Business-to-business marketers will continue to take a page out of the business-to-consumer brand playbook in 2025, with plans to ramp up investment in such areas as social media, AI and podcast marketing. That’s according to a new Harris Poll survey done on behalf of global digital account-based marketing activation platform Madison Logic.

The survey polled more than 300 U.S. adults employed full-time as marketing, advertising, communications or social media decision-makers (director level or higher) at B2B companies. It found that 69% of respondents are looking for new and different ways to drive revenue and measure the impact of their marketing campaigns.

The four key areas these B2B marketers are planning to funnel more marketing dollars into in the new year are social media advertising (60%), AI tools (60%), video (53%) and podcast advertising (50%).

The findings reflect the ongoing trend of B2B marketers investing where B2C brands are, and using similar tactics to reach customers, especially as it relates to social media and podcast marketing, said Keith Turco, CEO of Madison Logic.

The findings also reflect B2B companies’ need to reach younger executives where they are. A Forrester study found that 67% of global buyers making purchases of $1 million or greater are now millennials or Gen Z, and they are changing the way B2B companies think about reaching customers.

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Turco said B2B marketers understand they can reach their target customers on popular social platforms—64% of respondents said they would advertise more in consumer-facing spaces including TikTok and Instagram in 2025. To tailor their communications for their audiences in these spaces, 66% of respondents said they would prioritize shorter, engaging ads over longer-form content next year.

Some of Madison Logic’s B2B clients that already use social media include IBM, Shopify and Lenovo, according to Turco. One of IBM’s top posts on TikTok is of an old-school typewriter, with the tech giant writing in a comment to one user: “We never forget where we came from!”

AI will help B2B brands better target and get these shorter ads out to consumers, Turco said. “Lots of the push that we get from our clients is on return on advertising spend, ROI and ‘how fast can I get the responses I need?’ AI plays a significant role [in that].”

The survey found that 53% of respondents currently use AI tools to support marketing and communications, and 37% of respondents who said they do not currently use any plan to do so in 2025. A total of 60% of respondents said they’d be investing in AI tools in 2025, including respondents that never used them before.

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Respondents said they currently connect best with their audiences by using customer stories and testimonials in their advertising (58%) and putting text captions on their social videos or using animated advertisements (58%) to overcome the fact that not all social media users have audio on when viewing content.

Thirty-two percent of B2B brands that don’t currently use customer testimonials in ads reported they plan to do so in 2025. The survey also found that 30% of respondents who do not put captions on social videos plan to do so next year.

Some 56% cited influencer marketing as a key means of connecting with their audience and 29% said they will invest in influencer marketing for the first time in 2025.

Just like in consumer-facing influencer deals, Turco said B2B brands must form authentic creator partnerships. “They have to be sincere and real,” he said.

The marketers also cited in the survey the top complaints they heard from their customers when engaging with their brands on social, and plan to tackle these three issues in 2025. These complaints are that advertisers use vague or complex messaging (49%), target poorly (41%) and run ads that don’t resonate (40%).

Podcast advertising and in-person events are also opportunities for B2B marketers. In addition to the 50% of respondents who said they would increase investment in podcast marketing in 2025, 47% said they would do more in-person events, including conferences and trade shows.

Turco said podcast marketing also represents an overlap with consumer-facing brands. Many executives now listen to certain podcasts for professional reasons, but these audio platforms are also “where your target audiences are spending time.”

B2B brands, like any other brands, want to reach these executives while they are “immersed in their daily habits,” he said.