Why your B2B marketing might be stalling—and what to do about it
Well. It’s almost July. And the mid-year mark is officially upon us.
If you’re sensing that your marketing momentum is off, you’re not alone. Recent data reveals that 74% of B2B marketers are experiencing sales cycles that have extended by two months or more, while 45% cite economic uncertainty as their primary challenge. These factors contribute to a landscape where nearly 70% of marketers are seeking actionable insights over additional tools.
This time of year can be frustrating. You’ve been running plays, optimizing touchpoints and sharing strong content. But if pipeline momentum is slow or inconsistent, it’s time to pause, reassess and shift from “activity” to traction.
The good news? You don’t need a full overhaul. You just need a strategic tune-up that reconnects your marketing with what your buyers actually need right now.
Ready to shift gears? Here’s what to do now to build second-half momentum.
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Shift your lens from “journey” to “juncture”
You’ve probably built your campaigns around the buyer’s journey. That’s smart. But by mid-year, your audience isn’t thinking in tidy stages. They’re reworking budgets, reassessing priorities and re-evaluating their current situation. Their needs are immediate, emotional and practical.
So instead of mapping messaging to funnel stages, try mapping to decision moments:
- “I need a new partner by Q3.”
- “We’re not hitting our KPIs—what’s a smarter approach?”
- “My team is stretched thin—who can help us move faster?”
Build messaging, campaigns and offers around these inflection points. They’re urgent, specific and conversion-ready.
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Stop selling pain. Start highlighting progress.
B2B marketers have leaned hard into the “highlight the pain” approach. And sure, problem-awareness works—until it doesn’t.
By mid-year, your buyers are exhausted by reminders of what’s broken.
What they really want? A glimpse of what’s working. The light at the end of the Q2 tunnel. The progress other companies are making. A roadmap to something better.
Swap your “here’s what’s wrong” narrative for a “here’s what’s possible” one:
- Highlight real outcomes, not just features.
- Share short win stories with fast payoff.
- Give them something to move toward, not just away from.
Because optimism is a differentiator when the market is tough and uncertainty is high.
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Ditch the generic funnel gimmicks
White papers with gated forms. “Ultimate” guides. Webinar invites that promise thought leadership but deliver recycled slides. Your buyers have seen it all and their filter is strong.
So here’s the move: surprise them with relevance.
Try this instead:
- Micro case studies: 200- to 300-word email stories that speak to their role, industry or KPI
- First-person LinkedIn posts: Make it human, from your team or SMEs, not the brand
- Voice notes or short-form video: Break the pattern in the inbox or in DMs
In a sea of sameness, standout content isn’t louder—it’s more useful, more timely and more real.
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Reconnect with sales
If your marketing feels out of sync with pipeline reality, it probably is.
Take 30 minutes this week to talk with your sales team. Skip the usual metrics update and ask these questions instead:
- What’s holding deals up?
- What messaging is resonating right now?
- What are buyers pushing back on?
- What competitor names are coming up more often?
Then take what you hear and turn it into action. Fast.
Update nurture sequences. Refresh outbound templates. Create quick slide decks or visuals that help reps close gaps.
Alignment isn’t a quarterly workshop. It’s ongoing check-ins, collaboration and feedback loops.
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Make your CTA mean something
Here’s the hard truth: “Learn more” calls to action don’t convert.
Neither does “Subscribe,” “Download” or “Talk to us” when your buyer is stressed, skeptical or short on time.
Instead, test CTAs that speak directly to the buyer’s motivation:
- See how teams like yours doubled efficiency
- Compare tools in under 3 minutes
- Get our 5-question growth audit (free)
- Book time to pressure test your 2025 plan
Your CTA is a promise. Make it tangible, relevant and easy to say yes to.
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Play offense, not defense
Mid-year slumps can push teams into reactive mode. Budget cuts. Approval bottlenecks. Endless debates over campaign direction. But the teams that break through in Q3 and Q4? They go on offense.
That means:
- Testing something scrappy this week
- Putting bold ideas into market
- Empowering subject matter experts to share raw insights on LinkedIn
- Sending 1:1 personalized outreach from the marketing team, not just sales
Action builds momentum. Even one smart, focused campaign with clear ROI can reset the tone for the rest of the year.
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Re-energize your existing content
You can’t A/B test your way out of a mid-year stall. You need energy. Fresh thinking. Content and campaigns that feel alive.
This is a great time to:
- Rework your greatest hits: Find your best-performing content and give it a mid-year refresh. Add a timely hook, shift the POV and tailor it to what your audience needs right now.
- Repackage testimonials into scroll-stopping proof: Slice and dice client quotes into short, vertical-specific clips that speak directly to the industries you’re targeting.
- Turn real-time learnings into thought leadership: Don’t wait for a white paper. Use what you’re seeing in the market today to share sharp, relevant takes that show you’re paying attention.
- Build a “what’s working now” roundup: Give your audience a curated list of tools, tactics or trends that are actually moving the needle—internally or across the industry.
If you’re feeling stuck, your audience probably is too. Give them (and yourself) something to get excited about.
Finishing strong starts right now
Challenging markets and economic uncertainty happen. But they don’t have to define the rest of your year.
This is the time to pause, reassess and make a few focused adjustments that can unlock real traction—faster content refreshes, tighter alignment with sales and messaging that meets your buyers where they are right now.
You don’t need a full reset. Just a smarter next move.
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