Used the right way, native advertising can turbocharge B2B SaaS marketing campaigns—but there are some key factors to bear in mind.
While native advertising is effective across many demographics, the high-caliber traffic required by B2B SaaS companies often delivers particularly compelling benefits.
Given the world’s newfound reliance on the internet over the last year, it’s becoming increasingly tricky for SaaS companies to cut through the online noise. While every company is redirecting a larger share of its marketing budget to online advertising rather than DM campaigns or events, shouting above the crowd is proving increasingly ineffective.
Instead, SaaS brands need to target their ad spend carefully. And few platforms provide the granular control and real-time accountability of native advertising. A well-structured B2B SaaS marketing campaign using native ads can place content exactly where it needs to be seen. That means less hit-and-hope advertising on social media platforms and more targeted positioning on business portals and in locations where your competitors are already active. However, it also requires a focused campaign with defined objectives, as we recently discussed.
B2B native advertising campaigns can drive sales, increase conversions, and boost profits—but only when managed effectively.
Not all native ads are created equal
Some native channels will inevitably be more effective than others. Display ads with native elements won’t capture your audience’s attention as effectively as sponsored posts on an industry publisher’s website. For instance, a cloud storage provider is going to achieve more from advertising on tech websites than from ads being published on social media sites.
At Brax, we always recommend A/B testing for native campaigns. If campaign B works better, consider why. What lessons can you learn to optimize future spend? Can campaign A be adapted to work better? Drilling down into campaign click-through data often provides valuable insights which can improve the performance of all subsequent native campaigns.
What should B2B SaaS native advertising focus on?
While sales may be the ultimate aim for B2B native advertising campaigns, there’s much more to native ads than simply displaying products next to a “Buy Now” button. These are some of the areas a well-designed campaign could focus on to build brand awareness and increase sales:
- Advertise new content: Driving traffic to on-site blogs, interviews, and product pages
- Promote events: From pitches and demos to webinars and launches
- Offer exclusive insights: Market research or how your product dashboard works
- Publicize time-limited activities: This may include beta testing or short-term discounts
- Showcase studies: How your products/services allowed company X to meet a need
- Display testimonials: The reasons company X is now happy to sing your praises
The uses relevant to your business might vary by industry or even according to your current priorities. These evolve over time and according to corporate requirements. As they change, native advertising can adapt to position content where it needs to be seen. It can also retarget prospects who’ve already seen your content but haven’t taken action yet.
How do I narrow down B2B SaaS marketing to relevant audiences?
Again, this depends to some extent on your industry and objectives. An SEO consultant trying to sell attendance at a forthcoming webinar will want their B2B native advertising campaign to achieve different results compared to a video production firm promoting their new $1,000 service. This guide explains how to narrow down your objectives.
These are some golden rules to keep in mind:
Focus on demographics
Do you want to target both Spanish and English speakers or just the latter? Could advertising in the UK achieve anything, or is it best to stick with US platforms? What age groups will be the key decision-makers for your service?
Choose which platforms to appear on
It’s easy to waste ad spend on irrelevant ads, which may annoy rather than appeal to audiences. Using Brax’s granular campaign controls, you can choose sites relevant to your industry/audience.
Provide a focus for any sales campaigns
Phrases like “Buy now” can be intimidating, whereas “Try it for free” is far more encouraging. The word “try” implies no obligation, and the prospect of using something for free is timelessly appealing.
Study competitors
Competitors have often done the legwork of deciding where and how to promote their B2B SaaS marketing campaigns. If rival brands keep popping up on industry news sites or specific business platforms, shouldn’t you be there as well?
Keep it simple
Most B2B clients are highly knowledgeable and don’t need to have things spelled out for them. A native ad campaign can work wonders if it focuses on key USPs or time-limited attractions aimed at solving corporate pain points. Find out how Brax works across all the major native advertising platforms by getting in touch with us here.
