B2B display advertising is projected to bypass search ads in 2023.
The reason is that, while search ads are popular for keyword targeting, display advertising on major social media platforms is becoming the dominant form of paid advertising.
If you're looking to launch a successful ad campaign in such a competitive market, this guide will serve as a jumping-off point.
In terms of B2B-targeting display ads, we'll cover the following:
- What B2B targeting display ads is and why it's important
- What makes B2B display ads so effective
- The different types of B2B display ads
- 9 strategies for launching a successful B2B display ad campaign
- Common mistakes to avoid
What Is B2B-Targeting Display Ads?
B2B-targeting display advertisements is an advertising strategy meant to contact and interact with clients who conduct business with other businesses.
Business-to-business (B2B) display ads are created to target a certain group of companies. The ads frequently appear on websites or platforms that decision-makers in business use.
B2B display ads are known to produce a greater ROI than a consumer-facing advertisements.
If you're interested in learning about search advertising, check out our post on B2B-targeting Google search ads here.
How Can B2B-Targeting Display Ads Help Marketers?
Display advertising that is B2B-targeted helps marketers by connecting them with potential clients, generating leads, and raising brand recognition.
B2B display ads are economical because they have a lower cost per impression (CPM) and because they reach a specific audience.
You can assess the success of your B2B display ad campaign by monitoring click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates (CVR), and your overall campaign ROI.
If this is all too new, we've put together a complete guide on Google Ads lead generation campaigns.
What Makes B2B Display Ads Effective?
There are various best practices, tips, and tactics that determine how effective your ad campaign will be.
However, there are a few key strategies that should be considered for every type of B2B display ad campaign.
Mobile Device Optimization
Mobile device optimization can greatly enhance user experience and conversion rates for your B2B display ads.
Larger text sizes and crystal-clear, high-resolution graphics should be used in mobile-optimized ads to make them easier to view and understand on tiny devices.
This allows you to reach a broader audience and increase ad exposure.
In-Banner Advertisements
Instead of appearing as a separate pop-up or interstitial ad, in-banner ads appear within the website's banner area.
They boost your company's exposure, branding, interaction, targeting, cost-efficiency, and ability to provide quantifiable outcomes.
Rich Media Advertisements
Rich media ads are multimedia, interactive advertisements that contain video, music, animations, or games.
Call-to-actions (CTA) are a common feature of rich media ads.
Data Feed In-Display Advertisements
In-display data feed ads are an effective way to optimize your B2B display ad campaign.
To create ads that are pertinent to the user's interests, they leverage information from a product catalog.
Ads from data feeds can be automatically created and published, which enables rapid production of a huge number of ads.
What Are They Different Types of B2B Display Ads?
Display advertising requires that you target the appropriate audience at the appropriate moment.
To that end, make sure your campaign includes (and utilizes correctly) the following ad types.
If you're interested to know more about the different types of ads you can run on a Google Adwords campaign, go here.
Banner
Banner ads are presented as rectangular graphics or pictures.
They're often connected to a landing page or website and are frequently used to advertise a good, service, or brand.
Native
The goal of native advertising is to seamlessly integrate ads into a platform's or website's content.
Typically, they take the shape of sponsored material like blog entries, videos, or social media updates.
Native ads are a good candidate for A/B testing and targeted marketing.
Video
Websites, social networking sites, and smartphone applications are common places to view video ads.
They are one of the most efficient methods of connecting and engaging new consumers.
GIF
GIF ads are shown as brief animated pictures.
By showcasing your company's logo or product in an engaging and dynamic way, GIF ads work to increase brand recognition.
In GIF ads, your CTA must be obvious and clear.
Interstitial
Full-screen ads known as interstitials are displayed during app transitions.
Typically, they're employed to advertise other apps or to persuade users to upgrade to a premium version.
A good interstitial ad doesn't interfere with the user experience or stop users from accessing the app's content.
9 Steps To Conduct a Successful B2B Display Ad Campaign
No matter your audience or industry, here you'll find 9 fundamental strategies that work to secure a successful B2B display ad campaign.
