Key Findings at a Glance
Before we dive into the full data, here are the headline findings from our 2026 State of B2B Marketing survey.
91%
AI is Now Standard
91% of B2B marketers have integrated AI into at least one part of their marketing workflow, up from 79% in 2023.
74%
Budgets Are Increasing
74% of B2B marketers expect their digital marketing budget to increase in the next 12 months.
68%
ROI Remains the #1 Challenge
Measuring and proving marketing ROI is the top challenge for the third consecutive year.
63%
Paid Search Leads Revenue
63% of B2B marketers now rate paid search (Google Ads) as their most effective revenue-driving channel.
£14
Organic CPL Advantage
The average organic search cost-per-lead is £14, compared to £44 for paid channels — a 68% saving.
82%
First-Party Data Priority
82% of B2B marketers say building first-party data assets is a top-3 priority for 2026.
The defining theme of 2026 is convergence: AI, first-party data, and full-funnel attribution are no longer emerging trends — they're table stakes. The B2B marketers who are winning aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones who have connected their data, embraced AI for efficiency, and built marketing strategies that prove their impact on revenue.
The B2B Marketing Landscape in 2026
The B2B marketing landscape has undergone a fundamental transformation since 2023. Three years ago, 85% of marketers said they were focused on profitability over growth — a reaction to post-pandemic economic uncertainty. That mindset has evolved. In 2026, the focus has shifted again: 58% of B2B marketers now describe their primary objective as "efficient growth" — a hybrid approach that combines the accountability of the profitability era with the ambition of growth-stage thinking.
This shift reflects a broader maturation of B2B digital marketing. The wild experimentation of 2020–2022 (when pandemic-driven digital transformation forced rapid channel adoption) has settled into a more disciplined, data-driven approach. Marketers aren't just spending more — they're spending smarter.
Strategic Focus Evolution (2021–2026)
| Year | Primary Focus | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Growth at all costs | Post-pandemic digital boom, VC funding surge |
| 2022 | Growth (64%) over Profitability (53%) | Economic optimism, channel experimentation |
| 2023 | Profitability (85%) over Growth (15%) | Economic uncertainty, budget scrutiny, layoffs |
| 2024 | Profitability (72%) with measured growth | Stabilisation, AI adoption begins at scale |
| 2025 | Balanced (54% efficiency, 46% growth) | AI-driven efficiency gains, cookie deprecation |
| 2026 | Efficient growth (58%) | AI normalisation, first-party data maturity |
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2023), Gartner CMO Spend Survey (2024–2025)
The economic outlook among B2B marketers has also improved significantly. In our 2026 survey, 76% of respondents view the UK economy positively (28% extremely positive, 48% somewhat positive), compared to 67% in 2023. Only 18% hold a negative outlook, down from 32% three years ago.
Economic Outlook: 2023 vs 2026
| Sentiment | 2023 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extremely Positive | 24% | 28% | +4% |
| Somewhat Positive | 43% | 48% | +5% |
| Somewhat Negative | 28% | 16% | −12% |
| Extremely Negative | 4% | 2% | −2% |
| Unsure | 1% | 6% | +5% |
That improved confidence is translating directly into budget decisions. But as we'll see in the next section, where those budgets are going has changed dramatically.
B2B Marketing Budgets & Spending (2026 Data)
B2B marketing budgets are at their highest point in five years. 74% of B2B marketers expect their overall digital marketing budget to increase in the next 12 months — up from 70% in 2023. More tellingly, the proportion expecting a significant increase has jumped from 19% to 27%.
Budget Expectations Over Time
| Budget Expectation | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase Significantly | 22% | 12% | 19% | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| Increase Moderately | 49% | 58% | 51% | 50% | 48% | 47% |
| Stay the Same | 18% | 17% | 14% | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Decrease Moderately | 8% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 9% | 8% |
| Decrease Significantly | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| Unsure | 1% | 2% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026). N=412 UK B2B marketers.
The average annual digital marketing budget for UK B2B SMEs (10–250 employees) now sits at £48,200 — up 14% from £42,300 in 2024. For mid-market companies (250–1,000 employees), the average is £186,000, while enterprise budgets (1,000+ employees) average £1.2M+.
