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10 Best B2B Marketing Agencies When You’re Switching From an Underperforming Agency (2026)

by 

Areej Gutale

Last updated: October 15th, 2026

Updated October 2026

Quick Summary

For a B2B company with a complex sales cycle that is switching from an underperforming agency, the best options are Powered by Search, Gripped, and Kalungi. Powered by Search ranks first for a lean B2B marketing team that wants a strategic, proactive, self-driving partner running the full B2B growth stack under one integrated pod, bought as qualified pipeline delivered to sales.

Before you pick a new agency, confirm the old one was the problem. Many switches fail because the real cause was strategy or tracking, and the next agency inherits it.

Finding the Best B2B Marketing Agency When You're Switching

A switch is expensive. You lose months of account history, the new team needs access and context, and paid campaigns re-enter learning. The 6sense 2025 Buyer Experience Report puts the average B2B buying cycle at 10.1 months, so a program that resets every year never sees a full cycle through to closed-won.

Diagnose the failure before you shortlist. Three causes look the same from the outside:

• Agency failure. The plan was sound, but execution was slow, junior, or siloed. Paid and SEO ran as separate teams. Nobody raised problems before you found them. A new agency fixes this.

• Strategy failure. The agency executed what you asked for, but the targeting, offer, or channel mix was wrong. A new agency that also waits for your brief will fail the same way. Look for one that challenges the plan.

• Tracking failure. Leads arrived, but nobody could tell which ones turned into opportunities. Offline conversions never reached the ad platforms, so bidding optimized for form fills. Fix the measurement first, or the next agency will be judged on the same blind numbers.

Then check what you own. Ad accounts, analytics, CRM data, landing pages, and creative should sit in accounts your company controls. If the outgoing agency owns any of them, plan the handover before you give notice.

Finally, judge proof the way you judge your own pipeline. Ask each finalist for a named client that switched to them from another agency, and what changed in sales-qualified leads or pipeline, not just in clicks or MQLs.

Why Trust Us?

Powered by Search has run B2B marketing programs for companies with complex sales cycles for 17 years, serving 200+ B2B clients across SaaS, cybersecurity, fintech, healthtech, and industrial technology. We publish this guide and sell integrated B2B marketing services; first place below is our editorial recommendation for a defined buyer situation, not an independent market ranking.

We reviewed public service pages, case studies, and pricing for every agency against three deciding criteria for a B2B company switching agencies:

1. Breadth of integrated execution. How many of the following sit inside one SOW: paid search and paid social, SEO and content, GEO and AI-search visibility, landing pages and conversion, marketing automation, and qualified-pipeline reporting. A switch is the cheapest moment to stop coordinating several vendors.

2. Published pricing and account-control clarity. Whether tier prices, minimum terms, and account ownership are on the public site. Buyers leaving a bad engagement should know the commercial terms before the first call.

3. B2B tenure and pipeline-grade proof. Years operating as a B2B agency and named cases reporting sales-qualified leads, opportunities, pipeline, or revenue.

The 10 Best B2B Marketing Agencies for Switching: Full Comparison

1. Powered by Search

Powered by Search is a B2B marketing agency for companies with complex sales cycles. Paid media, SEO, content, GEO, landing pages, conversion, marketing automation, and CRM-integrated pipeline reporting run inside one SOW, with the client retaining control of ad accounts, CRM, analytics, and creative.

The model answers the most common reasons a B2B agency underperforms: separate teams for paid and organic, nobody connecting the work to pipeline, and a partner that waits for instructions. One strategic, self-driving pod runs the full inbound stack under one accountable Director, with one reporting layer connecting cost per lead to SQLs, opportunities, and pipeline. Because the client owns every account, the handover from the outgoing agency is an access change, not a rebuild.

Best for: A lean B2B marketing team switching from a siloed or junior-staffed agency that wants a strategic, proactive, self-driving partner. The full B2B growth stack under one integrated pod, bought as qualified pipeline delivered to sales.

Key Features:

• Paid search, paid social, and LinkedIn Ads campaign management

• SEO, GEO, and content production tied to lead-scoring criteria

• In-house landing page design, development, and conversion testing

• Marketing automation and lifecycle nurture across HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot

• CRM-fed lead scoring returning MQL, SQL, opportunity, and closed-won stages to bidding and content decisions

• Client-controlled billing, ad accounts, CRM, and creative library

Pros:

• Widest integrated scope in this comparison. Paid + SEO + GEO + content + landing pages + lifecycle + attribution + pipeline reporting under one SOW

• Published tier pricing on the public site

• 17 years operating as a B2B agency; 200+ B2B clients across SaaS, cybersecurity, fintech, healthtech, and industrial technology

Cons:

• Powered by Search is a team of 40, not the 200-to-400-person large-agency model. Every person on your account is senior and directly accountable for the work. No junior bench billed against your retainer, no leverage-ratio pricing built into the delivery model. Buyers accustomed to a large-agency org chart may find this counterintuitive at first.

