B2B marketers often experience the same feeling: "No one knows what you do." This highly niche industry is a black box for many Americans, and because the linear TV model usually lends itself to mass brand awareness campaigns, TV advertising has historically not made sense for their business. Traditionally, the media has not been able to reach the desired audience of B2B marketers making important business decisions.
However, with current developments in CTV, B2B marketers are no longer limited in how they can use video to engage their target audience. We are far behind the days of expensive commercial slot machines. CTV's new features, especially programmatic buying, make it a powerful channel through which B2B marketers can reach their core audiences outside of business hours.
Go to the office
CTV advertising hit the scene in 2017, and the medium has grown significantly since then, with estimates suggesting that up to 87% of CTV ad inventory will be programmatically targeted by 2023. This rapid increase in adoption means that many DSPs Pioneers have CTV capabilities that enable B2B marketers to easily scale their existing programmatic campaigns and reach target audiences across multiple channels.
With more granular targeting, CTV can share a brand's message with a broader segment of its ideal audience based on ad placement, specific demographics and more. In addition to the traditional 30-second ad slot, advertisers have a greater choice of video formats, such as pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll ads. Advanced targeting features such as job titles, household targeting and retargeting campaigns allow B2B marketers to spread their message across multiple channels based on where their unique audience is physically located (on paid subscription or free ad-supported platforms). Be theirs.
Despite these advances, some B2B marketers, especially those working in small businesses, may be reluctant to add CTV to their marketing mix because their primary focus is on generating leads. For example, if a pharmaceutical brand tries to reach out to a cardiologist with a new blood pressure medication, it cannot be certain when he will respond to the message. However, keep in mind that this doctor is likely to be more open and receptive to the relevant advertising message when he is relaxing at home than when he is running between patients.
While B2B marketers cannot be sure when their ideal customers will respond to their message, they will increase awareness among their target audience. In the first example, a doctor's knowledge of a new drug may lead to a search for the brand later when his or her focus is on a specific patient.
For B2B marketers to take full advantage of CTV advertising, they must tackle the initial task of building brand awareness. They can then create more effective companies and increase their share of the industry.
Benefits of brand awareness
While B2C marketers tend to have experience managing media campaigns, this may be a new frontier for some in the B2B industry. However, with CTV's ability to precisely target audiences, B2B marketers in all industries should start thinking about how a targeted approach to brand awareness can positively impact their bottom-of-funnel efforts.
The main purpose of brand awareness is not to try to motivate a consumer's action at that particular moment. There are tactics to drive business, such as directing consumers to a product's landing page via a QR code, but these should not be the primary motivation for creating a CTV campaign, and also not the only measure used to determine its success. .
Just as CTV ads are top of the funnel, channel ads need to be high quality and connect to the core value of the brand. Think about what will make your potential customers not only remember your company, but notice your ad on different channels. Make the most of video media and find innovative ways to connect with consumers and lead them to find your brand in the future.
B2B marketers need to monitor current measurement data throughout their marketing efforts. An increase in new or unique traffic is a positive early indicator that a campaign has reached its target audience. Looking to the future, the industry is committed to continuing to improve its measurement capabilities.
Embrace continuous evolution
Ad measurement itself is undergoing a seismic shift as it tries to keep up with rapid technological advances.
Providing more efficient and accurate campaign performance metrics is a priority for CTV industry leaders. Future innovations focus on linking metrics to individual accounts and increasing engagement across channels to precisely follow the path from lead to buyer.
CTV advertising offers a number of benefits to B2B marketers and expands their ability to reach and engage their target audience, saving their business time. Through the creative use of CTV campaigns, B2B marketers can effectively increase brand awareness among a wide range of targeted potential customers, providing consistent results for their business.
Mike Chladny is CEO of Consumer Services at Semcasting