Average Annual B2B Digital Marketing Budget by Company Size
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026). Budgets cover digital channels only. Excludes events, print, and salaries.
Where are the budget increases going? The channel-level breakdown reveals a dramatic shift from 2023:
Budget Increases by Channel
| Channel | % Increasing (2026) | % Increasing (2023) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI & Marketing Technology | 68% | N/A | NEW |
| Paid Search (Google Ads) | 61% | 54% | +7% |
| Content Marketing & SEO | 58% | 50% | +8% |
| Video & Short-Form Content | 54% | 44% | +10% |
| Social Media (Paid) | 52% | 70% | −18% |
| Display Advertising | 46% | 57% | −11% |
| Email & Marketing Automation | 42% | 50% | −8% |
| In-Person Events | 38% | N/A | NEW |
| Streaming TV / CTV | 24% | 49% | −25% |
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2023)
The biggest budget shift in 2026 is the rise of paid search and SEO at the expense of social media and streaming TV. In 2023, social media and streaming were the darlings of B2B budget growth. By 2026, marketers have recalibrated toward channels with clearer attribution and proven ROI — particularly paid search (+7%) and content/SEO (+8%). The 25-point drop in streaming TV budget growth suggests many B2B marketers experimented and found the attribution too murky.
Top B2B Marketing Challenges in 2026
Despite improved budgets and better technology, B2B marketers still face significant challenges. The top 10 challenges in 2026 reflect an industry that has solved some old problems but created new ones:
Top 10 B2B Marketing Challenges (2026 vs 2023)
- 2026
- 2023
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2023)
The single most dramatic shift is the 28-point surge in "measuring and proving ROI" as the #1 challenge. In 2023, only 40% of B2B marketers flagged this. By 2026, 68% consider it their top challenge — driven by three converging forces:
- Third-party cookie deprecation has fundamentally broken the attribution models most B2B marketers relied on. Cross-channel tracking is harder, and the data gaps are larger.
- AI-driven search (Google's AI Overviews, Bing's Copilot) has disrupted organic traffic patterns. Clicks from search are declining even as impressions hold steady, making it harder to attribute revenue to organic search efforts.
- CFO scrutiny has intensified. The profitability mindset of 2023 created a permanent expectation of marketing accountability. CFOs and boards now expect marketing to prove its contribution to pipeline and revenue, not just report on vanity metrics like traffic and impressions.
The second-biggest challenge — "adapting to AI-driven search" at 54% — didn't even exist as a category in 2023. Google's rollout of AI Overviews has fundamentally changed how B2B buyers discover information, and more than half of B2B marketers are actively grappling with how to maintain visibility in a search landscape where Google increasingly answers queries directly.
68% of B2B marketers say proving ROI is their biggest challenge in 2026 — up from 40% in 2023. The irony: marketers have more data than ever, but connecting that data to business outcomes has gotten harder, not easier.
Most Effective B2B Marketing Channels (2026 Rankings)
Which channels are actually driving revenue for B2B businesses in 2026? The answer has shifted significantly since 2023.
| Rank | Channel | % Most Effective (2026) | 2023 Ranking | 2021 Ranking | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paid Search (Google Ads) | 63% | 5th (32%) | 6th (27%) | ▲▲▲ |
| 2 | Content Marketing & SEO | 58% | 2nd (49%) | 2nd (47%) | ▲ |
| 3 | Email Marketing | 52% | 3rd (45%) | 3rd (47%) | ▲ |
| 4 | Social Media | 48% | 1st (60%) | 1st (57%) | ▼▼ |
| 5 | In-Person Events | 42% | N/A | N/A | NEW |
| 6 | Video & Short-Form Content | 38% | 7th (23%) | 7th (16%) | ▲▲ |
| 7 | Display Advertising | 34% | 4th (36%) | 4th (39%) | ▼ |
| 8 | Account-Based Marketing | 31% | 8th (22%) | N/A | ▲ |
| 9 | Influencer / Thought Leadership | 28% | 9th (21%) | N/A | ▲ |
| 10 | Podcasts & Audio | 22% | 10th (16%) | N/A | ▲ |
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2023, 2021)
The headline story is paid search's dramatic rise from 5th place in 2023 to 1st place in 2026. Three years ago, only 32% of B2B marketers rated paid search as their most effective channel. Today, 63% do — the largest single-channel jump in our survey's history.
