The news: AI is growing in importance for small and medium-sized businesses, saving SMB marketers time and money, often with benefits outweighing risks like public backlash. AI helps US SMB marketers save about 13 hours per person per week and cut operating costs by about $4,700 per month on each team, per ActiveCampaign. Separately, Thryv found that 90% of US small businesses save 11 or more hours per week with AI. Our take: As AI saves companies time and money, it's crucial to have plans in place for how to use them. Marketers should use that time to test new creative strategies, reach out to new customers, and act on campaign analytics gathered by AI. AI-driven cost savings can be reinvested in higher-quality marketing content and expansion of product catalogs.
Over a third (34.5%) of US B2B enterprise marketers believe there will be greater pressure to prove every dollar’s ROI in real-time in the coming year, according to a March 2025 survey from EMARKETER and StackAdapt.
The trend: Pharma field teams saw 2.5 times more new patient starts if they used marketing content during healthcare provider visits, according to the Veeva Pulse Field Trends Report for Q1. The takeaway: Pharma marketing teams should focus on how the content they’re creating can boost field teams’ engagement with healthcare providers and advise reps on how and when to use materials.
Home Depot made a bid for GMS, a building products and tool supplier for both consumers and contractors, per The Wall Street Journal. Our take: Home Depot sees a significant opportunity to consolidate the fragmented construction supply and tool market—and it's moving at a moment when the US housing shortfall could drive sustained demand for new construction and renovation.
The No. 1 change B2B tech buyers want is pricing transparency from vendors, as cited by 45% worldwide, per January data from TrustRadius.
While performance marketing satisfies short-term goals, brand marketing supports long-term growth by building trust, credibility, and lasting differentiation in crowded markets. A new report from EMARKETER and StackAdapt shows a clear shift in how brands are approaching their marketing mix in 2025.
LinkedIn doubles down on B2B video and CTV: New tools help marketers capture attention and drive full-funnel impact.
Over half (53%) of US B2B marketers have a growing dedicated budget for influencer marketing, according to September 2024 data from TopRank Marketing and Ascend2.
Marketing technology and direct marketing were two of the top investment priorities for US B2B marketers in 2024, while SEO and market research were two of the bottom, according to July 2024 data from Sagefrog Marketing Group.
LinkedIn rebrands its Wire Program as BrandLink: The move reemphasizes its pivot toward creator-led B2B video.
B2B brands are underutilizing creator marketing on LinkedIn, according to Rob Mayhew, a creator who left his agency leadership job to make funny B2B social media videos full time. "LinkedIn is the channel that everyone's sleeping on [for creator marketing], and it's got huge opportunity, especially for B2B," Mayhew said.
B2B marketers are increasing ad investments despite challenges with ad waste and targeting. In addition, the B2B buyer journey is evolving, requiring marketers to find new ways to connect with customers. To maximize ROI, B2B marketers should consider account-based marketing to improve targeting or leverage AI to optimize and personalize campaigns.
Retail media growth spurs demand for ad tech talent: Channel expansion and rising client expectations create need for jobs in performance marketing and ad buying.
LinkedIn expands ad strategy: CTV and event ads are driving 6-7x ROI, helping B2B marketers reach engaged audiences.
Bridging the retail media measurement gap: Night Market’s AI-powered platform draws interest as brands seek clearer metrics.
B2B ecommerce site sales increased 10.5% YoY in 2024, reaching $2.297 trillion.