In 2023, the digital advertising market is set to reach a whopping US$41.24 billion, with a significant chunk dedicated to search advertising. In the UK alone, up to 3.6 billion British pounds are spent on social media advertising every year, and by 2026, more than 25% of UK businesses' overall marketing budgets will be allocated towards social media. But what exactly makes up a B2B digital ad? It's all about honing strategies to target the right professionals efficiently, in the right way, at the right time, and in the right place.
In this blog, we'll talk you through the who, what, why, when, and where of digital advertising in the B2B world. You don't have to do it alone – we're here to help you navigate the path.
What?
Essentially, digital ads are online promotional messages delivered through various platforms. Encompassing a range of formats such as banner ads, video ads and sponsored content, digital ads serve as a powerful tool for businesses to reach their target audiences and promote content.
Who?
B2B brands are utilising targeted campaigns more and more to take their messaging directly to a specific audience. Digital ads enable you to identify and reach specific audiences based on criteria such as company, job title, demographics, location and much more.
Where?
To name a few examples, digital ads are available on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube and Google Ads. From LinkedIn’s professional network to Google’s vast search and display ads, the options are endless.
LinkedIn Advertising: The professional networking giant provides an ideal platform to reach decision-makers and professionals in your niche.
X Advertising: With its engaged user base, X (previously known as Twitter) is a great place to spread your message and engage with your audience.
Facebook Ads: Even in the B2B realm, Facebook's extensive user data can help you target the right people.
Google Ads: From search ads that capture intent to display ads that build brand awareness, Google offers a versatile B2B ad platform.
When?
Just like you wouldn’t put out a press release without a good reason, digital ads are best saved for specific instances if they are to achieve optimum results.
B2B Lead Generation Campaigns: Attract, nurture and convert potential leads into valuable customers by strategically using digital ads at critical touchpoints in your audience’s interest journey to encourage your targets to provide their details for follow-up contact.
Product or Service Launches: Use digital ads to make a splash in the market and introduce your latest offerings.
Industry-Specific Events and Conferences: Capitalise on the buzz around industry events by using digital ads before, during and after events to highlight your participation, ultimately maximising on visibility, engagement and outreach to target audiences.
Why?
The rise of digital ads in B2B marketing owes to the immense value they bring for a variety of reasons, including:
Targeted Advertising: In B2B, it's all about precision. Digital ads allow you to reach your exact audience with exact precision. This granular level of targeting allows for tailored and effective campaigns. Messages will resonate with the right people at the right time, ultimately maximising your ad’s impact and return on investment.
Cost-Efficiency: Regardless of your budget, you can understand where and how digital ads will provide the right results for you. As well as this, you can control your spending to maximize results.
Measurable Results: With digital ads, you can track every click and conversion, making it easy to evaluate your ROI.
Building Brand Authority: Consistent digital advertising helps establish your brand as an industry leader.
Generating Quality Leads: If your objective is about lead generation, you can precisely target and engage prospects within your target market, ensuring you focus on the contacts that are relevant and genuinely interested.
How?
Feeling overwhelmed? Wondering where to start with the endless number of choices that digital ads offer? Or know what you want, but don’t have the time to implement, track and report? That's where Proactive International PR comes in.
We have more than eight years of experience of planning and implementing digital ad campaigns for our clients and a proven track record of delivering results. Whether it’s a multi-layer campaign across multiple platforms, to a one-time ad campaign to work out the lay of the digital ad land, we are trusted by our clients to deliver on all things digital.
Learn more about our work in this area by checking out our latest case study with GLEIF or find out more about our digital ad packages. Or book a meeting with our digital PR and business development manager, Conor, here.