How can B2B brands use original research to drive thought leadership and marketing success? Todd Lebo, CEO and Partner of Ascend2, specializes in helping businesses create data-driven content that builds authority and engagement. In this episode, we dive into the top five marketing trends shaping 2025 and how research can be leveraged to craft compelling narratives. From starting with the executive summary to ensuring insights tell a clear story, Todd shares expert advice on how to make research more impactful and actionable.

Full Episode Details 

As we close out the first quarter of the year, Todd joins hosts Zontee Hou and Jason Keath to not only explore the top 2025 trends shaping B2B marketing, but to also share insights on the ongoing challenges of unifying data across multiple sources and why marketers need to rethink their martech stacks to stay ahead.

Todd also dives into the role of AI in making data more accessible, how companies can maximize the value of research studies, and why marketers should revisit past ideas as technology evolves. Plus, he highlights the power of frontline marketers in uncovering real, actionable insights—and shares a great story about how a simple conversation reshaped the way a financial tool was marketed.

In This Episode:

1. AI-Powered Content Marketing: Balancing Quality and Quantity (2:28) Data Point: Only 32% of marketers consider their content marketing strategy very successful, while 55% cite generating traffic and leads as their biggest challenge​. Source: Content Marketing and AI Report. Why It Matters: Marketers need to use AI, not just for content creation but also for improving audience targeting and engagement. AI-driven insights can help refine content strategies for better results.

2. Influencer Marketing Goes Mainstream in B2B (8:16) Data Point: 49% of marketers cite integrating influencer content into a broader mix of marketing tactics as a top trend for 2025. Source: TopRank - 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report.Why It Matters: B2B influencer marketing is maturing, and brands that integrate influencers into their full marketing strategy will see greater engagement and credibility.

3. Scaling Marketing Efforts Through AI-Powered Automation (14:06) Data Point: AI is being used extensively for content creation (37%), social media management (35%), and chatbot automation (25%)​. Source: The Evolution of AI in Marketing. Why It Matters: AI-driven automation enables marketers to scale their efforts while maintaining high-quality engagement across multiple channels.

4. The Data Confidence Divide: AI, Authenticity, and Revenue Growth (20:08) Data Point: 46% of marketers confident in their data strategy reported significant revenue growth, while only 15% of less confident marketers saw the same success​. Source: Anteriad - 2024 B2B Marketing Outlook: The Data Confidence DivideWhy It Matters: A strong data strategy is a key driver of business growth. Marketers must prioritize data accuracy and AI-driven insights to maintain authenticity and improve engagement.

5. Data-Driven Marketing: Overcoming Integration Challenges Data Point: 63% of marketers rate their data-driven strategy as somewhat successful, while integrating data from multiple sources remains a challenge. Source: Data-Driven Marketing Trends 2024. Why It Matters: Data is critical for marketing success, but fragmentation hinders performance. Marketers must invest in AI-powered analytics and automation to streamline their data integration.

• How to turn data into action (25:46)
• Todd's advice for aspiring social pros (32:57)
• Who Todd would most want a video call with (33:59)

Resources 

• Visit the Ascend2 website
• Follow Ascend2 on LinkedIn
• Follow Todd on LinkedIn

Visit SocialPros.com for more insights from your favorite social media marketers.