2018 Demand Generation Benchmark Survey Report - Demand generation budgets, priorities, and marketing impact metrics

Sep 20, 2026

2018 Demand Generation Benchmark Survey Report highlights how B2B marketers plan for growth and how demanding revenue expectations are becoming. Seventy percent report demand gen budgets will increase in 2018, while many teams face stronger KPIs tied to pipeline influenced and revenue-based quotas. The survey of 160 marketers ranks lead quality, conversion performance, and measurable marketing impact as top priorities, and tracks how attribution and engagement tactics evolve across cross-channel strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Key drivers and budget outlook

2018 demand gen budget change

Lead quality and priority ranking

Revenue expectations and quota tracking

Revenue growth projections for 2018

Primary performance metrics and attribution

Engagement tactics and acquisition channels

Top engagement tactics for 2018

Lead-driving channels (top-of-funnel)

| Key Engines
For Growth | | | | --- | --- | --- | |
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SURVEY REPORT | | | 70% OF B2B MARKETERS SAID THEIR DEMAND GEN BUDGETS WILL GROW THIS YEAR. The core goal of driving growth remains unchanged and fundamental to performance marketing executives. For those marketers directly charged with influencing pipeline, expectations are only increasing as revenue projections become more aggressive and KPIs become more laser focused. The good news from the 2018 Demand Generation Benchmark Survey is budgets for acquisition, nurturing and pipeline activities will continue to climb this year, with 70% saying demand gen budgets would increase and 34% saying spending would grow by more than 20% . However, the expectations for supporting revenue growth are climbing at amore aggressive rate, and the goals and metrics companies are using to judge marketing’s impact are also rising rapidly. HOW WILL YOUR DEMAND GENERATION BUDGET CHANGE IN 2018? Increase by more than 30% 12% Increase by more than 20% 22% Increase by 1%-10% 36% Unchanged 25% Decrease by 1%-10% 3% Decrease by more than 20% 2% Decrease by more than 30% 1% 2018 DEMAND GENERATION BENCHMARK SURVEY REPORT | 2 RANK YOUR ORGANIZATION’S DEMAND GENERATION PRIORITIES FOR 2018. (ON A SCALE OF 1-5 WITH 5 BEING MOST IMPORTANT) 73% Focusing on lead quality over lead quantity 72% Improving conversion rates/campaign results 62% Generating increased lead volume 61% Improving our ability to measure and analyze marketing impact 60% Improving sales-marketing alignment 53% Expanding our content library to drive campaigns 48% Improving the depth and accuracy of our database 28% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEIR MARKETING ORGSHAVE SPECIFIC REVENUE-BASED QUOTAS. Specific findings from the Demand Gen Report survey that illustrate the challenging expectations revenue-focused marketers will face in 2018 include: • 63% of respondents indicated their companies were projecting revenue growth of more than 20%; • 25% of companies are projecting revenue growth of more than 30%; • The number of respondents who said their marketing organizations have specific revenue-based quotas increased by 5% year over year, from 23% in 2017 to 28% this year; and • Respondents who indicated pipeline influenced as the primary metric they are measured against increased from 27% in 2017 to 30% in 2018. To respond to these more aggressive goals, as well as keep pace with changing buyer behavior, the study found marketers will be relying more heavily on crosschannel strategies for acquisition, engagement and conversion. In the following report, we’ll breakdown the findings of this year’s survey with specific analysis of: • Marketing’s role in revenue generation; • Cross-channel planning for driving demand; and • New tools being added to the martech toolbox. 2018 DEMAND GENERATION BENCHMARK SURVEY REPORT | 3 63% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEIR COMPANY'S REVENUE WILL GROW BY MORE THAN 20% IN 2018. The expectations around marketing’s contribution to revenue continued to climb with this year’s survey. When asked what percentage of revenue would be attributed to marketing-sourced leads: • 28% said between 26% to 50%; • 27% said between 11% to 25%; • 18% said less than 10%; • 11% said between 50% and 75%; • 6% said between 75% and 100%; and • Only 9% said they don’t track this data. The increased pressure to drive growth and attributable revenue has been a consistent challenge for marketers in recent years, and this year’s survey showed there are no signs of that abating. WHAT AMOUNT OF TOTAL REVENUE GROWTH IS YOUR ORGANIZATION PROJECTING FOR 2018? Increase by more than 30% Increase by more than 20% Increase by 1%-10% Unchanged Decrease by 1%-10% 26% 37% 33% 3% 1% 2018 DEMAND GENERATION BENCHMARK SURVEY REPORT | 4 WHAT IS THE PRIMARY METRIC YOU ARE MEASURED ON? 33% 30% 14% 11% 10% 2% MQLs/SALs

FAQs

How will B2B demand generation budgets change in 2018?

Seventy percent of respondents said their demand gen budgets will grow in 2018, while 34% expect spending to rise by more than 20%. Smaller shares reported decreases or smaller increases.

Which priorities matter most for marketers in 2018?

Top priorities include focusing on lead quality over lead quantity (73%), improving conversion rates and campaign results (72%), and generating increased lead volume (62%). Measurement and sales-marketing alignment also rank highly.

What primary metrics are marketers measured on?

Pipeline influenced is the top metric for 30% of respondents, while MQLs/SALs is reported by 33%. Accounts engaged and total leads/inquiries appear as other significant measures.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Lucas Martin