing-sales alignment.
So, rather than viewing CAC reduction as a cost-cutting exercise, they're reframing it as a strategic opportunity to build more sustainable, efficient growth engines. Which, in turn, is making them show up smarter and much more aligned than before.
Website & SEO enhancements (8%)
8% of marketing leaders said optimizing the content they've already got is often more effective than the paid channels they've been pumping money into. They're updating copy, improving their backlinks, and focusing on discoverability.By honing in on organic reach, they're developing content worthy of sharing and tweaking their organic traffic improvements accordingly:
- Combining their multiple websites into a unified experience
- Refreshing their SEO strategies
- Earning high-quality backlinks through partnerships
In short, some of the biggest CAC reduction opportunities are hiding in plain sight. If done right, website and SEO improvements can consistently deliver high returns, and best of all, they’re fully within your control. By aligning your digital assets, refining on-page strategies, and earning quality backlinks, you build an organic engine that drives steady traffic and importantly, weathers dreaded algorithm shifts and ad-platform changes.
08.
Brand marketing that works
The truth is that your brand doesn't exist on your website or in your ads. It exists in the minds of your buyers.
A brand is what they say you are, not what you say you are. Yet most companies spend millions pushing messages without ever checking if they stick.
The most important thing is implanting durable memory associations so future buyers remember you when they're finally ready to buy.
Here’s how current marketing leaders are finding success through their brand marketing initiatives:
- In-person events (14%) Attending memorable in-person experiences
- Thought leadership content (10%) Annual reports, founder-led content and evergreen resources
- Brand refreshes (10%) Clarifying messaging and creating renewed interest
- Targeted ads (8%) Precision placements with clear attribution
Events for brand building (14%)
Events came out on top, with 14% saying they're the most effective brand marketing initiative. Why?
- People trust people they've met in person
- Prospects can speak to you about your product in real life
- In-person meetings help to build brand mental availability
Industry events let us use creative booth designs to bring our brand to life and reach enterprise audiences much more effectively than our digital brand efforts.
— David, Director of Digital Strategy, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
Events have been a big play whether that is partner events or side events at conferences. They are low cost but give a good reach.
— Ben, Director Of Inbound Marketing, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
We've leaned more heavily into brand marketing at events and conferences post-COVID to see surprisingly strong results.
— Jack, Director of Marketing, 51-200 employees, SaaS/software
Key takeaway:
Digital fatigue is real. Creating and attending memorable physical experiences stand out because everyone else has retreated to screens. Remember, brand influence shows up months or even years later and events plant seeds in the minds that matter most.
Thought leadership initiatives (10%) rank in joint second. Annual reports, white papers, and founders gaining online presence help build authority while generating on going leads. But generic industry observations no longer break through, the most impactful thought leadership approaches include:
- Annual state-of-industry reports backed by proprietary research
- Evergreen resources that address persistent industry challenges
- Founder and employee perspectives on emerging industry trends
Our annual state of the industry report has provided great brand building and thought leadership that can be promoted throughout the year.
— Corrine, Head of Marketing, 1001-500 employees, SaaS/software
For us it’s our white paper addressing how to build high performing teams... it's evergreen but we've promoted different variations based on industry.
— Heather, Head of Corporate Marketing Communication, 201-500employees, technical services
We are running more of a thought leadership style array of content where we want to showcase our industry expertise to help spread the word and establish ourselves as a thought leaders/credible voice in our industry.
— Stephanie Annie, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Key takeaway:
LinkedIn is saturated, so you need to stand out. Companies winningwith thought leadership base their content in deep expertise, join discussions on trending topics, and carve out their own distinctive tone of voice.
The point isn't immediate leads, it's ensuring that when prospects finally enter the market for your solution, you're already associated with expertise and credibility in their minds.
Brand refreshes (10%)
No, we're not just talking about purely cosmetic updates but strategic interventions that solve fundamental messaging problems. 10% of marketing leaders found that once they got this right and refreshed their brand communications accordingly, it helps to reset market perceptions and create renewed, better targeted interest.
The most effective brand refreshes addressed:
- Name confusion between company and product offerings
- Fragmented messaging across global teams and markets
- Outdated visual identity failing to reflect current capabilities
- Inconsistent branding across customer touchpoints
We are running more of a thought leadership style array of content where we want to showcase our industry expertise to help spread the word and establish ourselves as a thought leaders/credible voice in our industry.
— Stephanie Annie, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Brand refreshes (10%)
No, we're not just talking about purely cosmetic updates but strategic interventions that solve fundamental messaging problems. 10% of marketing leaders found that once they got this right and refreshed their brand communications accordingly, it helps to reset market perceptions and create renewed, better targeted interest.
