How B2B Marketing Leaders Are Planning for 2026

B2B marketing leaders are heading into 2026 with something they haven’t felt in a while — and that something is optimism. 

After a period of “do more with less” initiatives, the tide appears to be turning. Now, budgets are growing and marketing leaders are figuring out where and how they’ll invest.

Research shows that brands are also rethinking their mix of in-house work, agency partnerships and digital investments. 

In this article, I’ll unpack where the money is being spent in 2026, how brands are planning to execute and why the year ahead is critical for search visibility.

• Marketing Budgets in 2026
• In-House/Agency Partnerships in 2026
• Budgeting for SEO in 2026
• Final Thoughts
• Quick Solutions
• FAQ: How Do I Create a Flexible Digital Marketing Budget That Adapts to Changes?
• About Us

Marketing Budgets in 2026

Companies spend an average of 8% of their total revenue on marketing, according to Gartner.  

Despite marketing budgets representing only a fraction of total spend, Statista estimates that by 2026, annual U.S. B2B advertising and marketing will reach $69 billion.

For CMOs, it’s planning time for next year, and according to Forrester Research, B2B marketing decision-makers are optimistic for 2026. 

This is a departure from 2025 data, where marketers were being asked to do more with less (see Gartner study linked earlier).

For the year ahead, 83% of B2B marketing decision-makers expect marketing investments to grow, according to Forrester. 

More granular data shows that:

• Forty percent (40%) expect an increase of 5% or more. 
• Six percent (6%) expect an increase greater than 10%. 
• Forty-four percent (44%) anticipate budget growth between 1% and 4% (flat). 

Where is the budget going? Marketing decision-makers say they’ll allocate 42% of the overall marketing budget to programs, 35% for personnel and 23% for technology.

The good news for marketing programs is that they will likely see a boost in budget, with 27% anticipating a 5% or more increase in the next 12 months. 

Most expect anywhere from a 5% to 10% increase in budget for programs, while 2% anticipate an increase of more than 10%.

Marketing technology is a focus in 2026, with 33% forecasting a budget increase of 5% or more and 6% expecting an increase of more than 10%. 

I’ll dive deeper into how these budget shifts are potentially reshaping agency relationships in the next section.

Related: How do I ensure my marketing budget aligns with both growth opportunities and ROI goals in 2026?

In-House/Agency Partnerships in 2026

As marketing leaders plan for how they’ll execute their strategies, a major decision is around agency partnerships. 

A hybrid approach, where companies manage marketing both in-house and with an agency, is the most popular approach for 2026, according to research from Sagefrog. 

• In the year ahead, 46% of companies plan to use a hybrid model, up from 36% in 2025. 
• Companies that plan to manage marketing fully in-house dropped from 38% in 2025 to 32% in 2026. 
• At the same time, companies that plan to fully outsource dropped from 26% in 2025 to 22% in 2026. 

The driving force behind the hybrid model is a lack of internal resources, with 42% saying this is the primary driver for marketing agency partnerships (up from 37% in 2025).

In 2025, B2B companies said specialized expertise was the top benefit of working with agencies. But in 2026, respondents cite “faster execution” as the No. 1 benefit, followed closely by expertise.

And the good news is that B2Bs see solid results through these types of partnerships. Seventy-six percent (76%) say outsourced support helps them meet business objectives. 

Related: How do I effectively leverage hybrid agency models to maximize marketing outcomes?

Budgeting for SEO in 2026

In 2025, Gartner found that SEO claimed about 9% of the total digital marketing budget, and was the top recipient of budget in the owned/earned media category.

Still, SEO budgets rarely match the scale of search, display and/or social advertising. 

In 2026, companies should take a fresh look at their digital marketing mix, using SEO to offset the rising costs of paid media and to create a more sustainable strategy. 

Remember, though, that advertising, even though it plays a critical role in the marketing mix, can cost more and have less ROI over time. 

A 2025 report by Content Square found that the organic channel is the top driver for traffic, with 26% of total traffic coming from organic search versus about 23% of paid traffic.

This datapoint is interesting, but it doesn’t paint the full picture of why SEO is critical in the coming year. 

