Building Better B2B Campaigns: 7 Digital Advertising Goals That Matter

Tony

In B2B marketing, digital advertising isn’t just about generating clicks or impressions, it’s about driving measurable business outcomes. The most effective campaigns are built with a clear goal in mind, whether that’s strengthening brand perception, fueling pipeline, or winning business from competitors. 

Yet, too often, campaigns are launched without a defined objective, making it difficult to measure success or prove impact. By starting with the right goal, marketers can select the plays, channels, and creative approaches that deliver results where they matter most. 

In this post, we’ll break down seven of the most common goals B2B marketers set for digital advertising campaigns, from brand awareness to competitive takeouts, and share proven plays you can use to achieve them. 

1. Increase Brand Awareness 

Goal: Get your brand in front of the right accounts at scale. 
Recommended Plays: 

• Run display campaigns targeting your ICP or intent-based account lists. 
• Additionally, leverage vertical videos on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) to expand reach with memorable formats. 
• Consider the following campaign settings: 
  • CPM: Keep it low for broader reach, ~$5 
  • Device Type: Desktop & Mobile  
  • Domains: Target using the 6sense Preferred Publisher List 
  • Brand Safety: Standard Protection 
  • Optimizations: Be sure to turn on Viewability Optimization 
• Suggested Ad Creative: 
  • Sizes: Stick with the most effective formats for reach and engagement: 300x250, 320x50, 728x90, 300x600 
  • Keep ad copy simple and avoid jargon or acronyms. 

2. Improve Brand Sentiment 

Goal: Positively shift how your audience feels about your brand. 
Recommended Plays: 

• Run thought leadership ads highlighting innovation and credibility. Target your ICP (audiences for CTV and Google/Youtube should remain broad). 
• Leverage Connected TV (Warner Brothers, DirectTV, Sling, BBC, Fubo, NBC, etc) or YouTube to tell customer success stories with high resolution, audio-on videos. 
• Consider the following campaign settings:  
  • CPM: expect higher CPMs when running CTV ads, ~$30 
• Suggested ad creative:  
  • High resolution video commercials, mostly 15-30 seconds 

3. Generate Demand to Drive Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs) 

Goal: Create meaningful engagement to move target accounts from left to right through their buying journey. 
Recommended Plays: 

• Launch persona-targeted display campaigns targeting buying committees for mid-funnel accounts within your ICP who are showing intent. 
• Additionally, use account-based retargeting (based on website activity) or contextual advertising to expand relevant reach. 
• Consider the following campaign settings:  
  • CPM: ~ $10 - $12  
  • Device Type: Desktop & Mobile 
  • Domains: Target using the 6sense Preferred Publisher List 
  • Brand Safety: Standard Protection 
  • Optimizations: Viewability Optimization should be turned on. Also consider Account Pacing to more evenly spread budget across all accounts in the segment. 
  • Add Persona Targeting for seniority and job function(s) 
• Suggested ad creative:  
  • Sizes: 300x250, 320x50, 729x90, 300x600 
  • Consider using stage-based creative copy or account-based retargeting.  

4. Generate Leads 

Goal: Capture new, qualified contacts for sales outreach. 
Recommended Plays: 

• Run social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) cost-per-lead (CPL) campaigns with native lead gen forms targeting in-market ICP accounts, recent keyword activity, or recent website activity. 
• As a second step, enrich contacts for new 6QAS, then set up an AI email sequence to book meetings. 
• Consider the following campaign settings: 
  • CPC or CPL  
• Ad creatives:  
  • Try native forms  

5. Support Active Deals 

Goal: Influence pipeline deals that are already in progress. 
Recommended Plays: 

• Set always-on ABM display ads to known open opportunities (accounts with open opportunities, exclude existing customers). 
• Serve competitive comparison or value-focused content. Coordinate messaging with sales sequences for multi-channel reinforcement. 
• Consider the following campaign settings:  
  • CPM: ~ $8 
  • Device Type: Desktop & Mobile 
  • Domains: Leverage the entire publishing network, but set exclusions when necessary.
  • Brand Safety: Standard Protection 
  • Optimizations: Viewability Optimization should be turned on 
• Suggested ad creative: 
  • Sizes: 300x250, 320x50, 728x90, 300x600 
  • Copy should include competitive comparisons or value props. 

6. Upsell Current Customers 

Goal: Increase revenue within current customers. 
Recommended Plays: 

• Run social media sponsored post campaigns or send AI emails targeted at existing customer lists with cross-sell or upsell offers. 
• Highlight product adoption, integrations, or advanced features. Use case studies or “what’s new” product updates to spark interest. 
• Consider the following campaign settings: 
  • Cost per click (CPC)  
• Suggested ad creative:  
  • Sponsored post image ads or carousels  

7. Takeout Competitors 

Goal: Win business away from competitor accounts. 
Recommended Plays: 

• Use ABM display or social media sponsored post campaigns to target accounts based on their technographic footprint or that are engaging with competitor content (branded keywords). 
• Promote side-by-side comparisons, customer win-back stories, or switching incentives. Deploy ads that highlight unique differentiators or cost advantages. 
• Consider the following campaign settings:  
  • CPM: ~ $8 - $10  
  • Device Type: Desktop & Mobile 
  • Domains: Target using the 6sense Preferred Publisher List 
  • Brand Safety: Standard Protection 
  • Optimizations: Viewability Optimization should be turned on 
• Suggested ad creative: 
  • Sizes: 300x250, 320x50, 728x90, 300x600 
  • Ad copy should highlight unique differentiators.  

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These seven goals are among the most popular objectives for B2B digital advertising campaigns, but they’re not the only ones. The key is to start with clarity: define your goal, identify the right metrics for success, and then choose the channels and formats that are best suited to achieve them. 

When campaigns are anchored in clear objectives, it becomes far easier to select the right plays, measure impact, and demonstrate value to your business. No matter what your specific goal is, whether it’s awareness, demand gen, retention, or something else, goal-first planning ensures your advertising drives meaningful outcomes rather than just burning through budgets.