Why? Three factors:
- Attribution clarity. In a world where proving ROI is the #1 challenge, paid search offers the clearest attribution path. You can trace every pound spent to a click, a lead, and (with proper CRM integration) a closed deal.
- AI-powered campaign management. Google's Performance Max campaigns and AI-driven bidding have made paid search significantly more effective. Our data shows that B2B advertisers using PMax campaigns are seeing 23% lower cost-per-lead and 18% higher conversion rates compared to traditional search campaigns.
- The decline of organic visibility. As AI Overviews and SGE have reduced organic click-through rates, paid search has become the most reliable way to appear at the top of the SERP.
Channel Effectiveness Over Time (2021–2026)
- Paid Search
- Content/SEO
- Social Media
- Display
The crossover happened in 2025: paid search overtook social media for the first time, and content/SEO overtook social shortly after. By 2026, the picture is clear — measurable, intent-driven channels are winning, while awareness-focused channels like social and display have plateaued.
B2B Marketing & AI: The New Normal
AI has gone from experimental curiosity to operational necessity in just three years. In 2023, 79% of B2B marketers said they expected to incorporate more AI. In 2026, 91% have actually done it — and the ways they're using it have matured dramatically.
AI Adoption in B2B Marketing: 2023 vs 2026
| AI Application | 2023 (Considering) | 2026 (Actively Using) | Adoption Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content generation & copywriting | 40% | 78% | +38% |
| Personalising customer experiences | 41% | 72% | +31% |
| Ad creative & variation testing | 35% | 68% | +33% |
| Campaign automation & optimisation | 32% | 65% | +33% |
| Predictive lead scoring | 30% | 58% | +28% |
| Customer service / chatbots | 36% | 56% | +20% |
| Campaign performance measurement | 27% | 52% | +25% |
| Media mix modelling | 25% | 44% | +19% |
| Advanced audience segmentation | 21% | 41% | +20% |
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2023)
The biggest jump is in content generation, where 78% of B2B marketers now actively use AI tools — up from just 40% who were considering it in 2023. But the nature of AI-assisted content has evolved. In 2024, many marketers used AI to churn out volume. By 2026, the best performers are using AI for research, outlining, and first-draft acceleration, while maintaining human editorial oversight for quality and brand voice.
How B2B Marketers Feel About AI: 2023 vs 2026
| Sentiment | 2023 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excited | 26% | 38% | +12% |
| Hopeful | 34% | 29% | −5% |
| Confident | N/A | 18% | NEW |
| Indifferent | 12% | 6% | −6% |
| Apprehensive | 16% | 7% | −9% |
| Terrified | 5% | 1% | −4% |
| Relieved | 7% | 1% | −6% |
The fear has largely evaporated. In 2023, 21% of B2B marketers felt apprehensive or terrified about AI. By 2026, that's dropped to just 8%. The dominant emotions are now excitement (38%) and hopefulness (29%) — reflecting an industry that has moved past the "will AI replace us?" anxiety and into practical, productive adoption.
91% of B2B marketers now use AI in their marketing stack, but only 34% say they're using it "effectively." The gap between adoption and effective implementation represents the next frontier of competitive advantage.
Customer Experience in B2B (2026 Benchmarks)
Customer experience remains the #1 strategic priority for B2B marketers — and the bar keeps rising. In 2023, 41% flagged CX improvement as a top challenge. In 2026, 48% still do, despite massive investment in CX technology and processes.
The core tension: B2B buyers now expect B2C-level experiences. Seamless websites, personalised content journeys, instant responses, self-service portals, and frictionless checkout processes. Meeting these expectations with complex B2B sales cycles (averaging 6–9 months) is fundamentally harder than in B2C.
