What B2B Marketing Leaders Are Doing to Scale Faster in 2025

If you’re running B2B marketing at a company doing anywhere from $1M to $100M in ARR, you need to read this. In our latest GrowthRise mastermind, we dove deep into what’s actually working right now to drive revenue across cold outbound, ABM campaigns, global ads, SEO, messaging tests, and deliverability. No fluff. No theory. Just real strategies from real operators in the trenches—people scaling software, services, and infra companies in 2025’s wild landscape. The goal? Build faster, smarter GTM machines without burning budget or missing the mark on messaging.

What I loved about this session was how tactical it got. From AI-personalized cold emails that actually get replies, to layered ABM sprints that create multi-channel influence, to SEO plays that still work (yes, backlinking’s alive), this was a masterclass in modern B2B growth. If you’re looking for the playbooks and frameworks that the best are running right now—and how they’re thinking about channels, cadence, and CAC—keep reading. This one’s packed.

And if you’re not yet a GrowthRise member – apply to join us here. We have mastermind calls for all our members every Tuesday.

1. ❄️ Cold Email Performance & Strategy: Making AI Outbound Work in 2025

If there was one throughline in this discussion, it’s this: cold email is not dead — but it is evolving fast. Multiple participants echoed the same refrain: if you treat it like a one-size-fits-all tactic, you're doing it wrong.

🔥 What’s Working Right Now:

The Tool Stack:

Names like AnyBiz, Instantly, and Amplemarket came up often. Each was praised for its outbound automation capabilities, especially when integrated into broader systems. But tools alone won’t save you if the content is off.

Multi-Touch Matters:

Ryan framed cold email as one layer in a broader ABM strategy — not a silver bullet. One founder put it simply:

“We don’t rely on cold email alone. It’s a door-opener. LinkedIn content, retargeting, and even event invites are what warm them up.”

Niche = Strategic Depth:

One GrowthRise member who serves K-12 education firms, shared a powerful example:

“We’re not blasting. We’re layering — cold email, followed by nurture content, followed by personal outreach from our founder.”

When you’re working with small TAMs, the depth of personalization and long-term thinking beats brute force.

AI in Email: Use with Caution

There was excitement around AI-generated emails. One GrowthRise member who builds LinkedIn agents pointed out that while AI can help with drafts,

“The cost of AI personalized email is lower than ever. And the quality of AI outbound campaigns are getting better than ever.”

Successful teams are using AI for writing customized openers, subject lines, and PS lines based on the lead’s website and LinkedIn Profile.

2. 🎯 ABM Campaign Execution: The Long Game of Layered Influence

A major theme was around the patience and persistence required for ABM to work. Many attendees shared that their ABM campaigns took 6–12 months just to get traction — and upwards of 18 months to fully mature.

🧱 The Foundation: Map Your Market

Several participants highlighted the importance of starting with a clear TAM map. 

As Ryan put it:

“If you don’t know your total addressable market by name and role, you’re not doing ABM — you’re just doing marketing.”

One GrowthRise member from Copia Wealth Studios, serving family offices, shared that they built a list of every target firm and mapped it to content themes and LinkedIn touchpoints before sending a single email.

🧠 The Layer Cake Strategy

The successful formula looks like this:

1. Email Sequence – Starts the conversation.
   
   
2. LinkedIn Content – Builds familiarity and thought leadership.
   
   
3. Retargeting Ads – Reinforce messaging subtly.
   
   
4. Live Events / Webinars – Create a moment of connection.
   
   
5. Direct Mail / Gifts – Used selectively, for high-value accounts.
   
   

Each channel builds on the last — and the magic is in the message consistency.

One GrowthRise member from NowIron emphasized:

“Our LinkedIn posts echo the exact same problems we highlight in our cold emails. We want them to see the same story everywhere.”

🚨 Common Pitfalls:

• Relying on just one channel (usually cold email).
  
  
• Skipping the message-testing phase before running ads.
  
  
• Forgetting to loop in sales for feedback on which accounts are truly warm.
  
  

Quick Win: Run a 30-day ABM sprint on your top 25 accounts using this sequence:

Cold Email → Retargeting → LinkedIn DM → Webinar Invite → Follow-Up Email

Track which channels are creating movement and double down there.

3. 🌍 Ads for Global ABM Lists: Segment by Persona, Not Country

When the conversation turned to running ads across multiple countries, Ryan emphasized a key nuance: global doesn’t mean generic — and geography isn’t the segmentation that matters most.

✅ What Actually Works:

Same Persona = Same Campaign

If your ad targets a Head of Procurement in the U.S. and another in Australia — and both speak English — there’s no need to split the campaign.

What matters is their role, their pain points, and their buying behavior, not their time zone.

