B2B Lead Generation: 18 Proven Strategies for 2025 (That Actually Work)

If you’re a B2B marketer or salesperson, feeding the lead machine probably keeps you up at night—especially in 2025.

With AI transforming how we research, communicate, and convert, the old tactics still work… but only if you evolve them.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the endless tactics and underwhelmed by the results in your spreadsheet, you’re in the right place.

Below, you’ll find a detailed list of B2B lead generation strategies—updated for 2025—with tools, examples, and plain-English advice you can actually use.

P.S. Find a TL;DR summary in the end of the post if you’re in a rush.

What is lead generation?

To start with the basics, let’s get the definition of lead generation out of the way. According to Webopedia:

Today’s key channels include:

• Online: content marketing, email, SEO, paid ads, social, and AI-driven outreach

• Offline: events, phone calls, print, and direct mail (yep, still a thing)

And increasingly, the lines are blurring—AI-powered chatbots on websites, hybrid virtual events, smart forms, etc., are merging the two.

But before we get to talking about lead generation channels and strategies, let’s take a brief look at the importance of lead generation.

Why lead generation still matters (and how AI is changing the game)

In a recent research report we put together with Copper, the Google-recommended CRM, B2B sales, and marketing leaders shared their key metrics for business success.

The number 1 metric? Quality of leads. 58% of sales and marketing leaders stated that the quality of leads is the most important metric of business success. 

See more: Revenue Marketing Report

This shouldn’t surprise anyone. The fundamentals haven’t changed: you need a solid strategy to attract, engage, and convert. But how you do that has evolved—thanks to AI.

AI tools today can help you:

• Personalize emails automatically

• Score leads in real-time based on behavior

• Generate cold outreach lists

• Write blog posts (not this one 😉)

• Analyze which leads are most likely to convert

In short: the B2B companies winning in 2025 are using automation + creativity, not one or the other.

With the below list, I’m not saying, “do all of these things and $$$$.” I’m saying build your lead generation strategy around your target audience, ability, and budget.

Without further ado, let’s jump in and look at online and offline B2B lead generation strategies.

The best-performing B2B lead generation strategies (2025 edition)

Looking for leads online? Here are some ideas to generate leads in the digital world. And while some of them may seem obvious, sometimes it’s worth reminding ourselves that the answers are less complicated than they might seem.

Generating leads with inbound marketing

1. Good ol’ email marketing (with some AI muscle)

According to marketing automation tool Emma, 59% of marketers point to email as being their best channel for revenue generation.

And today, email platforms are way smarter. You can:

• Personalize emails at scale

• Segment leads automatically

• Trigger emails based on behavior

• Improve open/click rates with AI-powered subject lines

Pro tip: Use email to qualify leads, not just nurture. Set up rules (or use Outfunnel’s lead scoring) to identify when a lead becomes sales-ready.

2. Create high-quality, data-backed content (think eBooks, whitepapers and webinars)

Valuable content can be awesome for B2B lead generation, but it comes with an armful of caveats. Number one being that content works best for nurturing MQLs, i.e. someone in the beginning of the buyer’s journey, rather than for building a list of SQLs. Additionally, good quality content arguably requires an order of magnitude more planning, resources, and just hard work than, say email.

High-quality case studies, infographics, eBooks and white papers can sometimes take months to put together, if you include the time it takes to gather data, analyze it then package all your findings into something actually useful.

Not to mention webinars or podcasts!

I’m not trying to scare you off using content to generate inbound leads, you absolutely should be doing it. Just spend a little bit more time planning it. Think “would I hand over my email address for this?”. Ask other people the same question.

A particular favorite is taking some data that you may have within your business, anonymizing it, then doing a deep dive analysis.

See this blog post on popularity of marketing tools by CRM as an example.

3. Create a course

Another favorite is taking whatever original know-how you have and turning that into a resource. For example, Outfunnel’s CEO created a B2B email marketing course last year. He has 20+ years of experience in B2B marketing, and from customer interactions, it was clear that many need guidance.

While the course did take several weeks to put together and polish, it does serve two goals really well.

First, Outfunnel’s customer success team can share it with all the users who have less experience with email marketing, helping them win more. And second, as word about it spread, referrals delivered more than 400 highly qualified warm leads in just a few months.

And beyond driving leads, it likely did a lot to help with brand awareness!

If you think all of this sounds too daunting or you don’t have resources available in-house, reach out to some freelancers and ask for help. There are armies of stellar marketers out there just itching to help you, plus a wide range of AI-tools that can help. 

4. Blog better (and smarter)

A common complaint I hear, mainly from sales-focused people is that their blog doesn’t generate enough leads. Either it’s not getting enough traffic, or it’s getting traffic that’s not converting into business results.

