Summary: choosing a B2B marketing agency
A B2B marketing agency helps companies that sell to other companies get more leads, quotes and customers. That calls for a different approach than marketing to consumers: business buyers decide with several people, do a lot of research on their own and talk to a supplier late. According to Gartner, B2B buyers spend only 17% of their buying journey talking to potential suppliers. So choose an agency that steers on leads and revenue, connects your CRM to the data and picks the channels that suit your customer. At Game-changers that starts from €500 per month excl. VAT, with no set-up fee. Request a free analysis.
- What it is: an agency that does marketing for companies that sell to companies.
- Why different: buyers decide with several people and research on their own first; 95% are not ready to buy right now.
- What to check: goals in leads and revenue, connected data, fitting channels, accounts in your name and real cases.
- Cost: at Game-changers from €500 per month excl. VAT, plus your media budget paid directly to the platform.
What does a B2B marketing agency do?
A B2B marketing agency makes sure the right companies find you, trust you and get in touch. In practice it comes down to four things: deciding who your ideal customer is, being visible where that customer searches and scrolls, turning visitors into enquiries and measuring which campaign really delivers customers. According to Ahrefs, Dutch people search about 400 times a month for “b2b marketing bureau” and another 400 times for “b2b marketingbureau”. The difference from a general agency is not in the tools but in the way of thinking: long decision processes, several decision makers and steering on revenue instead of clicks.
What is B2B marketing and why does it work differently?
B2B marketing is marketing for companies that sell products or services to other companies. The buyer is not a consumer ordering on impulse, but a team weighing a risk. Three studies show what that means. Gartner reports that buyers spend only 17% of their time talking to potential suppliers. 6sense found that European buyers in 2025 only talked to a seller once 58% of their buying journey had passed, and that in 75% of cases the supplier they contacted first won.
The third study comes from the LinkedIn B2B Institute: at any moment only 5% of your potential business buyers are ready to buy. The other 95% will only buy later. A good B2B agency therefore splits the work into two jobs: being found now by the 5% who are searching, and making sure the 95% know you by the time they start buying.
What should you look for when choosing a B2B marketing agency?
These are the five points we would check ourselves if we had to choose an agency. Simply ask about them in the first conversation.
1. The agency steers on leads and revenue
Ask which number the agency reports every month. If it is about clicks, reach and impressions, the agency measures activity rather than results. In B2B you want to know how many enquiries, meetings and customers a campaign delivers, and what one lead costs.
2. Forms and CRM are connected to your data
Because a B2B sale takes weeks or months, you only see the result in your CRM. A good agency makes sure every enquiry arrives in your CRM with its source and that Google Ads and LinkedIn learn from real leads. Start with the basics using our tracking and GA4 checklist.
3. The channels suit your customer
An agency that has the same package for every client is not looking at your market. If your customer actively searches for your service, Google Ads and SEO make sense. If you need to reach a specific job function in a specific industry, LinkedIn fits better.
4. Accounts and data are in your name
Your ad accounts, Analytics and Tag Manager should belong to you, with the agency as a user. Then you take everything with you if you ever switch, and you keep sight of what happens to your budget.
5. There are real cases with figures
Ask for results with similar clients, with a figure and a client name. Nice logos without results say little. An agency that measures its own work can show it too.
Which B2B marketing channels work?
There is no fixed list, but three channels come back most often in B2B. According to LinkedIn Help, LinkedIn lets you target by company, job function, industry and company size, among other things; also read what LinkedIn advertising costs. Google Ads puts you in front of the 5% who are searching now; read what Google Ads costs. SEO keeps you findable without paying per click; read what SEO costs.
Our research: what Google shows for “b2b marketingbureau”
On 9 November 2026 we used DataForSEO to look at the search results for “b2b marketingbureau” in Google Netherlands. At the top was an AI answer, below it a map with 3 agencies and 9 regular results. Of those 9, 4 were explanations or blogs, 3 were lists or comparisons and only 2 were an agency’s own page. So searchers first want to understand what B2B marketing is and compare agencies. That fits the research by Gartner and 6sense: buyers do most of the work on their own before they call anyone.
What does it deliver?
Steering on results instead of clicks works in every market. At Rug expertise centrum the cost per booked consultation fell by 46% with social advertising. Deurklinkshop achieved the same order value with 4 times less ad spend and made 131% more profit. The principle is the same in B2B: measure what a customer costs and move budget to what works.
“In B2B I often see agencies reporting on clicks and impressions, while management wants to know how many quotes and customers it delivers. That is why we first connect the forms and the CRM to the data. Only when you can see which campaign delivered a customer can you split your budget fairly across LinkedIn, Google and SEO.”