Language Is the True Divider

Split campaigns only when you’re changing:

• Language (English, Spanish, etc.)
  
  
• Product offerings (Product 1, Product 2, etc.)
  
  
• Ad Types (retargeting, matched audience, lookalike, though leader, paid search etc.)
  
  

This saves teams time and budget while maintaining global reach.

Matched Audiences > Lookalikes

Everyone agreed that matched audiences — uploaded CSVs of contacts — consistently outperformed broad lookalikes. Especially in ABM, where quality beats scale.

One GrowthRise member highlighted:

“When we used lookalikes, we got a lot of junk traffic. But with matched emails and a clean CRM list, the conversion rate more than doubled.”

🔄 WhatsApp and Region-Specific Tactics

The group also touched on ad formats like click-to-WhatsApp, especially effective in South Asia, Latin America, and the UAE.

One member shared:

“In the Middle East, most execs ignore email but respond instantly to WhatsApp. We pair Facebook and Google ads with WhatsApp CTAs — it’s our top channel now.”

Key Takeaway:

Global ABM doesn't require dozens of campaigns — it requires one core message and landing page and ad, translated into multiple languages.

4. 🔗 SEO & Backlinking for B2B: Authority Still Wins, But Only With Relevance

Another member sparked a lively thread on SEO by asking how to actually make backlinking work without playing SEO roulette.

The consensus? 

Backlinks still matter, but only if they’re relevant, earned, and consistent.

Several tools were mentioned, including:

• KarmaLinks – for curated, high-quality backlink opportunities
  
  
• Ranking Raccoon – for competitor backlink gap analysis
  
  
• SEMrush – still a gold standard for keyword and backlink tracking
  
  

🔁 A Compounding Approach:

Another member shared a win:

“We started republishing our weekly newsletters as blog posts. Organic traffic tripled in three months.”

Repurposing content was a common theme. Rather than creating entirely new articles, marketers found success by:

• Turning emails into blog posts
  
  
• Cutting webinars into SEO-optimized how-to articles
  
  
• Embedding testimonials into feature-focused landing pages
  
  

⚠️ What to Avoid:

• Buying generic backlinks from irrelevant domains
  
  
• Publishing AI-only blog content with no editing
  
  
• Skipping meta descriptions or structured markup
  
  

Another GrowthRise member’s experience was especially telling:

“We wasted 3 months getting links from generalist sites. It did nothing. Once we got on fintech-specific publications, rankings started to move.”

Takeaway: Focus on topic + domain alignment. A single backlink from a niche blog in your industry is worth 100 random ones.

5. 🚀 Messaging Validation Before Product-Market Fit: Faster Wins Through Paid Traffic

A member posed a powerful question: how do you validate your offer’s messaging when you're not fully at product-market fit yet?

This turned into one of the most tactical discussions of the call.

⚡ The Fastest Path to Conversion Rate Optimization: Paid Ads

Ryan laid it out:

“With $200–$500 in ad spend and 300–500 visitors, you’ll know within a few days which headline or lead magnet resonates.”

The go-to stack for fast validation included:

• Meta Ads (especially using lead form ads for speed)
  
  
• Google Search Ads for intent-based feedback
  
  
• Unbounce or Instapage for quick landing page tests
  
  

One participant shared they tested three different value propositions over two weeks — and the one focused on reducing churn had a 5.6% conversion rate vs. 1.2% for the others.

📧 Cold Email: Slower, But Still Useful

While paid ads are faster, several participants said cold email can work — but expect a 3–4 month feedback loop. It will take time of consistent messaging to warm up cold leads. The upside? You’re also building pipeline and SDR muscle as you test.

Best practice: Use the exact same value propositions in cold email sequences that you test in ads. Measure lead magnet clicks and reply rates to compare.

🎯 Evaluation Metrics:

• Visitor to Lead Conversion Rate: >3% is a strong indicator of message resonance.
  
  
• Lead Quality: Are people giving real emails? Are they replying to your thank-you email?
  
  
• Follow-Up Engagement: Do they open follow-ups? Click links? Ask questions?
  
  

The bottom line: don’t wait until your product is perfect. Use small experiments to find out if people care — and let the winners shape your roadmap.

6. 🔁 Cold Email Frequency & Sequencing for Enterprise Accounts

A key point of debate in the session came from several participants wanting to refine their outbound rhythm for enterprise-level prospects. They were emailing messages in an outbound prospecting sequence once per week. The group recommended emailing 2x per week instead.

🎯 Winning Sequence Structure:

Ryan suggested a cadence that’s been consistently effective across B2B SaaS and services:

• Day 0 – Initial email
  
  
• Day 3 – Follow-up with case study or value prop
  
  
• Day 6 – Objection-busting or social proof
  
  
• Day 9 – Nudge with a relevant offer (e.g., audit or checklist)
  
  
• Day 12 – Breakup email with humor or soft CTA
  
  

This 5-touch, 12-day framework ensures you stay top of mind without triggering spam filters or annoying your target.