With the modern search results being a battlefield for attention and clicks, smart brands are doubling down on a SERP Visibility framework that helps them dominate every corner of the search results. 

SERP Visibility is about owning multiple placements on page one of the search results, so brands can show up in the moments that matter, like:

• I want to know… (research moments).
• I want to go… (local intent).
• I want to do… (how-to or action-based).
• I want to buy… (purchase intent).

With AI Overviews driving fewer clicks, only the brands with a fresh SEO strategy in 2026 will have a chance to compete in search.

I discuss SEO budgeting in further detail in my article on Search Engine Land, where I give tips on things like forecasting, justifying SEO budgets, working more efficiently and proving SEO’s worth.  

Related: How do I make confident decisions on partnerships, programs and investments that accelerate my growth in 2026?

Final Thoughts

As marketing leaders gear up for the year ahead, two questions dominate: where to spend and who to partner with. 

Whether it’s spending more on marketing programs and tech, adopting hybrid agency models or investing in SEO to offset rising ad costs and compete in a complicated SERP, marketing leaders are preparing for growth. 

If 2025 was about efficiency, 2026 is about smart expansion. Hopefully, the benchmarks shared here give you a starting point as you map out your own strategy.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you create a flexible, data-driven digital SEO budget.

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Quick Solutions

• How do I ensure my marketing budget aligns with both growth opportunities and ROI goals in 2026?
• How do I effectively leverage hybrid agency models to maximize marketing outcomes?
• How do I make confident decisions on partnerships, programs, and investments that accelerate my growth in 2026?

FAQ: How Do I Create a Flexible Digital Marketing Budget That Adapts to Changes?

Creating a flexible digital marketing budget requires several key steps. 

First, regularly audit all marketing channels to find out which ones are delivering the best results. 

This includes analyzing metrics such as cost-per-lead, conversion rates and overall ROI. 

Then you can allocate resources more efficiently.  

Second, maintain a balance between stability and adaptability. 

While it’s important to have a core budget that supports your long-term goals, setting aside a portion of the budget for experimental campaigns or emerging trends gives room for new opportunities. 

Third, collaborate with external agencies to enhance the effectiveness of your budget. 

In-house teams bring brand consistency and a deep knowledge of the business, while agencies bring specialized expertise and the ability to scale. 

Finally, analytics and dashboards help you make data-driven decisions about budget. 

When you treat your budget as a living resource that evolves with the data, you can help ensure that your marketing efforts stay effective.

12-Step Action Plan for Creating a Flexible Marketing Budget

The following are just some of the steps you can take to create a flexible marketing budget that adjusts with priorities: 

1. Audit all current marketing channels to assess performance and identify underperforming channels; consider reallocating resources or making strategy adjustments.
2. Analyze historical data to understand trends and predict future performance, then estimate costs for each marketing channel based on past data and future projections.
3. Define clear short-term and long-term marketing goals, and be sure to align marketing goals with overall business objectives.
4. Conduct competitor analysis to benchmark spending and strategies.
5. Allocate a portion of the budget for paid media campaigns, invest in high-quality content to engage audiences and dedicate resources to SEO for long-term organic growth.
6. Foster collaboration between in-house teams and external agencies while at the same time encouraging cross-departmental collaboration to align marketing efforts.
7. Establish a contingency fund for unexpected opportunities, but test new marketing channels or strategies on a small scale before full implementation.
8. Use analytics tools to monitor campaign performance in real-time, and regularly review and adjust the budget based on performance data.
9. Make sure to train staff on using analytics tools to interpret data effectively.
10. Share budget plans and performance metrics with stakeholders, and show the impact of marketing efforts on overall business growth.
11. Document lessons learned from past campaigns to inform future decisions.
12. Continuously refine the budget to maximize ROI.

About Us

Bruce Clay Inc. has been a pioneer in the digital marketing industry since 1996, offering expert services in SEO, PPC, content development and analytics. Our team is dedicated to helping businesses achieve their marketing goals through innovative strategies and personalized solutions. Learn more about our history and services at our About Us page.

Bruce Clay is founder and president of Bruce Clay Inc., a global digital marketing firm providing search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media marketing, SEO-friendly web architecture, and SEO tools and education. Connect with him on LinkedIn or through the BruceClay.com website.

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