How to use CRM data to target the right B2B audiences

When I talk to B2B brands about potential CTV campaigns, one question comes up over and over: How do you show your ads to the right audiences?

It’s a great question. Unlike broad-appeal ecommerce or B2C brands, B2B companies usually have much smaller groups of people in their ideal customer profile (ICP), and there’s a corporate layer that masks the end buyers and buying committees.

Because of that, B2B marketers are often surprised by the methods available to put big-screen narratives in front of the people who need to know about their product or service. This is where I note that only 5% of a B2B audience is in-market at any one time — which is 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, the results depend heavily on the quality of the brand’s CRM data. Here’s how that comes to life.

Using CRM data to build audiences

First, your CRM is a wealth of business email addresses, and the right data partner — you’ll hear this a few more times in this article — can tie a business email to a home email and or a business or home IP address. You can create audiences that way. For recommendations, I like RevOptimal.

The other approach is to more broadly understand the companies you’re trying to target and their firmographic details. Once you have solid knowledge of that customer segment, you can create lookalike 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 help produce lists of similar companies you may not even be aware of. This type of data will also be useful if LinkedIn’s CTV product matures and gains traction.

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

Dig deeper: 4 CTV challenges for B2B and how to overcome them

Using 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’re capturing that site visit data in your CRM — especially drilling down into 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 shape your retargeting strategy. If your budget is limited, focus on retargeting segments that have visited high-intent pages or returned to your site multiple times, signaling they may be nearing a decision. Another smart move is to retarget current customers approaching the end of their contract with renewal-focused campaigns.

Dig deeper: How to use CTV to strengthen your ABM strategy

Best practices for engaging your ICP

If I haven’t emphasized this enough, B2B targeting requires far more segmentation than ecommerce or B2C targeting. That means getting your CRM data in shape to build segments based on company size, title or position, pages visited, company vertical and other relevant factors. Once you’ve defined key segments, it’s time to develop creative and positioning angles that speak directly to each group’s business goals and pain points.

Frequency is another important consideration. At a minimum, if budget allows, use your CRM data to stay in front of prospects from early in the buying journey through close. Yes, that includes using CTV ads as air cover for active opportunities, especially if your creative features strong social proof from similar companies.

Remember, most decision-makers already know who they want to speak with before they reach out. Understanding who your prospects are and bringing them into your digital funnel early in the buying journey using placements as powerful as TV ads is a smart move.

Dig deeper: 7 barriers advertisers need to overcome to grow CTV

CRM readiness is the real gatekeeper

I’m not suggesting B2B CTV campaigns work for every company. There are conditions a brand needs to meet before testing. If it’s not clear by now, strong CRM data is nonnegotiable.

If you meet those conditions and can allocate at least $10,000 for 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.

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