In this report, we share our data on average marketing ROI by channel, drawn from our experience working with clients in 25+ of B2B and B2C industries between Q1 2020 and Q4 2024. The average campaign length in our dataset was 2.7 years, and we included only those channels for which we had at least 8 clients to draw data from.
We define ROI as according to the following formula:
For example, if a company spent $120,000 on an SEO campaign that generated $1 million in net revenue, their overall ROI would be 833%. We used a hybrid attribution model in our analysis, with the first touch channel contributing 60%, and the remaining 40% split evenly among the remaining channels. Our results are shown in the table below:
Marketing ROI by Channel in 2025
| Channel | B2B ROI | B2C ROI | Notes |
| SEO | 748% | 721% | SEO has the highest overall ROI of any standard marketing channel, but it requires patience. Most SEO campaigns don’t see substantial returns until after 4-6 months, at the earliest. |
| SEM/PPC | 36% | 24% | While SEM/PPC is a great tool for short-term campaigns to test new audiences or roll out new products, it is relatively expensive and results only last as long as you pay for them. |
| Email Marketing | 261% | 298% | Email marketing is exceptionally low cost, but assembling a quality list of leads can take time. It is best used to nurture leads rather than directly generate them |
| LinkedIn – Paid | 229% | 57% | Across the board, social media campaigns see their greatest effect in B2C campaigns, but B2B audiences can utilize business-oriented platforms like LinkedIn to target and nurture their audience |
| LinkedIn – Organic | 192% | 88% | |
| Facebook Ads | 87% | 443% | |
| Webinars | 430% | 113% | Webinars require a great deal of front-loading expenses to buy quality gear as well as providing a charismatic expert to host, but provide exceptionally warm leads |
| Influencer Marketing | 206% | 689% | Influencer marketing is typically considered as a B2C option, but can be useful in a B2B setting if you have a relevant industry persona to partner with |
| Online PR | 62% | 156% | PR work typically is less focused on ROI and more on repairing or improving public perception of an individual or company |
Marketing Channel Considerations Beyond ROI
While marketers may be tempted to simply invest their entire spend into the highest ROI channels, ROI is just one of several factors that should inform your marketing budget allocation. The most effective strategies will make use of multiple channels based on the business’s specific needs, as some low ROI channels such as PPC are excellent short-term investments while others are highly effective for specific industries (e.g. influencer marketing in B2C ecommerce). The table below provides additional context for understanding marketing budget ROI by providing each channel’s monthly cost, average time to return, whether it’s more suited to be a primary channel or a supporting channel, and what commitments each channel demands in order to be effective.
Additional Considerations for Marketing Channels
| Channel | Monthly Cost | Average Time to Return | Primary vs Secondary | Commitments |
| SEO | ~2–15k | 1yr–3yr | Primary | Full-service SEO requires a solid writer, editor, and content strategist, but costs can be less for clients seeking purely technical SEO services. |
| SEM/PPC | 3–30k | 2w–5w | Primary | Having a quality writing team is important for SEM, but there is also a significantly larger amount of ad spend involved. |
| Email Marketing | ~2k | ~4yr | Secondary | Email marketing requires interesting and well-targeted content, which takes time to pinpoint. |
| LinkedIn – Paid | ~5–20k | 3mo–9mo | Primary | LinkedIn ads are a constant process of iteration, adjustment, and reiteration. In all, the process typically won’t see traction until about 6 months |
| LinkedIn – Organic | ~2k | 6mo–1.5yr | Secondary | Requires a consistent social media manager to regularly post and engage with other posts in order to build a following |
| Facebook Ads | ~5k | 1mo–3mo | Secondary | Like LinkedIn ads, Facebook ads will require several weeks or months of setup as you perfect your targeting and content |
| Webinars | ~6k | ~1yr | Primary | Webinars require a charismatic expert to host, as well as an initial investment to purchase equipment and editing software. |
| Influencer Marketing | ~12k | 3mo–6mo | Primary | Finding the right influencer to partner with will likely take weeks to months, during which time a content strategist will need to determine the best method of delivering content |
| Online PR | ~10–50k | ~1.5yr | Secondary | PR work typically feeds into another marketing channel and rarely directly results in leads since it deals more in emotion and relationships than other channels. |
Requesting a Copy of this Report or Working with Our Agency
If you’d like to request a copy of this report, reach out here.
If this report has been useful to you and you’d like to discuss a partnership with our marketing agency, you can reach out to our sales team here. We specialize in providing companies with SEO strategy and thought leadership content marketing, particularly those in highly technical B2B industries such as medtech and industrial manufacturing.