• There is no account director or project manager on Powered by Search accounts. The client works directly with the pod's Director of Demand Generation, a performance marketer, and design and development leads (the subject-matter experts doing the work). Most clients prefer this direct-to-SME model because it makes communication faster and less filtered, but buyers used to an account-director or PM layer may need to adjust.

Named proof: Both cases below describe a switch from a previous agency.

• Collibra. Natalia Ekisheva, Director of Performance Marketing, describes the agency Collibra worked with before: "The collaboration between the teams in the previous agency was disjointed. There was a lack of communication and cohesion." On why Collibra moved: "We wanted a smoother, more cohesive execution, and we wanted to work with experts who had knowledge of the space." The Collibra case study reports a 20% reduction in cost per lead, and in Q2 2023 Collibra exceeded its new-business attributed pipeline target and its paid media leads target.

• Projul. With a previous agency, Projul's growth rate fell from 13% to 2%. After it hired Powered by Search, monthly revenue growth returned to 13%, according to the Projul story on our paid ads page. Stephan Foos, Chief Product Officer: "We give you a dollar, you make us three."

Pricing: Paid media management starts at $6,000 per month; SEO and LLM services start at $9,000 per month.

See how Powered by Search takes over B2B programs from a previous agency.

2. Gripped

Gripped works as an outsourced marketing department for B2B software and technology companies. Its public scope joins GTM strategy, paid media, SEO, GEO, content, websites, conversion, marketing technology, and pipeline reporting under one team.

Best for: A Series A through growth-stage software, AI, or technology company switching to an agency whose positioning and public proof concentrate on that market.

Key Features:

• GTM and demand-generation strategy

• Paid media, SEO, GEO, content, and websites

• Conversion and marketing technology

• Pipeline reporting and sales enablement

Pros:

• Category-focused positioning and case set for B2B software, AI, and technology

• Broad integrated scope across strategy, paid, organic, and MarTech

• Published starting pricing on the public site

Cons:

• Most public proof concentrates on Series A and growth-stage software, AI, and technology companies; mid-market or enterprise buyers outside technology should ask for proof from a similar buying process.

• Delivery team is UK-based; buyers requiring North American time-zone overlap should confirm coverage before signing.

Named proof: Blackdot reports £2.1 million in pipeline during its last financial year. Nozzle reports 477% more website sessions and 960% more lead flow over 18 months.

Pricing: Services start at £3,500 per month; broader programs typically run £5,000 to £15,000 per month.

3. Kalungi

Kalungi combines embedded marketing leadership with a cross-channel team for B2B software companies. The full-service offer connects positioning, ABM, paid media, SEO, content, websites, conversion, automation, RevOps, and reporting under one named delivery lead.

Best for: An established B2B software company whose last agency executed tasks without strategic direction, and that can invest in the $50,000-per-month full-service offer.

Key Features:

• GTM strategy and positioning

• ABM, paid media, SEO, and content

• Websites, conversion, and marketing automation

• RevOps, reporting, and named delivery leadership

Pros:

• Embedded fractional CMO paired with cross-channel execution

• Software-focused case set, including a client with a one-person internal marketing team

• Published tier pricing on the public site

Cons:

• Full-service floor at $50,000 per month targets post-product-market-fit software companies at $5M-$50M in annual recurring revenue; earlier-stage or non-software buyers should confirm fit.

• Scope centers on B2B software specifically; buyers in industrial, healthtech, or fintech should confirm operating fit.

Named proof: ArrowStream documents work with a one-person internal marketing team. Avid reports more than $3 million in marketing-sourced pipeline. Patch reports a 1,500% increase in MQLs.

Pricing: Full-service engagements start at $50,000 per month.

4. Sagefrog

Sagefrog serves B2B healthcare, technology, industrial, and business-services companies. The offer combines strategy, brand, websites, content, digital and traditional marketing, and HubSpot with visible service tiers.

Best for: A B2B company leaving an engagement with unclear scope that wants published service tiers, staffing, hours, and meeting cadence before a sales call.

