Lead generation is always changing. What worked last year might not work this year—and what works this year may not hold up in 2026.
That’s why we asked over 100 of our Fractional CMOs what lead generation tactics they’re using right now with their clients. Each of our Fractional Marketing Directors filled out one survey per client, picking one to three tactics they’re focusing on right now. We also asked them whether they’re planning to spend more, less or the same amount on marketing compared with last year.
Some old favourites are fading. New strategies are emerging. And LinkedIn is climbing the ranks.
Tactics at a glance – what’s working in 2025
Before we dive into the trends, here’s a snapshot of how things have shifted ranked by current popularity.
It’s worth noting that our team works primarily with B2B clients, and that shapes the channel mix significantly. Most of the ‘organic social’ activity here refers to LinkedIn, and it shows: in 2025, LinkedIn occupies both the top and second spots, followed closely by PPC and content marketing.
Email outreach is no longer king
Last year, email marketing was the top B2B lead generation tactic in our survey, used by 72% of respondents. In 2025, it’s dropped to 30%.
That’s a steep fall, but not a surprising one. B2B inboxes are more saturated than ever. Cold outreach feels increasingly spammy. Deliverability is harder to maintain. And buyer trust is in short supply.
While email still has a role to play, it’s no longer the go-to tactic it once was.
Still using email for lead gen? Here’s how to do it right:
- Focus on relevance—personalise emails based on industry, role, or known pain points. Mass blasts rarely work anymore.
- Warm up your audience first—use content, ads or events to build familiarity before reaching out.
- Watch your deliverability—use tools to check sender reputation and avoid spam triggers.
- Make your emails short and useful—offer value upfront instead of diving straight into a pitch.
- Use email as part of a broader journey—email is most effective when combined with other channels like LinkedIn or SEO.
LinkedIn DMs and advertising are popular
What’s taken email’s place? LinkedIn.
When we combine paid advertising with organic content and outreach, LinkedIn has become the clear winner in 2025. It’s the only channel in our survey to appear in both first and second place in different categories.
Clients are using it in increasingly sophisticated ways—combining targeted ads, retargeting, and outreach with a strong content presence to stay front of mind and drive action.
Whether it’s a thought leadership post, a direct message to a key contact, or an ad served to someone who’s just visited your website, LinkedIn is where B2B buyers are—and where more businesses are choosing to show up.
Want to try LinkedIn? Here are a few quick tips:
- Test different formats – Try carousels, video, single image, and text-only ads to see what gets the best engagement.
- Refine your targeting – Be specific with job titles, industries, and company sizes to avoid wasting budget on the wrong audience.
- Balance brand and lead gen – Don’t just push for sales. Use some campaigns to educate and build trust first.
- Retarget smartly – Create separate campaigns for people who’ve visited your site, watched your videos, or engaged with posts.
- Keep experimenting – LinkedIn performance can vary by creative, copy, and audience. Regularly test and tweak to improve results.
Content marketing and PPC are both on the rise
Content jumped from 16% to 30%, while PPC climbed from 20% to 36%. These are both proven, reliable tactics—and their growing popularity shows that businesses are shifting their channel mix away from email and towards other tactics.
Smart marketers are building libraries of helpful content, optimising for SEO, and using PPC to drive high-intent traffic to well-targeted landing pages.
Here’s some quick advice to get the most out of content and PPC:
- Target real pains—focus on the questions your buyers are already asking, not what you want to say.
- Use expert insight—interview internal specialists or salespeople to add credibility and depth.
- Diversify your formats—blogs are great, but consider videos, guides, checklists or webinars to reach people in different ways.
- Pair PPC with strong landing pages—don’t just drive traffic; give visitors a clear reason to convert once they arrive.
- Match keywords to intent—bid on commercial search terms for lead generation, and use broader terms to build awareness.
Tactics to watch: ABM and intent-led approaches
One of the biggest new entries this year was Account-Based Marketing (ABM), with 15% of our respondents saying they’re now using it.
ABM wasn’t even mentioned in our 2023 survey. Its appearance this year suggests a shift toward more personalised, sales-aligned marketing. Not just pushing messages out into the world—but targeting specific companies and decision-makers based on intent signals and behaviour.
Thinking about ABM or intent-based marketing? Here are some quick pointers:
- Begin with shortlist of ‘dream customers’—identify key accounts you want to win and what matters to them.
- Align sales and marketing—ABM works best when both teams are targeting the same people with consistent messaging.
- Tailor content by account—create personalised ads, landing pages or outreach sequences that speak directly to each business.
- Start small and scale—pilot ABM with 10–20 target accounts before rolling out more widely.
Budgets are steady but caution is creeping in
Marketers are slightly less bullish than they were in 2023.
Last time, 92% of respondents said they were maintaining or increasing their marketing spend. That figure is now 90%. Not a dramatic drop, but worth mentioning.
There’s a small but noticeable uptick in caution: 9% of our respondents say they’re now planning to reduce spend. In 2023, that number was closer to 4%.
Remember: effective marketing is always multi-channel
For the sake of this research, we’ve ranked channels in isolation. But effective marketing is always multi-channel.
Paid search brings traffic in. Content nurtures. LinkedIn builds trust. ABM closes the loop. Channels should work together to create a cohesive buyer journey. It might be tempting to think that, based on this research, LinkedIn is the only channel you need, but that would be a huge mistake.
It’s about the right mix, used in the right way.
Final word
B2B lead generation is always changing.
Email has gone from hero to also-ran. LinkedIn is the new frontrunner. And marketers are getting smarter about how they blend tactics to create meaningful buyer journeys.
This is why it’s so important to keep track of what’s working—and to work with experts who can help you build the right strategy for your business.
If you’re looking to refresh your lead generation plan for 2025 and beyond, our fractional CMOs can help.