What does a B2B marketing agency cost?
The costs consist of two parts: the agency and your media budget. At Game-changers you pay the media budget directly to LinkedIn or Google, so you always see what happens to your money. Want to know whether you are better off doing it yourself? Read about outsourcing marketing or choosing the best marketing agency.
At Game-changers every service, such as social media advertising, Google advertising or SEO and AEO (also called AI SEO), starts from €500 per month excl. VAT, for which we work at least 4 hours per month for you. Data and tracking is included as standard. Combine services and it becomes cheaper. There is no set-up fee. Request a free analysis.
Frequently asked questions about a B2B marketing agency
What does a B2B marketing agency do?
A B2B marketing agency helps companies that sell to companies get more leads, quotes and customers. It defines your ideal customer, makes sure you are visible where that customer searches and measures which campaign really delivers customers.
What is B2B marketing?
B2B marketing is marketing for companies that sell products or services to other companies. B2B stands for business-to-business. The buyer is a team making a business decision, not a consumer.
What is the difference between B2B and B2C marketing?
B2B targets companies, B2C targets consumers. In B2B several people decide, a purchase takes longer and it is more about trust and return. In B2C one person often buys, faster and more on feeling.
What does a B2B marketing agency cost?
At Game-changers a service starts from €500 per month excl. VAT, with at least 4 hours of work per month. On top of that comes your media budget, which you pay directly to the platform. There is no set-up fee. Request a free analysis.
How much budget do you need for B2B marketing?
That depends on your market and your channels. Besides the agency cost, plan a media budget large enough to measure enough leads within a few months. Start small, measure what a customer costs and scale what works.
Which B2B marketing channels should I use?
Choose channels based on how your customer searches and where they are. If your customer searches actively, Google Ads and SEO work. If you need to reach a job function in an industry, LinkedIn fits.
Does LinkedIn advertising work for B2B?
Yes, especially if you want to reach a specific job function, industry or company size. LinkedIn lets you target on those traits. Clicks there are more expensive than on other channels, so measure carefully what a lead costs.
How do I find high-quality B2B leads?
By defining your ideal customer sharply and targeting your campaigns at them. Connect your forms to your CRM so you can see which leads become customers. Then move budget to the campaigns with the best leads.
How do you apply B2B lead generation effectively?
Combine being found by buyers searching now with becoming known to buyers who buy later. Offer something valuable, such as an analysis or a checklist, and follow up every enquiry quickly. Measure results in leads and customers, not clicks.
How does B2B SEO work?
B2B SEO makes sure you are found for the keywords and questions of business buyers. You create pages per service and articles that answer their questions. Because buyers do a lot of research themselves, your knowledge is then ready for them.
How do I create a B2B marketing plan?
Start with your ideal customer and who decides within that company. Then choose channels, a budget and a goal in leads or revenue. Agree on how you measure and check every month what works.
What is a DMU in B2B?
A DMU, or decision making unit, is the group of people who together decide on a business purchase. Think of a user, a budget holder, a buyer and a director. Your marketing has to convince each of them.
How long does B2B marketing take to deliver results?
With Google Ads and LinkedIn you usually see the first leads within a few weeks. SEO usually takes several months. Because a B2B sale takes long, you often see the revenue later than the lead.
How do you measure the results of B2B marketing?
By putting every enquiry with its source into your CRM and following it to a customer. Then you see per campaign what a lead and what a customer costs. Clicks and reach say little about results.
What is B2B marketing automation?
B2B marketing automation is software that automatically sends emails and content based on what a lead does. This keeps you in touch with buyers during a long decision process. It works best when your CRM and forms are properly connected.
What should you look for when choosing a B2B marketing agency?
Look at five things: steering on leads and revenue, connected data and CRM, channels that suit your customer, accounts in your name and real cases with figures. Ask in the first conversation what one customer costs through their campaigns.
Sources
15 September 2020
6sense, How European B2B Buying Journeys Differ (and Don’t) From the Rest
viewed 9 November 2026
LinkedIn B2B Institute, The 95-5 Rule
viewed 9 November 2026
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Help, Targeting options for LinkedIn Ads
viewed 9 November 2026
DataForSEO SERP API, own measurement Google Netherlands
9 November 2026
Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Dutch search volume
9 November 2026
Over de auteur
About the author
Annefleur van Osta
Online marketing strateeg bij Game-changers. Schreef dit artikel en houdt de prijzen en bronnen actueel.
Online marketing strategist at Game-changers. Wrote this article and keeps the prices and sources up to date.
