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1) Budgets are flat: marketing sits at 7.7% of company revenue
Why it matters: Pressure to do more with less isn’t going away. Leaders need sharper prioritisation and clearer ROI cases.
How to apply: Ring-fence testing (5–10% of spend), consolidate tools, and protect proven growth drivers before adding new bets.
2) Only 5% of your buyers are in-market right now (the 95:5 rule)
Why it matters: Most B2B demand is future demand. Brand creates tomorrow’s pipeline.
How to apply: Plan for both: run always-on memory-building (distinctive brand assets, category entry points) alongside capture.
Stat source: LinkedIn Business Solutions
3) In B2B, aim for roughly 50/50 brand vs. activation over the year
Why it matters: Over-funding short-term capture starves future growth.
How to apply: Quarterly split can flex with seasonality, but review full-year pacing against a 50/50 benchmark.
Stat source: LinkedIn Business Solutions
4) Search ads convert at ~2–3% for B2B SaaS & FinTech
Why it matters: Unlike e-commerce, where conversion rates can reach 7%+, B2B SaaS and FinTech campaigns typically see 2–3% conversion from ad click to lead. That lower rate reflects longer cycles, multi-stakeholder buying, and higher deal values.
How to apply: Model realistic conversion rates in your forecasts (not inflated by B2C averages). Test lower-commitment offers (e.g. free tools, trial sign-ups) to lift conversion, and optimise for quality over volume by tracking how many leads progress to demo, opportunity, and revenue.
Stat source: FirstPageSage, WordStream
5) AI is here (and hard): 32% of marketing orgs have fully implemented AI; 43% are experimenting
Why it matters: Advantage shifts to teams operationalising AI with trustworthy data and governance.
How to apply: Start with repetitive tasks (audience & creative analysis, alerts), enforce human-in-the-loop, and document model/usage policies.
6) Data reality check: only 31% are fully satisfied with unifying customer data; only 48% track CLV (Customer Lifetime Value)
Why it matters: Without joined-up data and CLV, it’s tough to fund brand or scale ABM.
How to apply: Define a minimum viable data model (IDs, opportunities, product, region), implement CLV as a standard board metric, and reduce tool sprawl.
7) B2B buying is complex: 6–10 stakeholders in a typical buying group; 77% rate the purchase as difficult
Why it matters: Messaging must address multiple jobs-to-be-done, not a single persona.
How to apply: Map content to finance, IT, ops and exec priorities; equip sales with role-specific enablement.
8) Buyers need more touchpoints: ~27 interactions per purchase (up from 17)
Why it matters: Single-touch attribution will under-credit upper-funnel and mid-funnel work.
How to apply: Move to multi-touch models and use experiments (geo holdouts, time-based splits) to validate incrementality.
9) ABM outperforms: ABM programs see a 20% lift in average deal size compared to traditional demand generation programs.
Why it matters: Focused, account-specific programmes convert complex buying groups which are often linked to higher deal values..
How to apply: Stand up a one-to-few ABM stream for your top ICP segments; align sales plays and marketing content at the account and buying-group level.
10) Buyers use ~10 channels in their journey
Why it matters: Omnichannel consistency (message, offer, identity) beats channel silos.
How to apply: Harmonise naming/UTMs, centralise audiences, and ensure creative coherence across sales-led and self-serve paths.
Stat source: McKinsey & Company
11) Thought leadership drives demand: 73% trust it more than product sheets; 86% become more receptive to outreach; 23% started buying after reading a strong piece
Why it matters: Quality POV content reaches the 95% out-of-market and moves them into consideration.
How to apply: Publish original research and practical frameworks; distribute via LinkedIn, email, PR and targeted PMPs; measure assisted pipeline and RFP invites.
12) Ad spend is still the largest line item for marketers (B2B and B2C)
Why it matters: Paid media remains the quickest lever, but only if creative is distinctive and measurement is robust.
How to apply: Set creative testing cadence (concept → asset → format), and track to qualified pipeline and payback, not just CTR/CPA.
13) Third-party cookies are fading: 38% of marketers no longer use third-party data (down from 75% using it in 2022)
Why it matters: First-party data and clean consent are now core infrastructure.
How to apply: Build value-exchange to capture emails and preferences; deploy server-side tagging; standardise event taxonomies across web/app/CRM.
14) FinTech momentum: FinTech revenues grew 21% YoY in 2024; 69% of public FinTechs are profitable
Why it matters: Growth pockets exist, priority is picking verticals/use-cases where budgets are active.
How to apply: Concentrate paid + ABM on scaled sub-sectors (payments, vertical SaaS, acquiring) with tailored value props and proof.
15) ABM ROI quantified (regional): ABM programmes most commonly deliver 21–50% higher ROI, with 23% reporting 51–200% higher ROI
Why it matters: It’s not just “better”, it’s materially better when sales and marketing are aligned on target accounts.
How to apply: Start with a lighthouse cluster, align SDR sequences with 1:1 content, and report on account progression, not just leads.
16) Salesforce stack reality: teams use ~8 marketing tools; satisfaction with AI & data performance is low
Why it matters: Over-tooling without integration kills speed and signal.
How to apply: Consolidate analytics + CDP + activation; create a single audience catalog for paid/search/email/LinkedIn.
17) Loyalty/retention data is under-utilised: only 39% say loyalty functionality is accessible across touchpoints
Why it matters: Expansion and NRR improvements are being left on the table.
How to apply: Pipe usage/contract data into paid and email for cross-sell/upsell plays; add expansion cohorts to your ABM plan.
How to turn these insights into a digital marketing plan
- Budgeting: Plan annual spend with a brand/activation 50/50 lens; quarterly flex for seasonality, but keep the year in balance. For ppc budget planning use our free ppc calculator.
- Channels: Build an omnichannel spine (Search + LinkedIn + Email + Website) and add ABM for top accounts; measure with multi-touch and payback windows.
- Creative & content: Ship distinctive brand assets and thought leadership that solves real problems; run message tests per stakeholder (finance, IT, ops) to handle 6–10 person buying groups.
- Data & AI: Prioritise first-party capture, unify IDs, and apply AI where you have the cleanest data (audience scoring, anomaly detection, copy variants). Track CLV and pipeline quality over vanity metrics.
For help creating a digital marketing strategy that knows these numbers inside out talk to us today. Lever Digital is a B2B specialist ppc agency helping SaaS, Fintech, and eCommerce clients scale their paid media.
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