Well, here’s a slightly unhelpful, but somewhat necessary tip for you:

Be better.

Have a plan, and execute it well. Stop regurgitating other peoples’ opinions and start sharing your own experience. Write posts as a person, to be read by other people.

Also, use tools like Surfer SEO, Clearscope, or Frase to optimize posts.

5. Tap into online social media communities (LinkedIn, Reddit, Discourse)

Social networks can be a great source of leads if you know where to look. I strongly recommend looking into online communities on social media platforms where your target customers hang out.

More often than not though, a lot of these groups will forbid directly promotional content — always check the rules before posting something (on Reddit you can take a look at the sidebar, usually).

So how can you use these online communities for lead generation? Well, hunt down a few groups that seem relevant to the problem you’re trying to solve. Think “where do my prospective customers hang out?”. Take a look, go through the post history — make sure it’s not all spam, for example.

Then get subscribed and start engaging. Post questions, answer other people’s questions. A lot of groups you will actually find decision-makers posting looking for exactly the kind of thing you’re offering. Just direct message them (and make sure to reply to them in the comments, otherwise — on Facebook at least — they might not see the message).

Sparktoro is also a useful tool for finding communities where your target customers hang out.

6. Build your own online community

Not only can having your own social network community bring in business leads as prospective customers, it also allows you to really cement yourself as a thought leader.

My biggest piece of upfront advice here though would be—if you’re looking at this as a lead generation tool—don’t approach it from a branding perspective at all. Name it something not linked to your company at all.

Post as yourself, build your personal brand. Your own community is the perfect place to share unique content and target people who are likely having the specific problem you’re looking to solve.

What’s more, if you’re an early-stage, SaaS-type business, it’s often the perfect way of nurturing early adopters than you can later become your “brand champions” or influencers.

A word of caution though; communities like this will take time to grow. They, much like the content you will need to produce to feed them, are an investment in their own right. And once they get to the sort of scale you need for them to become a legitimate source of leads, you might even need to have a dedicated person to manage the community itself.

Generating leads with outbound marketing and sales

7. If you do cold email, do it really well

Cold email is probably the most abused channel these days. Smart email marketers know to put in the effort.

The first thing to work on is building a quality list of email addresses. Tools like Clay and Amplemarket are great places to start, but there are lots of ways to compile a list of prospects.

Then comes the crucial part: properly cleaning the email list before even going near any email sending tools.

For example, Outfunnel recently launched the company’s first cold email campaign and the 33-51% open rates and 3-6% engagement rates (respectable results, no?) were direct results of the effort that went into cleaning and vetting the list.

Then, your emails need to stand out. In Outfunnel’s cold email experiment, personalization proved to be effective, but at the minimum, have your emails stand out.

Don’t be afraid to be different. Unusual, even. Brief your creative people and prompt your AI tools to avoid “MBA speak”.

Not that there’s anything wrong with MBA’s in particular, it’s just you often find a certain type of cold email, full of “synergizing business goals” and buzzwords coming from MBA-types.

Use images, gifs and experiment with pattern interrupts, something that breaks the regular pattern of a cold email and grabs the attention of cold leads.

Put your team’s best heads into writing copy and combine this with AI writing tools such as Jasper, Writesonic, and Copy.ai.

And be concise. Enough said.

8. Just show up

There’s a great anecdote about how fellow Estonian startup-turned-unicorn, Bolt got their first customers in the early days.

Their founder, Markus Villig needed to find taxi drivers to add to their platform, a ridesharing app. So, every day he went down to the taxi ranks in Tallinn and started knocking on cab drivers windows, asking them if they wanted to sign up.

In some cases, he got some pretty hard no’s, but he persevered. He got his early leads that were vital to the ultimate success of the business.

He got some pretty hard no’s in some cases, but he persevered. He got his early leads that were vital to the business’s ultimate success.

Markus Villig, youngest founder of a billion-dollar company in Europe. Image source

The point is sometimes, whether you’re a very early-stage startup, or a more established business, sometimes there’s a lot of value in just turning up. You don’t need to necessarily sell on the spot, you can just get them signed up for more info.

This in particular is a great example of how you can turn the standard “marketing first, then sales team steps in” approach of the sales funnel. The whole process should be owned by both marketing and sales teams together. 

In this instance, sales tactics would work better to harvest the new leads. Then, marketing can step in to do a bit of lead nurturing, building up trust, before sales steps back in to seal the deal.

9. Pick up the phone

Cold calling may seem a bit, well, icky to some, but I wouldn’t discount it as a potentially effective lead generation campaign strategy. Start with using an email finder plugin to make sure you have the most up-to-date contact information.

