It’s that time of year when everyone seems to be saying, “How is it May already?” Back in January, we set ambitious goals. Since then, five months of strategy, execution, and adapting to a fast-moving world have flown by.
Now’s the moment to ask: Are our strategies working? Are we still on track to hit those year-end goals we were so excited about in January?
Mid-year is the ideal time to pause, reflect, and conduct a comprehensive B2B marketing audit. By evaluating what’s working (and what isn’t), you can adjust your approach, sharpen your tactics, and maximize your momentum for the second half of the year.
Table of Contents
- Check-Ins Matter
- Key Areas of Focus
- Common Red Flags Uncovered
- How to Course Correct
- Marketing Plan Tactics
- How Agencies Can Help
Why Check-Ins Matter to Your B2B Marketing Goals
In B2B organizations, a lot can change in six months. With long sales cycles, waiting until year-end to pivot is often too late. A mid-year check-in allows you to make meaningful adjustments that influence this year’s revenue. It also helps you stay aligned with shifting buyer behavior. New platforms, tools, and preferences may have emerged since January, and your strategy needs to meet buyers where they are.
A check-in also helps you avoid costly delays by catching small issues before they become major problems. Whether reallocating budget, refreshing campaigns, or accelerating stalled deals, a proactive tune-up protects your pipeline and keeps competitors in the rearview mirror.
Key Areas of Focus in a Mid-Year B2B Marketing Audit
A mid-year marketing audit is your strategy’s performance review. It reveals what’s working, what’s falling short, and where to pivot. As you assess progress, focus on these seven areas:
- Goal Progress: Revisit the goals you set at the start of the year: lead targets, pipeline value, and revenue contribution. Are you at least 50% of the way to your KPIs? If not, it’s time to adjust tactics and refocus efforts to close the gap before year-end.
- Lead Quality & Pipeline Health: Are your leads moving through the funnel? Metrics like MQL to SQL conversion, sales velocity, and average deal size reveal the health of your pipeline and the effectiveness of your nurturing efforts.
- Campaign Performance: Analyze which campaigns are driving results and which aren’t. Look at channel performance and evaluate ROI by tactic. These insights help you refine your mix and prioritize high-return efforts moving forward.
- Content Strategy Review: Which formats are resonating? Is your content still aligned with customer pain points and current market needs? Audit for gaps across personas and buyer stages to ensure you meet prospects wherever they are in the journey.
- Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Effective ABM requires precision and alignment. Review engagement across target accounts and confirm that sales and marketing are in sync. Consider refreshing your account list to reflect shifting priorities or market changes.
- Brand & Messaging Consistency: Audit your messaging across touchpoints like web, email, social, and sales. Does it still reflect your brand and resonate in today’s landscape? Now’s a smart time to realign and reinforce a consistent, relevant voice.
- Tech Stack & Operations Check: Assess your MarTech tools. Are they helping or hindering? Perform a CRM hygiene audit to ensure your data is clean and actionable. Review automation workflows to uncover missed opportunities for nurturing or efficiencies.
Common Red Flags Uncovered in B2B Marketing Audits
As you conduct your mid-year marketing audit, it’s important not only to evaluate what’s going well but also to spot warning signs that your strategy may be off course. Here are some common red flags that indicate it’s time to dig deeper and make strategic adjustments:
🚩 Lead volume is high, but opportunity creation is low. If you’re generating plenty of leads but not converting them, your targeting, nurturing, or qualification may be misaligned.
🚩 Sales is questioning lead quality. Consistent feedback or complaints can signal a disconnect between lead gen efforts and what sales needs to close.
🚩 Your pipeline is stagnant or shrinking. Lack of momentum or a declining pipeline may mean leads are stalling mid-funnel or your messaging isn’t compelling enough to move them.
🚩 MQL to SQL conversion rates are dropping. A decline in this key metric often reflects issues with lead qualification criteria, lead scoring accuracy, or insufficient follow-up processes.
🚩 Major channels are underperforming compared to benchmarks. If core channels deliver below-average results, it could be a sign that your creative, targeting, or strategy needs a refresh.
🚩 There’s a lack of B2B marketing and sales alignment: Misalignment on target accounts, messaging, or handoff processes creates friction that can derail even strong campaigns.
How to Course Correct If You’re Falling Behind on Your B2B Marketing Goals
If your mid-year audit shows you’re falling short of your B2B marketing goals, don’t panic—it’s not too late to course correct. Here’s how we’d help you get back on track.
- Reprioritize High-Impact Activities
- Double down on top-performing channels and campaigns driving engagement, conversions, or revenue.
- Pause or pivot underperforming tactics to free up resources for better opportunities.
- Optimize Buyer Journeys
- Tighten nurture sequences to better guide leads through the funnel. For ideas, explore our guide on proven B2B email marketing strategies.
- Personalize outreach and retargeting using segmentation, behavior triggers, or industry-specific messaging to improve engagement.
- Align More Closely with Sales
- Create regular feedback loops with the sales team to sync on lead quality, objections, and deal drivers.
- Refine lead scoring models to ensure your team passes the right leads at the right time.
- Adjust Messaging & Offers
- Revalidate customer pain points now that the first half of the year has passed.
- Launch mid-year campaigns with new promotions, timely content, or refreshed value propositions.
- Refine Targeting
- Update personas or account lists based on recent performance and emerging opportunities.
- Incorporate intent data or revisit segmentation criteria to make your outreach smarter and more timely.
Marketing Plan Tactics for a Strong Q3 & Q4
Armed with audit insights and corrective actions, now’s the time to plan proactively for a strong second half. Use these forward-looking tactics to set the stage for success:
- Create a revised action plan with specific, measurable deliverables aligned to mid-year insights and shifting business priorities to keep marketing efforts focused.
- Set realistic yet ambitious Q3 targets based on performance data and emerging customer or market trends, pushing the team to stretch goals while remaining achievable.
- Launch “quick win” campaigns to close immediate pipeline gaps—think retargeting, email nurtures, or timely promos that turn warm leads into active opportunities.
- Leverage fall event strategies to accelerate pipeline growth by identifying high-ROI opportunities for strategic participation in conferences, trade shows, or webinars.
- Start building Q4 campaigns now, prioritizing high-consideration offers and longer nurture tracks to drive strong year-end results and early momentum for 2025.
How a B2B Marketing Agency Can Help
The mid-year overwhelm is real, and that’s okay. We’re right there with you, deep in our own evaluations. Many marketing teams find that by June, they could use an extra set of experienced hands to help steer a pivot. That’s where a B2B marketing agency can make all the difference. Here’s how the right partner can support you:
- Objective, Data-Driven Audit to Surface Gaps & Opportunities
- Strategic Recalibration Informed by Benchmarks & Best Practices
- Execution Support for Smarter Campaigns, Sharper Content & Stronger Nurtures
- CRM Cleanup, Automation Tuning & Analytics That Power Better Decisions
As we head into June, the message is simple: don’t wait. A mid-year course correction isn’t a setback—it’s the sign of a smart, agile team. If you haven’t done a check-in yet, now’s the time. The sooner you assess and adjust, the better your chances of hitting your year-end B2B goals.
Approach this moment with both urgency and optimism. Urgency, because there’s still time to influence 2025 results. Optimism, because meaningful change is still within reach. Let Sagefrog help you move fast, act smart, and finish strong.
