Display advertising can influence B2B buyers at every stage of the purchasing process by increasing awareness early on and providing reassurance later on. It is most effective when targeted to the specific business demographics of those typically involved in purchasing decisions, such as company size and individual roles. Rather than focus only on click-through rates, B2B marketers should evaluate display advertising based on how it contributes to overall goals like lead generation and revenue.

1. Remarkably targeted marketing.
Beyond the “Click”:
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
The challenge
In B2B marketing, the ultimate objective of any campaign is
to generate the most qualified leads possible, convert these
leads into new opportunities that fill the sales pipeline, and then
turn these opportunities into customers and repeat business.
However, many marketers are still unsure of how to fully
leverage online display advertising as a B2B marketing channel,
and how to measure success in ways that validate display ads
as concrete contributors to sales and revenue.
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2. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
Many marketers have succumbed to the “click” as the influences the B2B purchasing process from start
main metric by which they should measure success in to finish. Display ads begin to influence prospects’
display advertising. (With the average click-through rate decision making from the point at which they become
for display ads at 0.1%1, it’s no wonder that marketers aware of a product or service to even after they have
question how to best leverage this channel.) For those purchased, when they require the reassurance that they
that do start down the path of using the click as their have made the right choice.
primary success metric, many end up frustrated when a
high click-through rate does not necessarily result in the Moreover, display ads have been proven to significantly
most qualified leads, complicating things even further. increase lift and conversions when combined with other
Finally, because the B2B sales cycle is often long and
marketing channels including search. Here’s a real-
complex, and involves numerous individuals in the
world example from Forrester Research:
decision-making process, B2B marketers may wonder
how to best use display ads to generate qualified
“A national wireless network provider was
opportunities and increase revenue. How should one
attempting to quantify the impact of advertising
approach ad targeting considering the B2B buying
on sales of phones and wireless plans.
process? And what are the most important success
Previously, the company used a last-click model,
metrics?
where search received the majority of credit
for sales. It found that users who clicked on
How display advertising impacts B2B
search ads, who were also exposed to display
purchases
advertising, were 56% more likely to purchase.
Without question, display advertising impacts the B2B
This increase in lift revealed the importance of
sales cycle, and when companies use it effectively,
display advertising, even though previously it
they can achieve incredible results. In fact, display
had received no credit for these sales.”2
advertising is one of the only marketing channels
that can influence B2B buyers at every step of the
buying process. While other marketing channels such
as search and email are most useful for targeting
prospects in later stages of the sales cycle (e.g.
during the vendor evaluation stage) display advertising
1
“The Bottom Line Is Online Ads Work for Branding and Sales,” Laurie Sullivan, MediaPostNews, July 31, 2009.
2
“A Framework for Multicampaign Attribution Measurement,” John Lovett, Forrester Research, February 19, 2009.
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3. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
The goal of this guide is to help B2B marketers achieve advertising to the B2B sales cycle through tactics that
similar success by better understanding the role of drive real results, you’ll learn how to effectively utilize
display advertising in generating highly qualified leads and measure the channel to make the greatest impact
and revenue. And by applying the power of display on your company’s bottom line.
A Quick Look at the Evolution of Online Advertising
Banner Ads Keyword Advertising Contextual Advertising Cookie-based Targeted
In the beginning, banner ads In response to the lower Online ads were placed next to Advertising
were supposed to provide number of actual conversions related content (e.g. an ad for Web sites have the ability to
concrete value to companies resulting from high volumes of a credit card next to an article attach a trackable piece of text
based on the sheer number impressions, the pay-per-click on the increased purchasing or a “cookie” to identify the
of impressions or Web users model developed, in which power of college graduates) in time spent on sites, specific
exposed to the ad. companies bid on keywords an effort to provide even greater sites visited, and more to
or phrases for which their relevancy. enable targeting based on
prospects are searching. demographic, behavioral,
Companies pay only for the geographic, and other types of
clicks that result from information.
these searches.
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4. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
The unique role of advertising in the B2B world
Before we dive into metrics and tactics, it will be helpful to
understand the role of display advertising in the B2B world.
When we think of online advertising, we most often think of its
role in the context of consumer purchases. Given the unique
characteristics of the B2B buying process, however, display
advertising plays a unique role in B2B sales.
Long and complex sales cycles benefit As prospects progress along the buying cycle from
from awareness and branding the awareness to the consideration stage, display ads
In general, the B2B buying process is longer and more continue to keep the company’s product or service
complex than the typical consumer purchasing process. top of mind, helping to increase both brand recall (the
As such, display ads can help by increasing awareness ability to remember a brand when given a specific
and brand saturation for prospects at all stages of the category or product type) and brand recognition (the
sales cycle. ability to recognize a brand when the specific name or
category is mentioned).