The most effective brand refreshes addressed:
- Name confusion between company and product offerings
- Fragmented messaging across global teams and markets
- Outdated visual identity failing to reflect current capabilities
- Inconsistent branding across customer touchpoints
Following a brand refresh and updated key messaging, we saturated all channels for awareness. We have seen consistent uplift in web traffic and social followers.
Colin, Head Of Digital Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
Recently we changed our name and built a brand around it. We used to have two different names (company and software) and we merged a brand campaign with our new name.
— Selda, Director of Field Marketing, 5001-10000 employees, SaaS/software
The organization has recently launched very simplified messaging, which has been leveraged across many teams globally.
— Amanda, Senior Field Marketing Manager, 1001-5000 employees, SaaS/software
Key takeaway:
Your branding might be the invisible barrier to growth. When prospects struggle to articulate what you do or how well you do it, a focused refresh can help reset market perceptions and reignite lost interest. Remember, being memorable matters more than being different when it comes to making the shortlist.
Targeted ads (8%)
Precision ad placements on platforms like LinkedIn drive cost-efficient reach and provide valuable attribution data. While frustrations with ads will always exist, marketing leaders seeing success report zeroing in on highly targeted campaigns for specific decision-maker personas.
What makes these targeted approaches work:
- Precision segmentation reaches exact buyer personas
- Multi-touch attribution helps quantify brand impact
- A channel-specific creative optimized for each platform
- Budget efficiency through targeted reach and rigorous review
YouTube and LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads. I got close to 30M impressions and 500,000 clicks last year for a <$500 K brand budget... My multi-touch attribution tools helped demystify the' direct' traffic bucket.
— Daniel, Head Of Digital Marketing, 501-1000 employees, SaaS/software
Our LinkedIn digital ad campaigns were successful. As long as you know your end user well and can develop concise and stand-out messaging (for the banner ads, video ads, etc.) for these target users' timelines and feeds then you've succeeded.
— Dinkar, Head of Partnerships & Marketing, 201-500 employees, SaaS/software
Key takeaway:
By connecting targeted ad campaigns to results, marketing leadersare finally able to quantify how their brand initiatives are working, turning the "un-measurable" into a data-backed case for continued investment.
Another plus? If you’re targeting the right audience, you’re helping build top-of-mind mental avail-ability, so when prospects start shopping for solutions, they think of yours.
09.
Building a balanced brand initiative strategy
80% of marketing leaders we surveyed aren’t choosing between brand and performance marketing. They're investing in both because you need brand to get on that list and performance to capture active demand.
Here's how to make both work together:
- Implement attribution that captures the full picture. Multi-touch attribution finally quantifies brand's impact on that mysterious "direct traffic" bucket. One marketing leader reported getting 30M impressions and 500K clicks on a sub-$500K brand budget—with the data to prove downstream impact.
- Create assets that pull double duty. Evergreen resources like annual industry reports and definitive guides serve both brand awareness and lead generation.They establish authority today while building mental availability for tomorrow.
- Invest in real-world connections. Whether you’re attending an event or putting one on, face-to-face builds trust that digital can't match. These moments stick in buyers' minds, converting to pipeline 6-18 months later when they enter the market.
- Make your messaging unmistakable. Clarity drives both brand recall and conversion. If prospects can't articulate what you do, you've already lost. It’s best to review messaging ruthlessly as confusion kills both brand and performance.
Remember: Brand marketing implants memories so future buyers remember you when ready. Performance captures demand when it exists. You need both, because being memorable matters more than being “different” in a market full of choices. The companies doing well are playing the long game while capturing today's opportunities.
The biggest surprise of 2025? The oldest tactics are delivering the newest wins. While everyone obsessed over AI and automation, the marketing leaders generating real pipeline went back to basics: showing up in person, creating content worth sharing, and having engaging conversations.
AI is transforming how we work with 68% of teams using it to move faster and maintain quality. But the real story is about using technology and AI to amplify what only humans can do: build trust, solve complex problems, and create memorable experiences.
Three core truths emerged from our research:
- Precision beats presence. The days of being everywhere are over. Winners are abandoning underperforming channels entirely, dominating the few that matter.One team generated 30M impressions on a $500K budget by focusing ruthlessly on their ICP.
- Memory beats messaging. With 92% of buyers purchasing from their Day-1 shortlist, being remembered matters more than being different. Teams are building mental availability through consistent presence, not campaign bursts.
- Connection beats conversion. Extended sales cycles and larger buying committees mean trust is everything. The 16% seeing massive ROI from events understand something critical: people still buy from people they believe in.
The path forward isn't complicated. Know exactly who you're targeting. Show up where they actually pay attention. Create value they can't ignore. Measure what moves the needle. Then do more of what works and move on quickly from what doesn’t.
