Think B2B Companies Don’t Need Digital Advertising—Or Do They?

B2B companies often overlook digital advertising, yet building brand awareness is crucial since most buyers aren’t ready to purchase immediately and need multiple interactions before making a decision. Tools like the B2B Buyer’s Scan offer data-driven insights that help tailor marketing and sales strategies to effectively reach and convert business decision-makers.

 

Key Takeaways From this Article:

• B2B buyers need familiarity – If a business hasn’t heard of you, they’re less likely to take your sales call seriously. Advertising builds that critical name recognition.

• Most B2B buyers aren’t ready to purchase right now – Only 5% are in-market at any given time, which makes consistent brand presence essential.

• Sales teams benefit from insight too – Knowing what buyers look for in a salesperson and what triggers them to act helps improve the first interaction.

• Good marketing isn’t just for consumers – B2B companies that prioritize advertising are more likely to build trust, credibility, and long-term client relationships.

Back when I was selling radio, one of my favorite things was being able to get creative with advertisers and the segments or programming that we could tie them into. I am a sucker for a play on words, so a few I always loved were having a car dealer sponsor a segment called “the keys to the game”, or a having an HVAC company sponsor a segment called “who’s hot and who’s not”. When I first started selling, I remember trying to get a company to sponsor a segment called “rapid fire”, so I opened up the phone book and called all the fire-related businesses that were listed. When I got ahold of one of them, it was a B2B company, and they said the phrase you’ve heard a million times before; “I don’t need to advertise because I sell to other businesses.” My response to them ended in a new business deal for $9,000!

One of the things I had said to the business owner was, “what happens when your sales team calls on other businesses? If THAT business owner has never heard of YOUR business, chances are they won’t give you the time of day.” B2B buyers have an average of 27 interactions with vendors before making a purchase decision. Through advertising, B2B companies can increase their branding and awareness with other companies so they are familiar with their name when they are calling potential customers. Also, with only 5% of B2B buyers being active in the market to purchase at any given time, it underscores how important it is for brands to keep up on their top of mind awareness.

Since B2B advertising can be more complex and isn’t as streamlined as B2C advertising, something that can help build your case and tell a story is pulling some research through a B2B Buyer’s Scan. There are over 100 different categories of B2B buyers and purchasers that we can pull from, and this report will help fine tune how to reach those people by looking at what they are interested in by giving us Marketing Profile Information which consists of:

• What advertising mediums does the targeted buying audience respond to most?
• Once they have seen an ad, what do these potential buyers do next?
• What is most likely to get those buyers to share their contact info and become a lead?
• What actions are most likely to get those buyers to consider the product or service?

From there, we can also see information about the B2B buying process for that type of product or service by looking at what is called Buyer Process Information:

• Before meeting with the vendor, what activities do these buyers do first?
• What are their attitudes about the buying process?
• When researching a new vendor, what influences these buyers?
• What do they look for when researching info on the salesperson?
• What types of things are “deal breakers” for these buyers when dealing with a salesperson?

For example, if you are meeting with a client that sells heavy equipment and they want to reach people that would purchase from them, business like contractors, landscapers, or municipalities, we could pull the B2B Buyer Scan report on “Heavy Equipment Lessors/Buyers”, which by definition are “business decision makers focused on acquiring or leasing heavy machinery to support their operational needs”.

The first report pulled is a marketing profile which shows what advertising mediums Heavy Equipment Lessors/Buyers respond to. In this example, sponsored search results ads and social media network are in the top three forms of media.

Another report is showing once that buyer has seen an ad, what is the next action they take? This is called the Response Method report and in this case, 55% click on an online ad that they saw, and 64% did an internet search. This is great information to share with a B2B company that you’re talking to because it shows that customer journey from a B2B perspective.

Next it will show something called Lead Generation, which is considered Top of the Funnel. This lists out what contact information that buyer is willing to share with a vendor in order to get free access to various incentives. In this example, the number one answer is price discounts. When it comes to people buying or leasing heavy equipment, they are driven by price discounts and promotional offers. This is great to be able to share with a heavy equipment dealer so they can tailor their advertising, promotions, or offers towards what their target audience is most interested in and what will get them to act.

Next it will show Consideration Triggers, which is Middle of the Funnel. This is stating that in the past year, the following activities from a vendor or supplier lead the buyer to increase their consideration of that product service. In this example, when a company is referenced by an industry expert, that is something that is important to these types of buyers, or even meeting them at a trade conference, or providing value to them through a webinar are all ways that help a buyer become more attracted to a brand.

Something else these reports can show are attitudes about the buying process when it comes to meeting with new suppliers. In this case, if you are working with a heavy equipment dealer, the number one thing they do during the buying process is discuss their problem with their current supplier. They also create a list of what they think of the most viable solution, they attempt to solve the problem with their current resources, and then they conduct online research of all the various suppliers and vendors.

From there, you can show more on the buying experience side of things by seeing what is of value to that buyer. For heavy equipment buyers, they are willing to pay a premium to buy from companies that provide a superior customer experience. This is something that could be added to their ad creative by showcasing how customer focused they are.

When it comes to vetting suppliers, or looking for a new supplier, product, or service, we can see what those buyers are looking for. In this example, customer ratings and reviews on social media is the first point of contact. This is an opportunity to talk about the importance of good SEO and even having a social media presence. We can then add to that social media presence by running Facebook and/or Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn ads, and even adding in Social Mirror ads to extend that reach beyond just those social media platforms.

We can also look at what they are looking for in the salespeople of the product of service they are looking for. For example, with this report, you can explain to your client what their potential buyers want from your clients’ salespeople. Here we can see that years of experience is something that is important, along with how many years that salesperson has been in the industry, followed by referrals, recommendations, or testimonials. These are all great elements to either incorporate into an ad campaign, or base an ad campaign off of those elements.

Taking it a step further, during that first call with the salesperson, this is showing what the buyer is looking to accomplish. This is something that your client could share with their sales team and explain that these should be the focus of that first interaction with the potential customer. The sales team in this example wants to be sure to explain the cost of the product, explain what they can expect because of the product, and reiterate the potential buyers overall goals. All of these will stem back to the customer’s experience and alleviate any pain that they might be experiencing with another vendor.

We can also show the communication preferences for people that are serious about purchasing. Having multiple points of contact so a potential buyer can interact with the business that they want to is very important. Based off of this report, it might be a good idea to talk about Social Mirror and Social Mirror OTT ads and using the Click to Email function, or making sure the client’s phone number is clickable on their website since the number two and number three top answers are email and phone.

The final two reports that come with the B2B Buyers Scan are also based around salespeople. The first is looking at what are the attitudes about salespeople in general, and the top seven attributes that you seek in a salesperson who calls on you. This is such valuable information to share with your client or prospect because then they can show it to their sales team and really tailor the buying experience for customers that are in their particular industry.

In the world of B2B marketing, success comes down to making your brand known, trusted, and top of mind, even before a buyer is actively looking. The B2B Buyer’s Scan provides invaluable insights that transform how we approach potential customers, guiding everything from ad placement and messaging to sales strategies and customer experience. By leveraging this data, businesses can stop guessing and start connecting with decision-makers in a way that resonates. It’s no longer just about selling a product—it’s about building relationships that start before the first conversation and last well beyond the sale. So the next time someone says, “I don’t need to advertise because I sell to businesses,” you’ll have the tools, and the story, to show them otherwise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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