While each B2B company may have its own version of
the “sales funnel,” the top of the funnel is the point at
which prospects become aware of a company’s brand
and/or its products and services. Display ads contribute
greatly to this initial stage of awareness—when targeted
appropriately, they can generate a tremendous amount
of highly qualified leads. Display ads can also help
to communicate core messages about the company,
product, or service, helping educate prospects before
they engage with sales.
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5. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
The Impact of Display Advertising on the B2B Sales Funnel
Prospects
(Awareness)
Leads
g
Di
in
sp
(Interest / Consideration)
is
la
rt
y
ve
Ad
Ad
ve
Social Media
y
rt
la
is
sp
Search
in
Di
g
Email
Customers
(Decision)
Display advertising influences every stage of the sales funnel and also
strengthens the impact of other marketing channels.
Display ads help reduce feelings of risk accolades, or other forms of third-party validation, B2B
in large B2B investments companies strengthen their brand and credibility, and
Because B2B purchases are typically more expensive provide the reassurance necessary to address the
and have large-scale effects on organizations, the B2B risk factor.
buyer can often be overwhelmed with feelings of risk
before making a purchasing decision. According to Business demographics matter with
search marketing firm Enquiro, “B2B buying is all about multiple individuals on the “buying
minimizing fear by eliminating risk.”3 This is one reason committee”
why B2B transactions require companies to build strong B2B purchases are likely to affect multiple departments
relationships with prospects before they within an organization. As such, there are going to be
become customers. multiple influencers and perhaps even more than one
decision maker involved in the sales process. While
In addition to the more traditional methods of building advertisers have used demographic ad targeting for
trust in customer relationships, B2B companies can some time now, it is only recently that B2B companies
also use their display advertising campaigns to reduce have been able to leverage ad targeting based on
the feelings of risk in the buying process. By using highly detailed business demographics to address
display ads that feature customer testimonials, industry their specific requirements for identifying their ideal
3
“Mapping the Buyersphere,” Enquiro Research, Fall 2009.
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6. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
prospects. According to Tom Grant, research analyst than $40K annually).5 While this demographic may be
at Forrester Research, “Context matters. Factors like a target for some, most B2B decision-makers tend to
company size, country, and role have more of an effect be C-level executives that are more seasoned in their
than many people realize.”4 By identifying the business careers and earning six-figure salaries. The impact of
demographics of as many individuals as possible on this research is two-fold: the click-through rate can be
the buying committee and understanding their various a misleading success metric in B2B display advertising,
motives and mindsets, B2B companies can then use and it is more important than ever to target the right
display advertising to target these individuals in highly business demographic in order to reduce wasted
relevant ways. marketing spend.
Furthermore, a recent study indicates that the Internet
population that is most likely to click on an ad is
predominantly younger and lower income (earning less
Display Advertising Success Story: Making Customer
Segmentation Count
Hoover’s, one of the leading sources of proprietary business information, took a
routine customer segmentation exercise and used its findings to increase its ROI in
display advertising. After determining the demographics of business professionals
who represented their best target customers, the company applied this information
to its targeted display advertising efforts.
In just two months, Hoover’s increased the ROI of its display advertising
campaigns by an average of 225%.
4
“How Demographics Matter In B2B Tech Adoption,” Tom Grant, Forrester Blogs, March 11, 2010.
5
“Natural Born Clickers,” comScore, 2008.
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7. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
Eight Ways to Use Display Advertising More Effectively in B2B Marketing
Now that we’ve explored the ways that display advertising can impact the B2B buying process, it’s time to discuss
the real-world tactics that all B2B marketers can use to maximize the display advertising channel in their
marketing mix.
1 Target the business demographics of your typical buying committee.
As mentioned earlier, there will most likely be a group of individuals or a buying committee involved in the
purchasing of your B2B product or service. Before investing in any display advertising, talk to your sales
team to better understand the business demographics of as many individuals as possible on the buying
committee. By advertising only to the business demographic segments that are likely to buy your product
or service, you will experience greater conversions, fewer wasted impressions, and increased ROI for your
advertising budget.
2 Analyze your customer database and work with sales to better understand your
target business demographic.
You’re probably already familiar with some of the basic business demographic attributes on which you
can target your ads, including company size and industry. However, also be sure to consider attributes
such as business function and seniority within your targeted organizations. To help understand how these
characteristics may play into your sales process, take an informal audit of your current customer database
and see if you can spot any trends in the type of people involved in your new business deals.
Also, encourage your sales team to record detailed notes on the individuals involved in their opportunities.
For example, is there a difference in the seniority of the person that initiated the sales conversation (e.g.
senior manager) versus the person who ultimately signed off on the purchase order (e.g. CEO)? Once you
start tracking this sort of information, you’ll be able to improve the targeting and relevancy of your display
ads going forward.
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8. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
3 Think beyond the “click” when establishing your success metrics for
display advertising.