Key Features:

• Strategy, brand, websites, content, and HubSpot

• Digital and traditional marketing

• Published service tiers, hours, staffing, and cadence

Pros:

• Transparent service tiers with hours, staffing, and cadence on the public site

• Long-tenured B2B agency with named cases across multiple sectors

• HubSpot partner delivery

Cons:

• Serves a broad B2B remit spanning healthcare, technology, industrial, and business services rather than complex-cycle software specialization. Buyers wanting a vertical-focused agency should confirm operating fit.

• Published service tiers vary in what they include; buyers should confirm at scoping which tier covers every channel and specialist required.

Named proof: Core Solutions reports 603% more leads, 164% more website traffic, and twice the customer base in one year. Nixon Medical reports 64% more qualified leads and 30% revenue growth.

Pricing: Retainer packages start at $4,950 per month.

5. New North

New North is an integrated agency for small B2B technology teams that sells marketing as three programs: Authority (content, search, and LLM visibility), Reach (distribution, social, and brand-building paid media), and Pursuit (named-account plays across email, LinkedIn, and paid).

Best for: A B2B technology team that wants its next agency's accountability written into the tier, from delivery up to owning the plan and its measurement.

Key Features:

• Brand, content, paid media, ABM, and GEO

• Marketing operations, sales enablement, analytics, and reporting

• Program tiers with set call cadence and turnaround times

• Three programs: Authority, Reach, and Pursuit

Pros:

• Tiers state what the agency is accountable for, from delivery to the plan and its measurement

• Integrated coverage across brand, content, paid, and marketing operations

• Published program pricing

Cons:

• Scope follows the programs you buy; work outside them means adding a program and moving up a tier. Buyers wanting one channel as the specialization should confirm which program covers it.

• Stated focus is B2B technology; buyers in other B2B sectors should confirm operating fit.

Named proof: Hydrian reports 207 sales leads and 5% email engagement. Ricoh reports 84% more organic traffic and 294% better site health.

Pricing: One program from $4,000 to $5,900 per month, two programs from $6,000 to $11,900, and all three from $12,000.

6. Ironpaper

Ironpaper is a New York B2B agency founded in 2003. Its scope covers demand generation, ABM, inbound, content, go-to-market messaging, websites, SEO, PPC, CRM implementation, sales enablement, and funnel analytics.

Best for: A B2B technology company that is unsure whether its last agency, its strategy, or its funnel caused the shortfall, and wants a diagnosis before a new channel plan.

Key Features:

• Marketing audits, research, and sales-funnel analytics

• Demand generation, ABM, and inbound

• Content, SEO, PPC, and websites

• CRM implementation and sales enablement

Pros:

• Funnel-diagnostic work sits inside the public service scope

• Two decades operating as a B2B agency

• Sales-alignment and CRM work alongside demand programs

Cons:

• Stated industry focus is SaaS, IoT, IT and technology, B2B software, and energy; buyers in other B2B sectors should confirm operating fit.

• Pricing is not published; buyers need a scoped quote before comparing investment against tiered alternatives.

Named proof: Ironpaper reports that one B2B technology client achieved a 2.4x increase in SQL conversions through funnel diagnostic work, and that HubSpot work for Goddard Technologies influenced more than $3.5 million in opportunities.

Pricing: Custom pricing after scoping.

7. Walker Sands

Walker Sands works with growth-stage and enterprise B2B companies across strategy, brand, PR, content, paid media, SEO, GEO, automation, demand generation, and RevOps. The scope connects reputation, digital demand, and marketing operations.

Best for: A growth-stage or enterprise B2B company consolidating brand, communications, demand, and RevOps agencies into one partner.

Key Features:

• Strategy, brand, PR, content, and paid media

• SEO, GEO, automation, and demand generation

• RevOps and integrated communications

Pros:

• Combined PR, brand, demand, and RevOps under one agency

• Named growth-stage and enterprise B2B cases with pipeline metrics

• Marketing-operations depth alongside communications

Cons:

• Targets growth-stage and enterprise B2B companies; earlier-stage buyers with a lean marketing team may find the scope and delivery model heavier than needed.

• PR, brand, demand, and RevOps scope is designed for integrated engagements; a channel-only brief will fit a specialist better.

Named proof: Sendbird reports 342 influenced opportunities worth $6.4 million in pipeline and 250 sourced opportunities worth $2.5 million. Billtrust reports a 96% reduction in Salesforce sync time and describes Walker Sands as an extension of its marketing operations team.

Pricing: Custom pricing after scoping.

