Why the 95/5 Rule Is the Wake-Up Call B2B Marketing Needed
For years, B2B marketing operated under the simple assumption that leads would follow if you built the right funnel.
Marketers invested heavily in gated whitepapers, email nurture campaigns, and perfectly segmented ads—all in pursuit of the mythical “marketing-qualified lead” (MQL). But over time, those leads have become more expensive, harder to convert, and less reliable.
It’s not that buyers disappeared—our strategy stopped aligning with how they make decisions.
That’s where the 95/5 Rule, popularized by the LinkedIn B2B Institute, comes in.
What Is the 95/5 Rule?
According to research conducted by the B2B Institute in partnership with Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, only 5% of potential B2B buyers are in the market at any time. The remaining 95% are out-of-market, not actively shopping for your service, but still very much part of your addressable audience.
This means that when you run lead-gen campaigns aimed solely at capturing sales-ready buyers, you’re speaking to just 5% of your potential market—and ignoring everyone else.
In their report, “The 95:5 Rule: Why Long-Term Thinking Wins in B2B,” the B2B Institute argues that brand-building is essential for engaging the 95% who aren’t ready to buy now, but might be in six months, a year, or three years.
So, What Should Marketers Do?
We need to flip the script.
Instead of obsessing over short-term conversions, savvy marketers should invest in building memory, trust, and brand awareness—the key drivers behind long-term growth.
The B2B Institute refers to this as “mental availability”: the likelihood buyers will think of your brand when they’re finally ready to purchase.
To build mental availability, you need:
- Consistent branding
- Emotional and creative advertising
- Messaging that resonates over time, not just in the moment
And yes, it requires patience. But it’s also one of the most effective ways to build a business that thrives over the long haul.
What Happens When You Focus Only on the 5%?
Companies that exclusively chase short-term demand often fall into the trap of high-cost, low-yield marketing.
Their ads become repetitive, their audience shrinks, and their pipeline becomes volatile. The moment the budget tightens, lead volume plummets.
Worse, when the 95% are finally ready to buy, they don’t even remember you were an option.
Why the 95/5 Rule Matters Now More Than Ever
Between digital saturation, shifting buyer habits, and longer sales cycles, B2B buyers are harder to reach and convert.
Today’s buyers spend less time talking to salespeople and more time doing their research. They ask peers for recommendations, search on LinkedIn, and turn to AI tools for answers. By the time they hit your website, they’ve already decided.
So, how do you make sure they remember you?
By marketing consistently to the 95%. That means brand-building through video, thought leadership, social content, and a modern, well-structured website.
The B2B Institute’s findings show that advertising works best when it’s built for reach, not just frequency. Their research found that someone in-market only needs to see your ad about 1.3 times to take action. That’s why reach, not repetition, is now the smarter investment.
Our Take at Hot Dog Marketing
We’ve embraced this thinking in how we help our clients. We no longer focus on short-term lead-gen tactics alone—we build brands that people remember.
That means a website that reflects your expertise, a video strategy that puts your thought leadership front and center, creative that breaks through the noise, and messaging that resonates with your ideal customer over time.
When the 95% finally becomes the 5%, they’ll already know who you are—and why they should choose you.
Final Thought:
The 95/5 Rule isn’t just a theory. It’s a practical shift in how the best B2B marketers think about growth.
So ask yourself: Are you building for the long-term, or burning budget on buyers who aren’t ready yet?
It’s time to start building memory, not just leads.
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Want to see how we’re helping B2B brands grow with a 95/5 mindset? Let’s chat.