🧠 Strategic Use of Time:

One member added that they treat each quarter like a campaign sprint:

“Every 3-4 months, we rotate in a fresh outbound sequence to the full TAM. That way, we’re hitting each account 3-4x times a year, but with new angles and CTAs.”

Another member noted the importance of tuning the intensity based on deal size:

• For mid-market: Run higher frequency.
  
  
• For enterprise: Space messages further, add higher-value touches (like custom videos or warm intros).
  
  

Pro Tip: Avoid sending “just checking in” emails. Every touch should add value or insight, even if brief. Focus on education and sending valuable content.

7. 🎥 Content & Video Marketing Strategy: What Converts in B2B Right Now

The group dove deep into what kind of content is working for B2B infrastructure and SaaS companies — especially in a world where decision-makers are inundated with marketing fluff.

🧪 High-Performing Content Types:

• Case Study Videos – One member shared how they embedded video walkthroughs of client wins into their outbound follow-ups. The result? More booked calls.
  
  
• Founder-Facing Content – Another member who is building an AI LinkedIn assistant noted the success of personal updates from the founder:
  
  

“Short selfie videos explaining our roadmap were 10x more engaging than brand animations.”

• Explainer Videos for Features – Another member mentioned they created short “how it works” videos aimed at school district admins — and got more qualified replies from prospects who finally understood what the tool does.
  
  

💡 Smart Distribution:

• Use LinkedIn native uploads (don’t link to YouTube).
  
  
• Chop long videos into 30-second clips for Reels or Shorts.
  
  
• Embed videos in cold email sequences with dynamic thumbnails.
  
  

Bonus Insight: For enterprise, pair content with targeted retargeting — so your demo video shows up after a prospect visits your site or opens an email.

8. 💵 Unit Economics in the Real World: Know Your Margins, Fuel Your Growth

Ryan emphasized that growth without solid economics is just burning money.

The team broke down the most important B2B metrics, especially for SaaS and service-based recurring models:

📊 Critical Metrics:

• ARPA (Average Revenue Per Account)
  
  
• LTV (Customer Lifetime Value)
  
  
• CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
  
  

And the golden ratio?

“Your CAC should be no more than 1/6 of your LTV.”

So if a customer is worth $6,000 over their lifecycle, you should aim to acquire them for $1,000 or less.

🧲 CAC Reduction Strategies Discussed:

• Organic channels like app marketplaces (e.g., HubSpot) can drive installs at near-zero CAC. Ryan shared how this channel was often neglected but massively profitable for SaaS teams.
  
  
• Matched audience ads paired with cold outreach can rescue underperforming paid channels.
  
  
• Content compounding (e.g., SEO blog posts that build over time) was also cited as a CAC-saver.
  
  

Pro Move: Claude recommended blending outbound and inbound attribution to see which combos produce the highest-value customers over time.

9. 📧 Cold Email Domain Infrastructure & Deliverability: Protect Your Pipeline

The final topic was deeply tactical — but critical: email deliverability.

If your emails don’t land in the inbox, your entire outbound system collapses.

🧱 Infrastructure Rules Shared:

• Always use separate sending domains for cold email. If your main domain is company.com, send from companymail.com or getcompany.co.
  
  
• Never link back to your main website from cold email domains. A few deliverability experts cautioned that even redirects could be “linked” by Google.
  
  
• Create a separate landing page on the outbound domain itself to avoid any brand reputation risk.
  
  

One participant shared they’d just bought a new domain and were building a dedicated funnel there to maintain domain hygiene — especially since their current campaigns were already skirting spam filters.

🧪 Test Your Deliverability:

Another GrowthRise mentioned using Instantly's inbox placement test, which shows the percentage of messages landing in inboxes vs. spam folders.

“If your inbox deliverability is under 80%, it’s time to pause and fix your setup.”

Additional deliverability tips:

• Avoid catch-all domains. They can flag your sender as suspicious.
  
  
• Warm up new domains slowly before full campaigns.
  
  
• Regularly rotate sending accounts to avoid fatigue.
  
  

Bottom Line: Your content can be gold, but if your tech stack isn’t clean, your outbound channel is doomed from the start.

🔥 Ready to Build Your AI-Optimized GTM Machine?

GrowthRise is the #1 B2B Growth Community for experienced CEOs and founders scaling from $1M to $100M ARR.

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As a member, you’ll enjoy access to: 

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Click here to apply to join GrowthRise today.

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We look forward to seeing you on the next mastermind!

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Ryan Allis, CEO & Founder

GrowthRise | The Community for B2B Marketing Leaders

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