Driving B2B Growth: Media Planning Strategies to Engage the Right Audiences

In B2B marketing, a well-crafted media plan can be the difference between generating high-quality leads and wasting your ad spend. At Power Digital, we specialize in strategies that cut through the noise, engage the right decision-makers, and drive measurable growth. As Jeff Lewis, Group Director, B2B at Power Digital, puts it: effective media planning starts with a clear goal and a deep understanding of your target audience—then we take it from there. 

To dive deeper, we interviewed Lewis, a seasoned expert in media planning for B2B companies, to explore key strategies for engaging B2B audiences and how Power Digital leverages tools and insights to fuel growth for clients.

1. Understanding the Goal and Audience

When it comes to B2B media planning, the first step is always to define the goal. “We need to align with the client on what they’re trying to achieve,” says Lewis. Whether the objective is brand awareness, lead generation, or pipeline growth, understanding the desired outcome helps create a roadmap for the media plan.

From there, the next crucial step is to define the target audience. B2B decisions are often made by a committee rather than a single individual, so it’s important to identify the different personas within that committee. 

2. Leveraging Data to Define the Audience

Once the goal and audience are established, the next step is gathering insights about where this audience resides and how they make decisions. Power Digital uses tools to identify where individuals are in their buyer’s journey. This helps us understand which prospects are showing intent, and it guides us in developing tailored messaging to match their current stage in the decision-making process.

As Lewis explains, “Once we understand the audience and where they are, we can use tools like GWI to figure out what channels we should be using and Bombora to determine what messaging will resonate best.” Understanding this audience behavior allows Power Digital to create a customized channel strategy that maximizes reach and engagement.

3. Channel Strategy: Reaching the Right People on the Right Platforms

With insights from audience data, the next step is to choose the appropriate channels to engage that audience. Lewis emphasizes that understanding the buyer’s journey is key to selecting the right platforms. For example, Power Digital frequently uses LinkedIn and Meta to target decision-makers in a B2B setting. By analyzing the intent and behavior of target personas, the team can allocate budget effectively across channels like paid search, programmatic display, and social media.

However, media planning for B2B involves more than just choosing platforms. It requires recognizing that different individuals within a buying committee interact with different channels and messaging. As Lewis highlights, “It’s not just about reaching one individual. We have to understand the roles within the buying committee and what kind of messaging will resonate with each person.”

4. Customizing Messaging for Each Role in the Buying Committee

In B2B, decisions are rarely made by a single person. Instead, they involve a group of stakeholders, each with distinct priorities and concerns. Understanding these roles is essential for crafting effective messaging. Lewis explains that “investing the time to understand who is involved in the decision and what messaging will resonate with them is a really important part of the media planning process.” At Power Digital, we ensure that each persona receives messaging tailored to their specific needs and stage in the buyer’s journey.

For example, the CFO may be more interested in ROI and cost savings, while the CMO may focus on brand growth and pipeline. Customizing messaging for each persona increases the likelihood of successfully moving them down the funnel.

5. Account-Based Marketing: Targeting the Right Accounts

Lewis also stresses the importance of adopting an account-based marketing (ABM) approach, when appropriate. In the B2B space, targeting specific companies or accounts can be far more effective than casting a wide net. “A highly targeted approach is important, especially when we’re focused on going after very specific accounts,” says Lewis.

ABM involves customizing media strategies to reach key accounts with highly relevant messaging. This focused approach enables businesses to allocate resources more efficiently and increase the chances of engaging the right stakeholders within an organization.

6. Optimizing Media Plans for Performance

A successful media plan doesn’t end once the campaign is launched. Ongoing optimization is crucial to ensuring the media plan delivers on its objectives. Lewis points out that “thinking beyond just the media planning process is key. We need to have a strong measurement framework in place to ensure that the media plan is working.”

At Power Digital, we emphasize the importance of a test-and-learn approach. By running match market tests and leveraging data, we continually refine campaigns and adjust budgets based on real-time performance. The key is not to rely solely on platform attribution but to use a solid measurement framework to validate that we’ve got the right media plan and budget allocation in place.

7. Common Pitfalls in Media Planning

There are a few common mistakes businesses make when planning media for B2B marketing. One of the biggest pitfalls is focusing too heavily on bottom-of-funnel tactics. “Many businesses tend to over-invest at the bottom of the funnel, focusing too much on capturing demand versus generating it,” says Lewis. This can result in missed opportunities to reach prospects earlier in their buyer’s journey.

To avoid this, Power Digital recommends a balanced approach that includes top-of-funnel strategies like awareness-building and demand generation. Engaging prospects early can lead to long-term relationships and higher conversion rates.

2025 B2B Media Planning: Next Steps

Effective media planning for B2B growth requires a strategic and thoughtful approach:

• Align on clear goals to guide your media strategy.
• Understand your audience and their specific needs to ensure your messaging resonates.
• Choose the right channels to effectively reach decision-makers.
• Tailor messaging for each persona to maximize engagement and conversion.
• Leverage tools to track intent, helping to refine your targeting and strategies.
• Utilize an ABM (Account-Based Marketing) approach to engage the right accounts and drive high-quality leads.

By following these best practices, decision-makers can ensure their media plans are aligned with their business goals and are poised to engage the right audiences at every stage of the buying journey. Ready to take your B2B media planning to the next level? Contact Power Digital today to learn how we can help drive growth for your business.