While it’s tempting to rely on the click as the go-to metric for display advertising, times have changed and
technology has enabled us to discover that click-throughs don’t necessarily indicate success. As discussed
earlier, for B2B purchases in which business demographics are often the strongest indicators of purchasing
intent, even a low volume of click-throughs may result in hotter leads. This is because the more targeted
your advertising, the fewer random “clickers” it is likely to attract, leaving you with only the most
qualified leads.
In addition to measuring impressions and clicks, incorporate metrics such as Share of Voice (SOV),
Frequency, and Gross Rating Point (GRP) in your reports.
Share of Voice (SOV)
A measure of the number of unique individuals reached in your target divided by the total
population available in your target across an entire network. (SOV is also often defined as “Reach”).
NOTE: Share of Voice is even more meaningful if you can measure it across your target business
demographic segment(s).
Share of Voice = Uniques (sample population)/Uniques available (total population)
Frequency
The number of times your ad is exposed to a group of unique individuals.
Frequency = Impressions/Uniques
Gross Rating Point (GRP)
A measure of the influence opportunity of a campaign
Gross Rating Point = Reach x Frequency
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9. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
4 Let ROI be your guiding principle.
Whether you invest in display advertising, search, email, or any other marketing channel, remember that
what ultimately matters is your return on investment.
Return on Investment (ROI) = (Profit/Investment) x 100
Regardless of which success metrics you focus on, ROI always means that you’re earning more from your
marketing than you’re spending. In general, you can increase your display advertising ROI by knowing
who your audience is and wasting no impressions on anyone else. Additionally, it is important to track the
improvement that display advertising delivers to your other marketing channels to measure the overall ROI
of a display advertising campaign.
5 Use display advertising to support your other marketing channels.
While it’s easy to think of your marketing channels as separate silos, avoiding this mindset will help you
achieve even greater lift with every marketing campaign you execute. It’s been proven that combining
display with search marketing efforts dramatically increases conversion. In recent research, comScore
found that “search alone produces an 82% lift in sales from visitors exposed to ads, compared to…119%
when search and display are combined.”6 The key is providing your prospects with the most relevant online
experience possible, and display ads can play a huge role by reinforcing your marketing and messaging in
other channels.
6 Experiment with different creative, and test, test, test.
It’s important to go into your display advertising campaigns without assumptions, and that includes
assuming that all creative is created equal. You’d be surprised how copy, images, and even the size of your
display ads can make a difference in your conversion rates. Be sure to approach your campaigns with an
open mind, create multiple versions of creative, and continuously test and optimize your ads as you go
along to achieve the best results.
6
“The Bottom Line Is Online Ads Work for Branding and Sales,” Laurie Sullivan, MediaPostNews, July 31, 2009.
To learn more, visit www.bizo.com, email advertise@bizo.com or call us now at 1.866.497.5505

10. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
7 Display is more than promotion—it’s communication.
More often than not, in B2B marketing, it’s more important to communicate your core messages than it is to
be clever with your tagline. Identify two to three core messages for the product or service you’re advertising,
and try to incorporate the same language in your advertising campaigns (taking space limitations into
account, of course). In doing so, your display ads will create a lasting impression on your prospects while
communicating your competitive advantage.
8 Tailor your display advertising to match prospect needs at different stages of
the sales cycle.
Prospects’ needs change over the course of the B2B buying process. For example, in the awareness stage,
people generally require more informational content as they’re learning about your company and offerings.
However, as prospects learn more and begin to search for your product category or even your specific
brand, these individuals will likely be more interested in learning how your product or service compares to
your competitors’ brands.
To meet these evolving needs, adapt your display ads accordingly. If you’re advertising on a new site for
the first time, you will most likely encounter new prospects, so make your advertising messages more
educational. However, if you’re combining display with search, in which prospects may be more qualified
and farther along the sales process, use your display ads to address your competitive advantage, specific
product features, and so on.
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11. Beyond the “Click”: Remarkably targeted marketing.
The B2B Marketer’s Guide to Display Advertising
Conclusion
Display advertising can play a tremendous role in B2B
marketing, generating qualified leads and increasing revenue
on its own, as well as in combination with other marketing
channels. Unlike other marketing channels, display ads
can positively impact the B2B sales cycle at every stage,
from awareness to evaluation to customer retention. By
understanding the unique needs of the B2B buying process,
companies can implement display advertising strategies that
increase awareness and brand saturation, promote competitive
advantage, and more effectively target the right business
demographics for greater relevancy and increased sales.
About Bizo
Bizo, Inc. is the world’s first targeted B2B audience targeting platform and advertising network, and
currently reaches more than 45 million targeted business people across thousands of sites on the Web. Bizo
has created a new approach to online B2B marketing with precise ad targeting that’s based on a prospect’s
bizographics -- industry, functional area, seniority, size of company, education, gender, location, and more.
This unique understanding of a person’s bizographics allows Bizo to anonymously deliver powerful ad
targeting based on these attributes and behaviors. Bizo is privately held and based in San Francisco, CA.
To learn more, visit www.bizo.com, email advertise@bizo.com or call us now at 1.866.497.5505