1. Define Your Campaign Goals
Knowing what you want to accomplish helps you set reasonable expectations and choose appropriate measures.
For awareness efforts, metrics like impressions and CTR paint a clear picture. However, they don't fully represent your conversion objectives.
Without monitoring the proper metrics of success, attribution becomes impossible along with a significant return on your advertising investment.
2. Understand Different Targeting Methods
Different targeting methods are available through the Microsoft Audience Network (MAN) and the Google Display Network (GDN).
With the use of GDN, you can target people who go to particular websites. You can also use GDN for interest-based targeting using subjects, websites, phrases, etc.
MAN, on the other hand, allows you to target LinkedIn profiles according to their employer, industry, or job title.
3. Discover Top-Performers in Your Industry
B2B audiences frequently visit publisher websites to remain up to date on news and developments.
To attract a larger audience, publishing ads on websites like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and other "high authority" sites can be helpful in terms of visibility.
However, by focusing on specialized websites, you'll considerably increase conversions.
4. Analyze Your Competition
Your ability to allocate your budget successfully will depend on where your rivals are running their ads.
Start by understanding the tactics, traffic sources, publishers, partners, and campaign messages of your competition.
You can then choose your battles accordingly or avoid particular channels entirely.
5. Plan Your Campaign for Multiple Devices
Given that the vast majority of people use a mobile device, B2B firms shouldn't overlook this crucial figure.
Advertisers must adhere to the International Advertising Bureau's (IAB) (https://www.iab.com/guidelines/iab-new-ad-portfolio/) new ad portfolio guidelines in order to provide the best advertising experience.
6. Consider Video Advertising
68% of consumers would rather watch a brief video than read an article.
Furthermore, by 2022, video traffic will make up 82% of all internet traffic.
As a B2B marketer, you must consider video advertisements in order to stay top of mind.
Through video ads, users can quickly and efficiently digest information to know, like, and trust your company.
7. Create Compelling Ads
Two challenges your user base faces on the internet are information overload and shortening attention spans.
It's becoming more and more difficult for advertisers to stand out from the competition due to internet users' developing banner blindness.
To combat this, take your ad content seriously. Craft compelling ads that directly assist users in achieving their goals.
8. Optimize Your Campaign With Native Ads
Native ads can be used to augment your paid discovery ads.
These ads, which fit the UI of the website, might run on big publications alongside their original content.
You can also construct complimentary display campaigns and broadcast native ads alongside your best-performing content.
Akin to optimization, remarketing campaigns can leverage engaged users that have slipped through the cracks. To learn more, check out our post on the different types of remarketing in Google Ads.
9. Streamline Your Ad Campaign With Programmatic Advertising
In the past, programmatic advertising has been criticized for its lack of targeting skills, brand safety concerns, and lack of transparency.
Now, internet advertising is trending towards programmatic solutions. Being an early programmatic adopter will put you ahead of the curve.
Display Ad Mistakes To Avoid
You're competing for attention in an age of loud advertisements and organic content. Here are some common pitfalls that advertisers fall into.
Incorrect Sizing
Be fully aware of each platform's ad resolution requirements.
Incorrect sizing results in distorted ads and a lower conversion rate.
Long Messaging
You only have a few words and a tiny amount of space to create an impression on your audience.
Keep your opening paragraph brief to entice your viewers to read on.
Stay within the platform's character restrictions to avoid having your message chopped off.
Improper Optimization
Having a large number of low-cost leads sounds good, but it's meaningless if they don't convert into customers.
Optimizing for Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) is more expensive, but it's the only place where you'll see a genuine ROI.
A/B Testing Too Many Variables
Only alter one variable at a time when A/B testing your ads. Otherwise, you won't be able to determine which variable was responsible for the difference.
A few examples of what to test are: title, audience intent data, or CTA copy
Conclusion
This guide is meant to help orient your thinking and provide a few pillars by which to run your B2B display ad campaign.
The final strategy you should consider is reaching out to marketing professionals for consulting.
Whether you're just starting your campaign, or want expert feedback on your current campaign roadmap, a little guidance can go a long way.
If you're ready to see your B2B display ad campaign bring in qualified leads, schedule a free call with us here.