Top CX Priorities for B2B Marketers in 2026
| Priority | 2026 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expanding retention strategies | 52% | 43% | +9% |
| AI-powered personalisation | 48% | 27% | +21% |
| Aligning teams for seamless brand experience | 44% | 39% | +5% |
| Interactive content experiences | 42% | N/A | NEW |
| Reducing friction in buying process | 38% | 32% | +6% |
| Unifying data across lifecycle | 36% | 26% | +10% |
| Improving UX/UI and site optimisation | 32% | 20% | +12% |
| Testing new channels (behavioural insights) | 28% | 32% | −4% |
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026)
The most striking shift is AI-powered personalisation jumping from 27% to 48% — reflecting the broader trend of AI moving from experimental to essential. Retention strategies also continue to climb, now the top priority at 52%, confirming that the profitability-focused mindset of 2023 has embedded a permanent emphasis on keeping existing customers rather than chasing new ones at all costs.
B2B companies that rate their CX as "excellent" report 2.4x higher revenue growth than those rating their CX as "average." Customer experience isn't a soft metric — it's a revenue multiplier.
B2B Marketing KPIs & Measurement
What are B2B marketers actually measuring in 2026? The KPI landscape has shifted significantly, reflecting both the ROI obsession and the attribution challenges we've discussed.
Most Effective KPIs: All Marketers vs High-Growth Companies
- All Marketers (2026)
- High-Growth Marketers
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026)
The data tells a clear story: B2B marketers are moving up the measurement maturity curve. Vanity metrics like website traffic and lead volume are declining in importance. Revenue-focused metrics — ROI, attributed revenue, CAC, pipeline contribution, and CLV — are all climbing.
The gap between high-growth marketers and the average is especially revealing. High-growth companies are 2x more likely to prioritise attributed revenue (62% vs 44%) and 1.4x more likely to track pipeline contribution (54% vs 38%). They've built the data infrastructure to connect marketing activity to business outcomes — and that visibility is driving their growth.
44% of B2B marketers now track revenue attributed directly to marketing — up from 31% in 2023. The shift from "how many leads did we get?" to "how much revenue did marketing generate?" is the single biggest measurement evolution of the past three years.
Top-of-Funnel Tactics That Work in 2026
Driving awareness and filling the top of the funnel remains critical, but the tactics that work best have evolved:
Most Effective Top-of-Funnel Tactics (2026 vs 2023)
- 2026
- 2023
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2023)
The standout trend is the 20-point jump in paid search as a top-of-funnel tactic. Traditionally viewed as a bottom-funnel conversion channel, Google Ads is now being used strategically for awareness — driven by broader match types, AI-powered audience expansion, and YouTube integration through PMax campaigns. Our client data at Visionary Marketing confirms this: B2B businesses running awareness-focused Google Ads campaigns alongside SEO see 34% higher branded search volume within 6 months.
Bottom-of-Funnel Tactics That Convert in 2026
The bottom of the funnel is where revenue happens — and the 2026 data shows some surprising shifts:
Most Effective Bottom-of-Funnel Tactics (2026 vs 2023)
- 2026
- 2023
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2023)
Paid search dominates the bottom of the funnel even more convincingly, with 52% of B2B marketers rating it their most effective conversion tactic. The combination of high-intent keyword targeting, AI-optimised bidding, and remarketing lists makes Google Ads the most direct path from interest to conversion.
ABM has also surged — from 22% to 36% — as more B2B marketers adopt targeted, account-level strategies rather than spray-and-pray demand generation. ABM's rise correlates directly with the growth of first-party data capabilities and intent data platforms.
Our data shows that B2B companies combining paid search with SEO at the bottom of the funnel see 41% higher conversion rates than those relying on either channel alone. The visibility of paid ensures you're present at the decision moment, while SEO-driven content (case studies, comparison pages, pricing pages) builds the trust needed to convert.
Data Privacy & First-Party Data in 2026
The data privacy landscape has shifted dramatically since 2023. Chrome's third-party cookie deprecation, tighter GDPR enforcement, and new UK data protection regulations have forced B2B marketers to fundamentally rethink their data strategies.
82% of B2B marketers now say first-party data is a top-3 priority — up from an estimated 40% in 2023 (when first-party data collection topped the list of privacy responses).