Research your prospects before picking up the phone, so you can answer that all-important question:

“How is this thing going to help me?”

Ideally, you should have some sort of script, at least to open with, and use it as a sort of guide throughout the call. Think of less a script and more as a kind of cheat sheet.

Then as you get more experienced, you’ll be able to be much more dynamic on each cold call.

It has a pretty dodgy reputation and it isn’t for everyone, but if you have the gift of the gab, then don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.

10. Go to better events (and do them better)

Lead generation is most businesses’ top priority when going to events. In this, your marketing and sales teams must be working in perfect harmony. Both need to share insights to figure out which events to attend.

Depending on your industry, closing deals on the floor at a tradeshow might be a bit of a stretch. Instead, use it as an opportunity to get sales to have a conversation with prospects, then pass their details onto marketing so they can nurture them if they need it.

And don’t forget, if you’re paying to attend an event, you’ll have access to the contact database more often than not. Don’t waste that.

If you’re looking for some insights on how to handle post-event marketing and follow-ups, we got you. Check out this comprehensive email marketing teardown, full of useful pointers and best practices

11. Build relationships with the right people on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is still the best B2B social platform.

Use tools like Taplio (for content scheduling), Clay (for AI prospecting), or PhantomBuster (for outreach automations) to scale your efforts without being spammy.

Share insights. Comment on posts. Message with purpose. Repeat.

Generating leads with paid media

12. Google Ads: Still king (if you do it right)

Google ads. 

The pinnacle of paid, B2B lead generation, right? Everyone’s throwing their cash at Google to get their brand to that all-important top spot. This must be because it delivers an awesome return on ad spend, right? 

Yes, but only if you can nail your strategy. 

Here are some tips for optmizing your Google Ads to bring in high-quality B2B leads:

1. Find high intent keywords: High intent keywords are proof the searcher is ready to make a purchase. These phrases are worth the money whereas TOFU keywords aren’t as the user is still in the research phrase. An example of an high intent keyword is “best CRM” or “best lead generation tool”.
2. Use negative keywords: It’s an effective way to increase your lead conversion rate and get rid of unqualified clicks.

3. Layer on audience targeting

4. Use Google Ad Remarketing: It will help your B2B business stay at the top of user’s minds (even when they’re researching your competitors).

13. Paid social ads: More targeted than ever

Much like their text-based counterparts, banner (or display) ads across almost any channel can be a viable B2B lead generation source, but they take a good deal more effort. 

They still need the same attention to detail when it comes to time, targeting, and tracking. But unlike text-only ads, display ads only really work when you have a great creative too.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, even YouTube—great for remarketing or gated content ads. Use Predis.ai or Canva to create scroll-stopping visuals fast.

Start small. Measure everything.

An example of a PPC remarketing display ad by Outfunnel.

Website, tools & technical setup for lead generation

14. Launch a super-basic MVP

You don’t need to be a developer or startup founder to launch something valuable. If you’re a marketer, consultant, or freelancer looking to generate leads, one of the smartest things you can do is build a lightweight product or resource that solves a specific problem—and test it with real people.

This is where the concept of a “Minimum Lovable Product” (MLP) comes in. It’s not about building something perfect or even feature-rich. It’s about launching something small, helpful, and lovable enough that someone’s willing to give you their email—or even their money.

You can build one in a weekend.

Here are a few examples of “lovable” MVPs marketers can build:

• An ROI calculator or cost-savings tool (built with Typeform, Tally, or a spreadsheet)

• A lead magnet generator using Airtable + Zapier + AI (e.g. auto-create social posts or ad copy)

• An industry trends report or scorecard—pull in real-time data with tools like Datawrapper or ChatGPT

Platforms like Lovable make this even easier. You can launch a quick idea test—like “Would you pay for X?”—and instantly gather real-world feedback, lead data, and insight into what to build next. No coding needed.

15. Fix your website

Your homepage is your shop window. It’s your opportunity to grab a visitor’s attention and turn them into a customer. While a typo here and there might not necessarily be the end of the world, making sure your website is fully functional and loads quickly is an absolute must…

And, while we’re on the subject of loading times… It’s probably no surprise that the longer your page takes to load, the higher the probability your visitors will just up and leave before they get to the good stuff.

This is worth a whole post on its own but here’s a quick tip. Head to Google’s PageSpeed Insights and see how your home page (and most important pages) score.

Keep in mind that how your site fares here has a direct impact on how it ranks. Which directly impacts your ability to generate B2B leads.

16. Create a form to capture leads

Speaking of generating leads, don’t skimp on the “Contact” page. Your websites needs to make it ridiculously easy for someone to get in touch with you.

