In B2B marketing, display advertising is a valuable digital marketing tool for businesses aiming to expand their reach, enhance brand awareness, and bolster lead generation. But how can companies make the most of B2B display advertising to support their business goals?
Our comprehensive guide will walk you through the best practices for utilizing display ads. We’ll show you how to utilize your marketing budget to capture the attention of your target audience and convert interest into tangible business results.
1. Creating Brand Awareness with B2B Display Ads
Many B2B companies simply need to create awareness about their company, products, or services. You can effectively leverage B2B display advertising to create impactful brand awareness.
This step begins with understanding that display ads are more than just advertisements; they visually represent your brand. Developing high-quality ad creative materials that resonate with decision-makers in your industry is a key starting point.
The Role of Ad Creative in Brand Recognition
Creating effective ads with compelling visuals and messaging ensures that your brand stays top of mind with your target audience.
Remember, the goal is to make a lasting impression that keeps your brand recognizable in a sea of competitors. Otherwise, you risk wasting your budget on ads that will not reach your audience with the right message at the right time.
Optimizing for the Right Platforms
Not all advertising platforms are created equal, especially in the B2B space.
You will want to identify where your decision-makers spend their time online. Are they on industry-specific websites, social media, or specific search engines?
Once you find your audience, you will want to optimize display ads for these platforms to ensure maximum visibility and engagement.
Tailoring Content for Your Audience
Each platform has its unique configuration and audience habits. Tailor your ad content to fit the context of the platform while ensuring it still aligns with your brand’s voice and message.
You want to avoid sending out a blanket message across each platform without considering the unique characteristics of the individual platform. Taking the time to tailor each ad to a given platform will help increase the return on your marketing spend.
2. Supporting Lead Generation with Targeted Display Ads
Perhaps you want to target a different audience segment that is more ready to purchase your products or services. You can create a fresh set of display ads that support lead generation.
Shortening Sales Cycles with Strategic Messaging
One of the key benefits of B2B display advertising is its ability to support and accelerate sales cycles. By targeting decision-makers with ads that speak directly to their pain points and needs, you can move them more swiftly through the buyer’s journey.
Utilizing Call to Action (CTA) Effectively
Every display ad should have a clear, compelling call to action (CTA) that guides prospects toward the next step, whether visiting a website, downloading a resource, or contacting a sales rep. A well-crafted CTA can significantly boost your lead-generation efforts.
Integrating with Optimized Landing Pages
For display ads focused on lead generation, it’s critical to consider where you are sending a prospect or customer. The landing page that ties into your display advertising campaign should be optimized to match the desired action.
Directing prospects to optimized landing pages that align with the ad’s message and offer a seamless user experience is crucial for converting clicks into leads. Otherwise, interested prospects might give up if they reach your website and aren’t sure what to do next.
Streamlining User Experience for Higher Conversion
The user experience matters on a B2B website. Ensuring a clean hand-off from the ad to the landing page is key to successful lead generation.
You will want to ensure the landing page is easy to navigate. Consider offering valuable information and a straightforward method for prospects to express their interest or get in touch.
Best Practices for B2B Display Advertising
Now that you know more about how to use display advertising to support brand awareness and lead generation, we’ll share some pro tips for how to get even more out of your marketing budget.
Stay Top of Mind with Regular Refreshes
The market is constantly changing, and so should your display ads. Regularly updating your ad messaging helps ensure your brand remains relevant to your target audience.
For example, you may want to promote your attendance at a critical B2B industrial trade show where you hope to engage with prospects. Running targeted display ads is a great idea to encourage these individuals to visit your booth. However, you don’t want to keep running the same ads after the trade show. You will need to adjust the creative so that your message isn’t out of date.
Embracing Flexibility in Strategy
Be prepared to pivot your strategy based on performance data and market trends. Using data to support flexibility will help you optimize and refine display ads for better results continuously.
Know Your Audience Inside Out
Understanding your target audience is crucial. Continuing to learn about your audience will provide you with critical insights into their behavior, preferences, and pain points. Even the smallest bits of information will allow you to create display ads that resonate deeply with them.
Segmenting Audience for Tailored Messaging
Consider segmenting your audience and creating tailored ad campaigns for each segment. A personalized approach can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your ads, turning your budget into a powerful tool to reach precisely the right audience with the ideal message.
Measure, Analyze, and Optimize
No B2B display advertising strategy is complete without a robust framework for measurement and analysis. You will want to regularly track the performance of your ads and make data-driven decisions to optimize them for better results.
Leveraging Analytics for Continuous Improvement
You can use analytics tools such as Google Analytics 4 to understand what’s working and what’s not. This insight is invaluable in refining your approach and ensuring that your display advertising efforts contribute positively to your overall marketing goals.
Building Relationships Beyond the Click
Remember, the end goal of paid digital advertising is not to generate clicks but to build lasting relationships with potential clients.
Ensure that every aspect of your ad campaign – from the creative to the landing page – is designed to help advance your prospects through the buying journey to support your specific business goals.
Ultimately, your display ads should position your brand as a trustworthy, credible source of solutions for your prospects’ challenges. Creating the right perception is vital in developing long-term business relationships.
Find Support Implementing a B2B Display Advertising Program
Display advertising is a powerful tool to create brand awareness and support lead generation. Using B2B display advertising properly can help your team maximize your marketing budget and drive revenue growth.
However, effectively implementing, managing, and refining a B2B display ad strategy requires experience, time, and a deep understanding of digital marketing best practices. The answer could be working with Marketing Refresh to manage your digital ad program.
Our digital marketing agency specializes in helping B2B sales teams navigate the complexities of display advertising. Our team is dedicated to developing strategies that align with your business objectives and resonate with your target audience.
We even won an AMA Houston Crystal Award for a Paid Search campaign that helped one of our B2B clients create awareness for their new business division. Our award-winning team is ready to apply our expertise to support your goals!
We understand that each business is unique, so we tailor our approach to fit your specific needs. Let Marketing Refresh be the catalyst for digital advertising success. Talk to us today about unlocking the potential of your marketing budget to support your business.
FAQs
- What is B2B display advertising?
B2B display advertising uses visual ads on digital platforms to target decision-makers in specific industries, aiming to boost brand awareness and drive sales.
- How does display advertising differ for B2B and B2C?
B2B advertising targets business decision-makers with informative content, while B2C focuses on broader audiences with emotional, impulse-driven messaging.
- Why is the target audience important in B2B display advertising?
Identifying the right target audience in B2B advertising ensures your ads reach decision-makers who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.
- What makes an effective B2B display ad?
An effective B2B display ad combines high-quality visuals, clear messaging, and a strong call to action, tailored to resonate with a specific professional audience.
- How can B2B display ads support lead generation?
B2B display ads can support lead generation by presenting compelling solutions to a targeted audience, encouraging them to engage and connect with your business.
