Good news for B2B marketers and media buyers: ad budgets are growing.

The hard part? Knowing where that money will actually work.

It used to be easy. As long as your campaigns were baseline competent, spending more generally led to better performance.

Those days are long gone, and allocating ad spend is only getting trickier.

Algorithms are constantly changing. Platforms are evolving. Bugs happen…(see Meta’s entire 2024 ad platform). 

According to a 2024 report from Demandbase and eMarketer, B2B marketers are continuing to invest despite tighter targeting challenges and growing concerns around wasted spend. Which means 2025 is shaping up to be less about how much you spend—and more about where and how you deploy it.

Here’s what we’re seeing work right now—and where smart B2B companies should be leaning in this year.

Short-Form Video is No Longer Optional

This one is obvious. Short-form video has cemented itself as a must-have in the B2B playbook. HubSpot’s October 2024 data shows that 30% of B2B marketers worldwide are prioritizing short-form video as their top media format—outpacing static images (29%) and blog posts (23%).

Video isn’t just a brand play anymore. It’s increasingly critical across the full funnel—helping companies build visibility, demonstrate expertise, and accelerate trust at decision points.

Very low probability anyone reading this is sitting on static imagery alone, but if you are…you’re getting left behind. 

LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram Are the Core Stack Now

LinkedIn remains the foundation for B2B marketing, but it’s no longer the only platform pulling weight. According to HubSpot, Facebook and Instagram rank as the second and third highest-priority channels B2B marketers plan to invest in for 2025.

This shift isn’t about going “B2C.” It’s about recognizing that today’s B2B buyers are blending professional and personal channels—and showing up where they already spend their time is critical for reach and relevance. LinkedIn is leaning more social, and Meta and TikTok are leaning more professional—you need to hit all three, but the timing and spend of those campaigns must be intelligently executed.

Adapting to these shifts in real time is key to intelligent and productive ad spend in 2025. 

Search Still Matters—But Search Alone Won’t Be Enough

61% of B2B marketers said paid search (SEM/PPC) produced their best results in 2024, according to MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute. Social ads came in second at 49%.

Search marketing is still delivering strong returns for B2B companies. But it’s important to look at the bigger shift already underway: the rise of AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).

As platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) reshape how buyers find answers, visibility is moving beyond traditional search results. In 2025 and beyond, leading marketers will need to optimize not just for search, but for discovery across generative ecosystems.

Smart teams are already planning for that transition.

AI Is the Baseline, Not a Bonus

AI is no longer an add-on—it’s the new operating system for high-performance, revenue-centric marketing. Companies like Skai are already seeing up to 50% campaign improvements by embedding generative AI into their media strategies.

In 2025, AI-driven optimization, personalization, and reporting will become the baseline for any competitive B2B marketing motion. If you’re still running purely manual campaigns, you’re not just falling behind—you’re compounding inefficiencies.

Smarter, Not Louder

The opportunity in 2025 isn’t about spending more on paid media.

It’s about spending smarter, aligning channels to how buyers actually move, embedding AI where it matters, and preparing for a future where discovery looks a lot different than a search results page.

Strategic integration wins.

Surface-level marketing noise doesn’t. It’s good that companies are recognizing the value of higher ad budgets. But placing your bets in the right places is WAY more important and deserves the majority of media buying considerations. 

The smartest brands aren’t just playing bigger—they’re playing sharper.