Abbey is a digital marketer, copywriter, and lead editor. She has worked on over 200 client campaigns and WebFX, and she specializes in marketing strategy analysis and industry-specific digital marketing plans. Outside of writing and editing, you’ll likely find her taking pictures of her cat, making a new playlist, or tending to her houseplants.
The future of lead generation changes as technology and strategies evolve. That’s where knowing lead generation trends can come in handy.
This page will break down 10 different trends in lead generation for 2025. These apply to business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies:
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1. Focus on AI personalization
First on our list of lead generation trends is AI personalization, which is no shock if you’ve been paying attention the last few years.
AI is expanding beyond personal use — companies are creating tech that helps businesses find, nurture, and convert their leads. As this technology improves, it becomes more accessible, and more and more companies are trying it.
But how can you use AI personalization to generate leads? Here are a few ways:
Predictive analytics: Companies can use AI to analyze data and predict what leads will likely convert.
Upselling suggestion: Ecommerce companies can add sections that suggest other related products when users check out.
Lead scoring: AI software can accurately score leads to help companies target users most likely to convert.
Along with these methods, AI can optimize your workflow and help you offer better services to new and existing customers. Regardless of how it’s incorporated, AI is on the rise for 2025 and beyond.
2. Increased focus on cultivating customer relationships
With the surge of AI tools comes more pressure for companies to keep up. AI tools have their place in boosting productivity, but the ultimate goal with these tools is to help us provide a better user experience.
Expert insights from
Kevin RandolphInternet Marketing Analyst at Nutshell
“With the rise of AI, highly personal, human-centric lead generation channels like reviews and word-of-mouth referrals are becoming even more valuable for brands looking to differentiate themselves. To succeed in these channels, companies need to make cultivating healthy customer relationships a top priority in 2025. That doesn’t mean tech should be avoided, though. In fact, AI-powered CRM tools can help you enhance your customer relationships by providing context, enabling personalization, and encouraging collaboration.”
This lead generation trend reminds us that we are still targeting and working with people, not machines. Our strategies must reflect that. Finding ways to boost the humanity around your company and give your lead generation a personal touch will pay off in 2025.
3. Push for straightforward messaging
Another trend in lead generation is straightforward messaging for B2B and B2C leads.
Customers have more purchasing power than ever — and more options. They’re being hit with so much messaging and promising that it’s hard to discern what company is the best. They don’t want to waste time picking through your content to find your selling points.
Be upfront with why they should choose your business and what they can expect. The more honest you are, the more likely you are to convert them.
Your messaging should avoid:
Confusing or vague language (i.e., “a streamlined solution that promises valuable results”)
Unnecessary jargon
Empty claims
Most of all, you should focus on talking about the user rather than yourself. Leads will be more interested in content that speaks about and to them, rather than reading about your company.
39% of consumers are willing to switch to more transparent brands.
4. Growing generative AI content
AI is also helping companies take control of their content.
Generative AI tools can help businesses create everything from email marketing campaigns to blog posts. In terms of lead generation, this means creating content that can help attract and nurture leads down the pipeline.
For example, if you need help writing an article, you can use tools like ChatGPT to help you come up with an outline:
As these tools become more advanced, companies can integrate them into their strategies to help maximize lead generation while lightening the workload.
5. Shifts for marketing and sales alignment
Another trend in lead generation is the ongoing push for marketing and sales data alignment.
If your marketing and sales data are misaligned, you could miss out on sales and have a false picture of your audience. This lack of communication could also negatively affect customers’ experiences with your company — they could repeat themselves or feel like they’re jumping through multiple hoops, which slows down the sales process.
Expert insights from
Kevin RandolphInternet Marketing Analyst at Nutshell
“Integrating your tech stack or using all-in-one tools so that sales and marketing can share data about what makes a qualified lead. These tools can also make your processes more efficient with automation. For example, Nutshell IQ lets you add new leads directly to your CRM and leverage lead attribution.”
Consider using a single customer relationship management (CRM) platform where both teams can access and update customer data. Your CRM will quickly become a tool for aligning both teams and giving you the right information to push leads through the funnel.
6. Intent-based lead generation
Google’s Helpful Content Update changed the type of information that ranks well in the search engine results pages (SERPs). By focusing more on the searcher and their intent, you can give yourself a better chance at ranking and providing more quality content to users at all stages.
Before, you could rely on any page to rank well and get you into the SERPs. Now, matching search intent is more important than ever. If you’re using search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to generate leads, this content update matters even more.
Your lead generation content should be:
Clear and easy to read
Helpful to users
Accessible on all devices
Intent-focused
7. Growth in omnichannel lead generation strategies
One emerging B2B lead generation trend is omnichannel lead generation.