8. Omniscient Digital

Omniscient Digital is an organic-growth specialist for B2B software companies. The service combines SEO, GEO, content, digital PR, and measurement tied to qualified leads and pipeline.

Best for: A B2B software company whose previous generalist agency underdelivered on organic search, and that wants one specialist across traditional search, AI search, content, and authority work.

Key Features:

• SEO and GEO strategy

• Content production

• Digital PR and authority work

• Organic-growth measurement tied to pipeline

Pros:

• Organic-growth specialization with pipeline-grade measurement

• Named B2B software cases with revenue attribution

• Content and digital PR paired with SEO and GEO

Cons:

• Paid media sits outside the listed service scope; buyers needing coordinated paid and organic execution should plan for a second partner and confirm who owns cross-channel attribution.

• Positioning and case set focus on B2B software specifically; buyers in industrial, healthtech, fintech, or cybersecurity should confirm operating fit.

Named proof: Smartling reports $3.7 million in pipeline, 72% more opportunities attributed to organic traffic, 64% more closed deals year over year, and a 12.8-times return.

Pricing: Engagements start at $10,000 per month.

9. MX

MX is a B2B agency spanning brand, demand, content, ABM, media, digital experience, SEO, conversion, data, and marketing technology. Its breadth fits companies that want creative, media, digital, and technical work coordinated by one agency.

Best for: A B2B company whose brief has outgrown a demand-only agency and now covers brand, buyer experience, and marketing technology.

Key Features:

• Brand, demand, content, and ABM

• Media, SEO, and conversion

• Digital experience, data, and marketing technology

Pros:

• Integrated brand + demand + MarTech scope under one agency

• Data and marketing-technology delivery paired with creative

• Named B2B enterprise cases across multiple sectors

Cons:

• Scope is optimized for integrated brand + demand + digital-experience + marketing-technology engagements; a lean team with a defined single-channel gap will fit a specialist better.

• Public pricing is not on the site; buyers need a scoped quote before evaluating investment fit against tiered alternatives.

Named proof: Envoy reports 98% more new users and 146% more sales-qualified leads. Wheatland Tube reports appointments with 39% of recipients and sales from 62% of those appointments.

Pricing: Custom pricing after scoping.

10. The Starr Conspiracy

The Starr Conspiracy works with B2B technology companies across brand, GTM, demand generation, marketing operations, pipeline analytics, and revenue architecture. The offer connects market positioning with demand and operating infrastructure.

Best for: A B2B technology company whose underperformance traces to positioning, and that needs a defined rebrand or brand-and-website project before demand work.

Key Features:

• Brand and GTM strategy

• ABM, demand generation, paid media, and content

• Marketing operations and pipeline analytics

• Revenue architecture

Pros:

• Brand and GTM specialization with named B2B technology cases

• Combined demand and revenue-architecture scope

• Published monthly subscription option

Cons:

• Scope centers on brand, GTM strategy, and revenue-architecture engagements; buyers wanting demand generation as the primary deliverable inside a lean team should confirm scope emphasis.

• Pricing page lists conflicting project figures ($30,000 and $35,000 for the same engagement); confirm the current number before comparison.

Named proof: Papaya Global reports twice the share of voice and four times monthly website traffic within three months. Mobile Health reports 50,000 new customers and three million new users following its brand and website work.

Pricing: From $15,000 per month as a subscription with a dedicated senior team.

Choosing the Right Agency When You Switch

The right next agency fixes the cause of the last failure. If execution was slow or siloed, buy integrated senior delivery. If strategy was wrong, buy a partner that will challenge your plan. If tracking was broken, make measurement the first deliverable, whoever you hire.

Switching checklist:

1. Name the cause. Write one sentence on why the last agency underperformed: execution, strategy, or tracking. Share it with every finalist and compare their answers.

2. Secure ownership before you give notice. Confirm admin access to ad accounts, analytics, tag manager, CRM, and landing pages, and export creative and reporting history.

3. Ask for a switching case. Request a named client that came from another agency, with sales-qualified leads or pipeline before and after.

4. Meet the people who will do the work. The team in the pitch should be the team on the account.

5. Agree the first 90 days in writing. Weeks 1 to 4: access, audit, and tracking fixes. Weeks 5 to 8: first changes to targeting, offers, and landing pages. Weeks 9 to 12: a review against sales-qualified leads and pipeline, not clicks.

6. Keep campaigns live during the handover. Pausing everything while the new team learns the account resets your data and your pipeline.

Start the Powered by Search fit assessment if your last agency left you with siloed channels and no clear line to pipeline.