Set up a simple form to capture leads information and use Outfunnel’s Elementor Forms integration to seamlessly sync form fills to your CRM.

Another option is to use a chatbot. Use it as an interactive FAQ and feature suggested articles or encourage visitors to send you a message and strike up a conversation.

It’s a low effort way to get contact information out of a user and start nurturing the lead further down your funnel.

17. Optimize for your mobile traffic

Google’s made a lot of noise over the last few years about the importance of mobile. In fact, the PageSpeed Insights score actually prioritizes mobile performance.

Even simple stuff, like making sure your site is clear and easy to navigate on a handheld device. Make sure forms, you know, work. Many B2B sites on mobile are an assault on the eyes, with myriad pop-ups for consent, live chat tools, several similar call-to-action buttons competing with each other and interstitials. Yes, you can get away with that on desktop, but on mobile you have a lot less real estate to play with. 

18. Bonus lead generation tactic – ask for referrals and testimonials

Referrals, aka social proof, is one of the most powerful lead generation strategies for B2B companies.

Why?

Your current customers do all the heavy lifting for you.

Think about it.

If you feel strongly about something (positive or negative), you want to spread the word.

When you have a delicious meal at a restaurant or an incredible user experience, you most likely share it with your inner circle. Especially if a friend, family member, or colleague mentions having the same problem.

By making referrals part of your lead generation strategy, you’ll instantly access:

• The trust factor: We listen to people we trust. If something is working for someone we know, we are more inclined to try it.
• Your target audience: People don’t refer products or services to the wrong audience or look up reviews unless they’re specifically looking for that content.
• Lower cost acquisition: You don’t need to spend money to generate customer referrals. You just need to delight people. Incentives like a referral program or a discount for a review are more cost-effective than running PPC ads.

In a study by Heinz Marketing, companies with referral programs reported 40% of their leads coming in from referrals. 

Want a piece of that cake?

• Create a referral program that encourages and rewards your customers.
• Ask for referrals from your existing base when someone is satisfied or compliments you.
• Screenshot comments on social media posts and use them on your website and marketing materials.
• Ask and reward customers for leaving a review on sites like G2 Crowd.

B2B Lead generation trends to watch for 2026 and beyond

Lead gen tactics come and go, but some trends are picking up serious momentum—and they’re not slowing down anytime soon. Here’s what’s shaping the future of B2B lead generation in 2026:

1. AI Everywhere

From content creation and email outreach to customer support and pipeline management, AI is embedded in nearly every part of modern marketing and sales. Tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and Clay aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re core to staying competitive.

2. First-Party Data Takes the Lead

With third-party cookies on the way out, marketers are prioritizing first-party data—collected directly from your website, forms, email, and CRM. It’s more accurate, more actionable, and way more future-proof.

3. Zero-Click Search Optimization

More and more search traffic is being answered directly on the SERP. If you’re not optimizing your content for featured snippets, FAQ schema, or AI-powered summaries, you’re missing visibility—and leads.

4. Multimedia > Text

Video, audio clips, and webinars are outperforming traditional blog posts in both reach and conversion. Don’t ditch the blog, but make sure you’re repurposing content into multiple formats.

5. AI Sales Agents Are Coming

Tools like Alta and Docket are building AI-powered SDRs that can prospect, qualify, and even book meetings. They’re not replacing your sales team yet—but they are taking the edge off the grunt work.

6. Hyper-Personalization at Scale

Generic messaging is out. AI allows you to personalize at scale—messaging that adapts to the user’s role, company size, and behavior in real time. The result? Better open rates, higher engagement, and more pipeline.

How to Measure The Success Of Lead Generation Efforts

It’s easy to get caught up in vanity lead generation metrics.

Impressions, click-through rates, outreach volume, bounce rate, etc., are often listed as top lead-gen KPIs, but there’s one problem.

These metrics don’t tell you anything about lead generation. 

If you want a better measure of your efforts, focus on qualified lead volume. Instead of giving you data on the output of your sales team, it tells you about revenue, which is the ultimate purpose of lead generation.

An easy way to know where your leads are coming from? Ask them.

The TL;DR of lead gen

• Don’t stress if you don’t know exactly where every lead came from. Attribution is messy—but improving with AI-powered analytics. Focus on what’s working, not perfection.

• Stick to the 7 P’s: Prior preparation and planning prevent piss poor performance. AI won’t save sloppy strategy.

• Double down on what scales: High-quality content and AI-powered email automation are still two of the most efficient lead gen channels out there.

• Google Ads still work—but only if your targeting is sharp, your messaging is tested, and your tracking setup is rock solid. Use AI bidding and automation to get better ROI.