In 2025, saying marketing budgets are under pressure feels like an understatement. Scrutiny is higher than ever. And buyers expect hyper‑relevance without feeling like Big Brother is watching.
In response, marketing teams are spending more time and resources building more complex strategies to meet customers where they are. Shiny objects such as intent data and claims of full funnel attribution are distracting from overarching strategic go-to-market (GTM) needs. Internal marketing teams are stuck debating what the right thing to do is, meaning a lot of talking and not enough doing. And emerging tech like AI is raising both the bar and the noise in the marketplace.
So, how do you drive meaningful demand as a marketer when you can’t throw money at every channel?
Here’s my list of 10 musts for B2B leaders. You’ll find a blend of bold moves, smarter pivots, and operations with reflexes, not reactions.
1. Use constraints to force creativity
It’s true that constraints force creativity, but to get the most out of those constraints, you first need a mindset shift.
Treat scarcity as a design parameter, where you’re not simply cutting back, you’re being surgical—tighter budgets automatically call for more thinking and purpose.
Learn from past experiences, track every dollar like it’s coming out of your own pocket, and make sure any testing you do is airtight and very specific. But also give yourself some wiggle room by placing guardrails rather than taking an all-or-nothing approach.
2. Double down on channels you control
Prioritize and own the channels you operate, such as content hubs, branded events, newsletters, and first-party websites and data. Identify the gaps in owned and operated channels, coordinate with sales, and collaboratively identify where paid dollars can help move the needle where organic efforts can’t—in both the immediate and long term.
3. Lean harder into intent- and behavior-driven demand capture
Use third-party intent data—think Bombora, HG Insights, Dun & Bradstreet, etc.—alongside on-site behavior/first-party intent data to connect the dots and build journeys with purpose.
Focus on capturing quality over quantity (though there is a time and place for that) through AI-enhanced journey-level orchestration.
But always ask questions and be wary of data origination. Make sure you’re crystal clear on where the data comes from, what it tells you, and what it DOESN’T tell you. And use it as a guide, not a silver bullet.
4. Use AI and automation, but with discipline
Use AI to scale personalization and automate repetitive ops tasks, while guarding against bias. Remember, the goal is augmentation and efficiency, not replacement. But don’t expect tools to fix everything. Sometimes, more tools = more noise = less efficiency.
5. Focus every tactic on a leverage and compounding effect
You don’t want a one-off win or to rely on start-stop programs. That’s not how buyers buy. You want programs that scale after testing. Reuse and repurpose content, adopt modular creativity, and create optimization feedback loops that minimize early failures.
6. The ‘not-so-B2B’ channels still have a role
Use out-of-home, non-traditional, and historically non-B2B channels intentionally. Tie every exposure to traceable digital touchpoints where you can, but don’t be afraid to test what isn’t as easily measurable.
7. Avoid incomplete or flawed data
If your data is incomplete or flawed, everything from strategy and GTM to forecasts and attribution will collapse. So don’t skip your data infrastructure and measurement foundations. Build or scale a marketing data hub, govern your data, and ensure your stack is composable.
8. Don’t leave budgeting to guesswork
Allocate budgets using signal and risk weighting, distributing your budget with audience and conversion goals in mind. But don’t forget that all impressions, whether conversion-driven or not, can influence downstream decisions if you get your targeting right. Apply risk weighting and hold a 5-10% reserve for opportunistic pivots.
9. Align revenue teams, not just marketing
Demand gen needs to be cross-functional to be successful. Align with your sales team on SLAs, feedback, and shared reporting, and integrate marketing ops into RevOps.
10. Choose and commit to one ‘Home Run’ idea
One clear win beats ten half-executed experiments, so pick one big differentiating initiative and give it full support. That doesn’t have to mean a big budget. In fact, you can implement a multi-touch program for a 1:1 ABM account in a small European country for less than $10k.
A restricted budget doesn’t mean a restricted future
Forrester predicted that by 2025, more than half of B2B purchases over $1M will complete via digital self-service, with younger buyers relying on 10+ external sources.
That may sound like a lot to deal with, especially when times are tight. But a restricted budget doesn’t mean a restricted future. Focus where you can double down, build systems, and scale what works.
A good place to start is auditing spend, strengthening data infrastructure, focusing on marquee activations, deploying behavioral triggers, piloting AI personalization, and enhancing sales/marketing alignment.
What you shouldn’t do is focus only on first touch or last touch attribution, go all-in on demand gen efforts, or build short term, one-off campaigns.
Get in touch to discuss what it means for your brand.
