How to Use CRM Data to Reach the Right B2B Audiences | MarTech

When I talk to B2B brands about potential CTV campaigns, one question keeps coming up: how do you show your ads to the right audiences?

It’s a great question. Unlike e-commerce or B2C brands with broad appeal, B2B companies typically have much smaller groups of people in their ideal customer profile (ICP), and there is a business layer that masks the end buyers and purchasing commissions.

That’s why B2B marketers are often surprised by the methods available to deliver stories on the big screen to the people who want to know more about their product or service. Here I note that only 5% of a B2B audience is in the market at any one time. That’s why I remind people that good CTV campaign goals are brand lift and education or awareness, not direct response.

As with so much effective B2B targeting across any channel, results are highly dependent on the quality of the brand’s CRM data. Here’s how that comes to life.

Using CRM data to build an audience

First, your CRM is made up of a wealth of work email addresses, and the right data partner (you’ll hear this a few more times in this article) can link a work email to a private email address and/or a work or home IP address. This way you can create target groups. For recommendations, I like RevOptimal.

The other approach is to gain a broader understanding of the companies you are trying to reach and their firmographic details. Once you have a solid understanding of that customer segment, you can create similar audience lists (similar companies and their stakeholders) and reach them with CTV ads. If you have a strong data partner, they can use your CRM data to create lists of similar companies that you might not even know about. This type of data will also be useful as LinkedIn’s CTV product matures and gains popularity.

Use work email addresses and a device graph to connect work and home identities, then add firmographic details and target account categories to build your audience.

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Use CRM data for retargeting campaigns

Yes, you can retarget using CRM data. You can also retarget by creating segments of site visitors before they become known in your CRM. That works the same way as typical display or online video targeting. But if you capture site visit data in your CRM (especially if you dig deeper into the pages visited so you can build intent-based segments), you can add meaningful precision.

It’s important to understand that B2B sales cycles are long, which should inform your retargeting strategy. If your budget is limited, focus on retargeting segments that visited high-intent pages or returned to your site multiple times, indicating they may be nearing a decision. Another smart move is to retarget current customers nearing the end of their contracts with renewal-oriented campaigns.

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Best practices for enabling your ICP

If I haven’t emphasized this enough, B2B targeting requires a lot more segmentation than e-commerce or B2C targeting. That means you’ll need to shape your CRM data to build segments based on company size, title or position, pages visited, company industry, and other relevant factors. Once you’ve defined your key segments, it’s time to develop creative and positioning angles that speak directly to each group’s business objectives and pain points.

Frequency is another important consideration. If budget allows, you can at least use your CRM data to stay ahead of potential customers from the beginning to the end of the buying journey. Yes, that includes using CTV ads as air cover for active opportunities, especially if your creative has strong social proof from similar companies.

Remember, most decision makers already know who they want to speak to before they reach out. It’s a smart move to understand who your potential customers are and engage them in your digital funnel early in the buying journey using placements that are just as powerful as TV ads.

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CRM readiness is the real gatekeeper

I’m not suggesting that B2B CTV campaigns work for every business. There are conditions that a brand must meet before it can be tested. If it’s not clear by now, strong CRM data is non-negotiable.

If you meet these requirements and can commit at least $10,000 to a test campaign with the right expectations, it’s still a smart time to invest in a brand-building channel before most of your competition does.