People are constantly consuming media, whether it’s through search engines, social media, email, or even streaming services. That goes for B2B companies, too — the end user that you end up reaching is still a person consuming content online.
If you want to find the most qualified leads, an omnichannel strategy is a must. You must consider what platforms your end user (even if that’s a business representative) uses, and then create content on those channels.
8. SGE targeting
Google’s SGE is an AI-generated feature that bolsters search results. Users can learn more about a topic without having to click on individual results.
For example, if you Google the best construction equipment, SGE will create a page like this:
For lead generation, that means you have to optimize your content to both reach that feature and get people to click on your page. Plus, this feature encourages companies to create all types of content to rank for all kinds of queries.
9. Increased privacy and security
Another recurring B2B lead generation trend is the request for security and privacy. As users are becoming more aware of their data (and how companies are using it), it’s essential to provide them with a safe, honest experience.
Some ways to do that while generating leads include:
Allowing users to select the cookies they use on your site
Never sharing or making user contact information public
Encrypting emails and only sending high-quality ones
Making sure your website is secure, especially if you offer transactions
10. Push for conversational content
The last trend to note for lead generation is the importance of conversational content. We touched on this with Google’s SGE, but making your content conversational and more intent-focused is crucial for finding and keeping new users.
You want to be upfront in your messaging, but be thoughtful, too. Instead of focusing on immediate conversion, your goal should be long-term satisfaction with your company, whether a lead is doing research, a repeat customer, or a newly encountered user.
You can use conversational content in your blog posts, landing pages, and even your emails. The point is to rank well in Google’s changing algorithm and keep users interested in your company.
The top lead generation trends for 2025 include AI personalization, cultivating customer relationships, straightforward messaging, generative AI content, marketing and sales alignment, intent-based lead generation, omnichannel strategies, SGE targeting, increased privacy and security, and conversational content.
AI personalization uses predictive analytics, upselling suggestions, and lead scoring to help businesses find, nurture, and convert leads more effectively by tailoring experiences to individual user needs.
Building strong customer relationships fosters trust, drives word-of-mouth referrals, and differentiates brands, especially as AI automates more interactions. Human-centric channels, supported by AI-powered CRM tools, are key in 2025.
Intent-based lead generation focuses on creating content and campaigns that directly address the specific needs and search intent of users, which helps improve rankings and conversion rates.
SGE (Search Generative Experience) targeting involves optimizing content for new AI-driven search features that summarize information. Businesses must create comprehensive content to appear in these results and attract qualified leads.
With users increasingly aware of data usage, companies must prioritize privacy and security by protecting user data, offering cookie choices, encrypting emails, and ensuring website security to build trust and comply with regulations.
Alignment between marketing and sales ensures both teams share accurate data on qualified leads, streamlines processes, improves customer experience, and increases the likelihood of conversion.
Still selling out of spreadsheets?
Nutshell CRM helps sales team close more deals by automating and organizing your sales leads.
Understanding lead generation trends is one thing — implementing them is another. If you want help making sure your lead generation tactics are up to speed, turn to WebFX.
As a digital marketing agency with 29, we offer omnichannel lead generation tactics that incorporate the latest technology, like the Nutshell CRM. Our CRM and lead generation services can help you align your sales and marketing data to find, nurture, and convert with ease.
Craft a tailored online marketing strategy! Utilize our free Internet marketing calculator for a custom plan based on your location, reach, timeframe, and budget.
Craft a tailored online marketing strategy! Utilize our free Internet marketing calculator for a custom plan based on your location, reach, timeframe, and budget.
Kevin RandolphInternet Marketing Analyst at Nutshell
“With the rise of AI, highly personal, human-centric lead generation channels like reviews and word-of-mouth referrals are becoming even more valuable for brands looking to differentiate themselves. To succeed in these channels, companies need to make cultivating healthy customer relationships a top priority in 2025. That doesn’t mean tech should be avoided, though. In fact, AI-powered CRM tools can help you enhance your customer relationships by providing context, enabling personalization, and encouraging collaboration.”
Expert insights from
Kevin RandolphInternet Marketing Analyst at Nutshell
“Integrating your tech stack or using all-in-one tools so that sales and marketing can share data about what makes a qualified lead. These tools can also make your processes more efficient with automation. For example, Nutshell IQ lets you add new leads directly to your CRM and leverage lead attribution.”
Abbey is a digital marketer, copywriter, and lead editor. She has worked on over 200 client campaigns and WebFX, and she specializes in marketing strategy analysis and industry-specific digital marketing plans. Outside of writing and editing, you’ll likely find her taking pictures of her cat, making a new playlist, or tending to her houseplants.
