Full Steam 05: What’s actually working in B2B paid media now
Full Steam is an ongoing conversation about the craft of B2B marketing. In each episode, experts from Iron Horse explore a single topic in depth, giving you practical takeaways and a fresh perspective on the challenges you're navigating every day. Catch up on previous episodes about AI in B2B marketing, Claude Cowork, and AI for content marketers.
Paid media still works (but only if you quit coasting)
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably noticed that paid media feels like a money pit right now. Your tried-and-true channels don’t work anymore. Those once-fresh creative campaigns feel stale. And thanks to AI-generated summaries and LLMs, your buyers can research you without clicking through (and without leaving a trace in your attribution data).
But there’s still hope. In this episode of Full Steam, Iron Horse principal content strategist Alex Jonathan Brown talks to Iron Horse director of growth marketing Ellen Smolley about the new approaches to paid media that actually get results.
They discuss why comic-strip-style images drive engagement on LinkedIn, how using Clay helped boost audience match rates from 10% to 54%, and why Ellen’s most excited to experiment with mobile billboards ad outside prospects’ offices.
Featuring
- Advertising on publisher sites is the next big move. If your display ads aren’t getting results, shift spend to your industry’s publishers to reach your audiences where they already gather.
- AI-generated ads aren’t built to stand out. They pull from what’s already been done (and what your audience has seen). You need human creativity to create ads that stop buyers mid-scroll.
- Today’s tech takes the guesswork out of targeting. Tools like Clay use inferred signals like job changes and blog updates to let you know exactly who to target, and when.
What's the best paid media channel for B2B demand generation?
The best channels are where your audience already gathers. For most B2B buyers, that’s increasingly publisher sites.
Ellen shared how she saw results when she shifted budget from display to publisher sites like Demand Gen Report. Along with boosting ad performance, these sites can add credibility to your ads since they’ll appear alongside content that connects more closely to what your audience is seeking out.
That being said, the “best” channel can change as your needs and broader industry trends shift. And before choosing a channel, take the time to first understand your audience, then refine your audience list and intent signals.
How do I measure paid media ROI for pipeline, not just clicks?
For channels where clicks aren’t the goal, measure account-level lift instead of individual response rates.
Ellen shared the example of out-of-home advertising, where attribution is especially difficult. She recommended treating it as a brand awareness play rather than a direct response channel, measuring whether target account engagement lifts across all your channels combined.
How has zero-click search changed B2B paid media strategy?
Zero-click behavior means your buyers can learn about you before they ever visit your site, which changes what your paid media needs to accomplish.
Smart marketers are shifting some of their budget to AEO to make sure their brand shows up when buyers are doing research on LLMs. They’re also using their paid media toward building familiarity and mind share, versus driving direct response.