New survey of 412 marketers across 14 industries finds a widening gap between AI adoption and the ability to measure returns.
MANCHESTER, UK — April 5, 2026: A new benchmarking study from Visionary Marketing reveals that AI adoption among B2B marketers has hit 91%, up from 79% who were merely planning to adopt in 2023. But the headline number masks a deeper problem: 68% of those same marketers say proving ROI is now their single biggest challenge — nearly double the 40% who said the same two years ago.
The State of B2B Marketing 2026 report, based on responses from 412 marketers across 14 industries, paints a picture of an industry spending more and measuring less. Average SME digital marketing budgets have climbed to $48,200, a 14% year-on-year increase from $42,300 in 2024. And the money is shifting fast. AI and marketing technology claimed the highest channel adoption rate at 68%, overtaking paid search and content marketing for the first time.
Where that spending is going tells its own story. Content generation leads AI use cases at 78%, followed by customer personalisation (72%) and ad creative testing (68%). Paid search remains the channel most marketers trust — 63% named it the most effective for driving revenue — with content marketing and SEO close behind at 58%. SEO continues to deliver the lowest cost per lead at $14, compared to $44 across paid channels.
Budget confidence is high. 74% of respondents expect their marketing budgets to increase this year, with 27% expecting a significant jump — up from 19% in 2023. Mid-market firms average $186,000 in annual digital spend, while enterprise organisations are allocating $1.2 million and above.
But the metrics picture is where things get uncomfortable. Nearly half of marketers (48%) now prioritise ROI and ROAS as their top KPI, yet most admit they can’t track it properly. High-growth firms are pulling ahead here — 62% focus on attributed revenue and 54% track pipeline contribution, compared to far lower rates across the broader market.
“Budgets are going up and AI is everywhere, but most B2B marketers still can’t draw a straight line from spend to revenue,” said Chris Coussons, Founder of Visionary Marketing. “That’s the real story here. The gap between what teams are adopting and what they can actually measure is getting wider, not smaller — and the companies that crack attribution first are the ones that’ll pull away.”
The full State of B2B Marketing 2026 report, including methodology, all statistics, and industry breakdowns, is available at https://visionary-marketing.co.uk/blog/state-of-b2b-marketing-2026
About Visionary Marketing
Visionary Marketing is a specialist SEO and Google Ads agency based in the UK. Founded by Chris Coussons, the agency works with B2B and e-commerce businesses to drive revenue through organic search and paid acquisition. Visionary publishes regular research and benchmarking data drawn from its client portfolio and industry analysis.