Library > Retargeting & Signal Based Audiences for B2B Success
Harnessing Retargeting and Signal-Based Audiences for B2B Success
Written by Christian Holst
Regardless of your marketing flavor, reaching the right audience at the right time is important.
That’s why retargeting and signal-based audiences are an integral part of any successful marketing strategy.
These two powerful pieces can work hand-in-hand to help you engage your audience, boost conversions, and maximize ROI.
Let’s break down how you can use retargeting and signal-based audiences to elevate your marketing game and drive real results.
What is Retargeting in B2B Marketing?
Retargeting is a way to reconnect with individuals who’ve already interacted with your website or content but haven’t taken the next step. Think of it as a gentle nudge for potential customers who need a little extra convincing.
In B2B, this approach is essential because sales cycles are often long and complex, involving multiple decision-makers and touchpoints.
Why retargeting matters
The goal of retargeting in B2B is to:
Stay Top-of-Mind: B2B buying decisions take time. Retargeting keeps your brand visible to leads who are still weighing their options.
Tailor Your Approach: By serving ads based on prior interactions, you can deliver personalized messages that resonate with where prospects are in their journey.
Examples of B2B Retargeting Campaigns
Retargeting Based on Website Visits: A potential client visits your website but leaves without filling out a contact form or signing up for a demo. Retargeting ads can be shown to remind them of your services, offering additional information to move them closer to conversion.
Retargeting Previous Webinar Attendees: After hosting a webinar, you can retarget attendees with more focused content, such as case studies or demo offers, to nurture these leads further down the sales funnel.
Pro tip: Dreamdata’s Audience Hub makes retargeting simple by syncing your audience data to platforms like LinkedIn and Google Ads. Ensuring your campaigns reach the right prospects with real-time updates, so no opportunity is missed.
What Are Signal-Based Audiences in B2B Marketing?
Signal-based audiences take targeting a step further by focusing on intent data, those subtle and not-so-subtle clues that show a buyer’s interest.
This isn’t your basic demographic segmentation.
Instead, it’s about identifying high-intent prospects who are actively exploring solutions to their business challenges.
Types of Signals for Building Audiences
Behavioral Signals: Actions like downloading an eBook or attending a webinar indicate specific interests.
Firmographic Signals: Factors like industry, company size, or location help you focus on the right types of businesses.
Technographic Signals: Insights into the tools or platforms a company uses can help you identify potential competitors or complementary solutions.
Signal-Based Audiences vs. Static Audiences
Unlike static audiences, where marketers segment leads based on broad demographic characteristics (e.g., job title, company size), signal-based targeting is more dynamic.
Signals are constantly evolving in real-time, and targeting is adjusted as a prospect's behavior or intent changes.
This makes signal-based targeting much more adaptable and responsive to shifts in buyer intent, increasing the relevance of your marketing efforts.
Why Combine Retargeting with Signal-Based Audiences?
Retargeting keeps you visible. Signal-based audiences make sure you’re targeting the right people. Together, they’re a marketing powerhouse.
Benefits for B2B Marketers
Precision Timing: Reach prospects who are familiar with your brand and actively considering solutions like yours.
Personalized Engagement: Use behavioral and firmographic data to craft messages that truly resonate.
Higher ROI: By focusing on high-intent prospects, you’ll spend less time (and money) chasing cold leads.
How Signal-Based Retargeting Enhances Lead Nurturing
Signal-based retargeting allows you to move prospects further down the sales funnel with more personalized messaging. For example, if a prospect shows interest in a specific product feature or downloads a case study, you can retarget them with an ad that addresses that specific interest, helping nurture them to the next stage.
By combining firmographic (e.g., company size, industry) and technographic (e.g., technology stack) data, you can craft messaging that speaks directly to their business needs, improving your chances of converting them into qualified leads.
Dreamdata’s Audience Hub lets you layer different data types, from firmographics to behavioral signals, to create tailored retargeting audiences. Automatic updates ensure your ads stay relevant without manual intervention.
Retargeting Strategies for B2B Marketers
Here are some actionable strategies to implement effective retargeting campaigns in a B2B environment.
1. Segment for Success
Effective retargeting starts with smart segmentation. Break your audience down by:
Firmographics: Industry, company size, or job role.
Technographics: What software or tools they use.
2. Craft Ads That Speak to Their Needs
Personalization is key. Your ads should reflect what prospects have already shown interest in:
Promote content tied to their specific pain points.
Offer demos or consultations tailored to their business needs.
3. Use Multiple Channels
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Combine:
Email Campaigns: Reinforce your message directly in their inbox.
LinkedIn Ads: Target by industry, job title, or company size for precision.
With Dreamdata’s sync tools, it’s easy to manage retargeting across platforms like Google Ads and LinkedIn, ensuring your message is consistent and cohesive.
How to Build Signal-Based Audiences
Building signal-based audiences requires identifying and leveraging the right intent data to target high-quality prospects.
Step 1: Identify High-Value Signals
Look for clues that show intent, such as:
Visiting your pricing page.
Downloading a resource like a whitepaper.
Engaging with your emails or ads.
Step 2: Use the Right Tools
Platforms like Dreamdata help you analyze and act on intent data, pulling insights from both first-party and third-party sources to create high-quality audience segments.
Step 3: Keep Everything Connected
Integrate your signal data across your CRM, ad platforms, and marketing tools. This ensures your campaigns are informed by the latest data and can adapt to shifts in buyer behavior.
Measuring Success: Key Metrics for Retargeting and Signal-Based Campaigns
To gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns, track these key metrics:
Retargeting Metrics
Click-through rates (CTR): Measures how often your retargeting ads are clicked, indicating engagement.
Conversion rates: Track how many of your retargeted visitors take the desired action, such as filling out a contact form or scheduling a demo.
Cost per acquisition (CPA): Measures how much it costs to acquire a customer through retargeting ads.
Signal-Based Audience Metrics
Engagement rates: Track how often prospects engage with your ads or content based on their intent signals.
Pipeline acceleration: Measure how quickly prospects move through the sales funnel after being targeted with signal-based ads.
Revenue attribution: Determine how much revenue can be attributed to campaigns that used signal-based targeting.
Best Practices for Using Retargeting and Signal-Based Audiences
Aligning Sales and Marketing Teams
Ensure sales and marketing teams collaborate on identifying and targeting high-intent accounts. This synergy leads to more effective ABM and retargeting campaigns.
Staying Compliant with Privacy Regulations
Adhere to GDPR, CCPA, and other data privacy laws. Be transparent about data usage and ensure prospects can easily opt-out of retargeting campaigns.
Testing and Iterating on Campaigns
Regularly A/B test your ad creatives and targeting criteria to identify what works best and refine your campaigns accordingly.
FAQs
Q: What is retargeting in B2B marketing?
Retargeting in B2B marketing involves serving targeted ads to people who have interacted with your website or content but have not yet converted.
Q: How do signal-based audiences work for B2B campaigns?
Signal-based audiences use intent data to identify prospects who are showing signs of active interest in your product or service, allowing you to target them more effectively.
Q: How do I measure the success of retargeting campaigns?
Key metrics to track include click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, cost per acquisition (CPA), engagement rates, and revenue attribution from targeted campaigns.
Conclusion
When done right, retargeting and signal-based audiences can transform your B2B marketing.
You’ll reach the right people with the right message at the right time—and that’s a recipe for success.
Whether you’re keeping your brand top-of-mind with retargeting or honing in on high-intent prospects with signal-based targeting, the key is to stay dynamic and data-driven.