Reduce Marketing Waste and Boost ROI

Marketing waste is like a leaky faucet—a slow, continuous drain on your budget, resources, and team energy. For B2B marketers, the impact of this waste can be huge, especially when efforts don’t deliver measurable results. But the good news? It’s preventable.

Let’s dive into the most common types of marketing waste and provide actionable tips to help you maximize your budget and drive higher returns in 2025.

Three costly types of marketing waste: Content, channels, and strategy

1. Content waste

According to SiriusDecisions, 60 to 70% of B2B content goes unused by sales teams. That white paper or video series you invested in? If it’s not being properly distributed or leveraged across channels, it’s a waste of opportunity—and budget.

Indicators of content waste

• High content production but low engagement
• Content that’s difficult for sales teams to access or use
• One-and-done content that isn’t repurposed

2. Channel waste

Are you pouring ad dollars into channels that aren’t delivering? Gartner reports that more than 25% of marketing budgets are wasted on ineffective channels or strategies. If your audience isn’t responding, your investment is essentially being set on fire.

Indicators of channel waste

• Low conversion rates from paid ads
• Minimal traffic and engagement on targeted platforms
• High spend with low visibility into performance metrics

3. Strategy waste

Too many marketers focus on executing tactics without aligning them to a larger business goal. A McKinsey study found that companies that integrate strategy and execution effectively see 20 to 30% higher marketing ROI. Without alignment, campaigns become a flurry of disconnected efforts with little measurable impact.

Indicators of strategy waste

• Lack of clear KPIs or business outcomes for marketing initiatives
• Siloed teams working on independent efforts
• Overreliance on “vanity metrics” like impressions or clicks

Stop wasting your marketing budget: Three smart moves

1. Audit and optimize regularly

Stop working blindly. Conduct regular audits of your campaigns, content, and channels to understand what’s working and what’s not. This doesn’t need to be overwhelming—even a quarterly review of your top-performing assets can reveal where you should focus more resources.

Key audit areas

• Content performance metrics: Identify the top 10% of assets generating leads and conversions.
• Channel ROI: Evaluate which platforms drive actual revenue, not just traffic.
• Budget allocation: Ensure resources are going to areas aligned with your goals.

Pro tip

Use attribution models to track the customer journey across touchpoints and pinpoint where to optimize spend.

2. Repurpose high-value content

The biggest marketing myth?: that you need to create new content constantly. Instead, focus on squeezing more value out of your existing high-performing assets. This can help reduce production costs while increasing engagement.

Examples of content repurposing

• Turn a webinar into bite-sized social video clips.
• Convert a white paper into blog posts, infographics, and LinkedIn posts.
• Create an email series based on key points from a successful e-book.

Did you know?
According to HubSpot, marketers who repurpose content report a 50% increase in efficiency.

3. Double down on high-value accounts

Stop wasting resources on leads that aren’t a good fit. With Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategies, you can target high-value accounts that align with your ideal customer profile (ICP). This prevents wasted spend and time on low-quality leads.

How to do it

• Use data to identify high-potential accounts.
• Align marketing and sales to prioritize efforts on high-potential accounts.
• Personalize messaging and offers to meet the specific needs of each target account.

Did you know?
Terminus reports that companies using ABM see up to 208% higher revenue from their marketing efforts.

Beat the competition: Reducing marketing waste is a competitive advantage

The B2B marketing landscape is becoming more competitive, and the days of “spray-and-pray” tactics are long gone. To succeed in 2025 and beyond, you need to eliminate waste and focus your budget on activities that drive real results.

Quick recap of key takeaways:

• Audit before you act: Identify what’s working and double down on it.
• Repurpose content: Maximize the lifespan and impact of your high-performing assets.
• Focus on high-value accounts: Prioritize marketing spend where it will have the greatest impact.

By tightening up your strategy and cutting down on waste, you’ll not only save budget—you’ll improve your team’s efficiency and make a bigger impact on your bottom line.

What’s your biggest marketing time waster, and how do you tackle it? Let’s talk.