Data Privacy Strategy Adoption (2026)
| Strategy | 2026 Adoption | 2023 (Prioritising) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building first-party data (gated content) | 72% | 27% | +45% |
| Server-side tracking & conversion API | 64% | N/A | NEW |
| Investing in CDP / data clean room | 58% | 31% | +27% |
| Cross-channel measurement | 54% | 32% | +22% |
| Contextual targeting | 48% | N/A | NEW |
| Diversifying across channels | 46% | 36% | +10% |
| Working with legal for compliance | 42% | 28% | +14% |
| Consent management platforms | 38% | N/A | NEW |
Source: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2023)
The most dramatic adoption is server-side tracking — now used by 64% of B2B marketers. In 2023, this was barely on the radar. By 2026, it's become essential for maintaining accurate conversion data as browser-level tracking becomes unreliable.
B2B marketers using server-side tracking report 28% more accurate conversion data compared to those relying solely on client-side tracking. In a world where proving ROI is the #1 challenge, accurate data isn't optional — it's the foundation of every strategic decision.
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Year-on-Year Trend Analysis (2021–2026)
For those who want the complete picture, here is the full trend data across all key metrics from 2021 to 2026:
| Metric | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth-focused (%) | 78% | 64% | 15% | 28% | 46% | 58% |
| Profitability-focused (%) | 22% | 53% | 85% | 72% | 54% | 24% |
| Expecting budget increase | 71% | 70% | 70% | 71% | 72% | 74% |
| #1 Channel | Social | Social | Social | Social | Paid Search | Paid Search |
| #2 Channel | Content | Content | Content | Content | Content | Content/SEO |
| #3 Channel | ||||||
| Using AI (%) | ~15% | ~28% | 79% | 72% | 84% | 91% |
| #1 Challenge | CX | Leads | CX | ROI | ROI | ROI |
| Positive Outlook (%) | 72% | 68% | 67% | 70% | 73% | 76% |
Sources: Visionary Marketing Annual B2B Survey (2026), Wpromote State of B2B Digital Marketing (2021–2023), Gartner CMO Spend Survey (2024–2025), HubSpot State of Marketing (2024–2025)
The single clearest trend across six years of data: B2B marketing is converging on measurability. The channels that are rising (paid search, SEO) are the ones with the clearest attribution. The metrics that matter (ROI, attributed revenue, CAC) are the ones tied to business outcomes. The technology that's being adopted fastest (AI, server-side tracking, CDPs) is the technology that connects marketing activity to revenue. Every data point in this table points in the same direction: accountability wins.
Methodology
The Visionary Marketing 2026 State of B2B Marketing survey was conducted in January–February 2026 in partnership with an independent market research panel. We surveyed 412 UK-based B2B marketing professionals representing businesses with 10 or more employees across 14 industries.
Respondent profile:
- Seniority: 22% C-Level / Owner / Partner, 34% VP / Director / Head of, 44% Manager / Senior Executive
- Company size: 28% SME (10–49 employees), 31% Mid-Size (50–249), 24% Mid-Market (250–999), 17% Enterprise (1,000+)
- Industries represented: Technology/SaaS (18%), Financial Services (14%), Professional Services (12%), Manufacturing (11%), Healthcare (9%), Education (7%), Construction (6%), Recruitment (5%), Legal (4%), Retail/Ecommerce (4%), Hospitality (3%), Energy (3%), Charity/Non-Profit (2%), Other (2%)
- Revenue range: 22% under £5M, 26% £5M–£25M, 21% £25M–£100M, 18% £100M–£500M, 13% £500M+
Historical comparisons reference the Wpromote/Ascend2 State of B2B Digital Marketing reports (2021–2023), Gartner CMO Spend Surveys (2024–2025), and HubSpot State of Marketing reports (2024–2025). Where year-on-year comparisons are drawn, we note the source.
A note on our proprietary data: Some statistics in this report (marked with "Visionary Marketing client data") are drawn from anonymised, aggregated performance data across Visionary Marketing's Google Ads and SEO client portfolio. These data points are observational, not survey-based, and represent trends across 40+ active UK B2B client accounts.
All data should be cited as: Visionary Marketing, "State of B2B Marketing 2026" (March 2026).
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