Why IP Targeting Is The Future of B2B Advertising

When Google announced the change in 2021, marketers and sales teams were left scrambling to figure out what the shift means for their pipeline and advertising campaigns. 

Luckily, the solution has been there all along. With just an IP address, you can de-anonymize B2B web traffic by matching an IP address to a company name and domain. But IP targeting lets you do a whole lot more. 

In addition to telling you, for example, that someone from Microsoft visited your company website (nice), IP data can also help you target the right leads. 

It's the future of B2B advertising, but how does it actually work? 

Note: Leadfeeder turns IP addresses into insanely accurate firmographic data about the companies visiting your website. Try it for free for 14 days.

What is B2B IP Targeting? 🎯

IP targeting is a digital marketing practice that uses an IP address to deliver personalized content to a website visitor's mobile or desktop device based on its physical location or other data determined using its IP address. 

Don't worry; this isn't creepy "Facebook is listening to my conversations"-level targeting. That's because you can't target specific individuals. Rather, B2B IP targeting allows you to target specific companies and the people who work there. 

This means you can target people who work at Target headquarters in Minneapolis, but not Dave in HR. 

How does IP targeting work?

B2B IP targeting empowers you to display your digital ads only to people accessing the web from the IP addresses of the companies you specifically want to target. 

For example, you can show people who work at Apple ads for your product when they visit news sites or their favorite industry blogs.

Unlike cookies, IP addresses cannot be deleted or blocked. You can stay connected to every target every time they go online and visit websites that display ads. IP advertising allows you to deliver extraordinarily relevant online ads directly to your target audience. #winning 

Not all IP targeting is created equal, however. Different types of B2B IP targeting work a little bit differently. Let's cover a few ways to use IP targeting. 

IP targeting by network

One way IP targeting works is using API data with company-specific information, including details of the internet service provider, the kind of company it is, and the domain name. IP targeting by network is ideal for both local and global IP targeting. 

There are several types of IP targeting by network, including static IPs and dynamic IPs. 

IP targeting by network: Static IPs

Most company IP addresses are listed in public directories and don't change. This makes it very easy to track when someone from that company visits your website, allowing you to set up an advertising campaign specifically targeting that company's IP address. 

IP targeting by network: Dynamic IPs

Dynamic IPs are typically given to remote workers, home users or small businesses. These dynamic IPs usually stay with one device for several weeks or months and change once the user resets or unplugs their router. When people work from home, they switch from a static IP address to a dynamic one. By targeting dynamic IPs, you can also target remote employees. 

IP targeting based on geolocation

Geolocation IP targeting leverages a user's IP address via WiFi or GPS data to nail down where they are. IP targeting based on geolocation can also be determined right down to state, city, and even specific companies. This allows B2B companies to better target businesses in particular locations, such as in areas you service or countries you want to expand into. 

Why IP targeting is the future of B2B advertising 

Most advertising platforms are built for B2C customers. On platforms like Facebook, you can target people based on age, gender, location, even income or education level. Which is great when you want to sell summer dresses; not so much when you're selling CRM software. 

B2B targeting, on the other hand, has always been pretty limited. Which means we end up wasting a lot more ad spend. IP targeting is a game-changer for B2B advertising as it allows you to target specific companies/industries or ICPs by matching IP addresses to company information. Using IP enrichment, you can get relevant data about those companies, including industry, location, company size, and more. 

Here are a few more reasons why IP advertising is the future for B2B: 

Directly target your account list / ICP

By matching IP addresses to company data, you can target the exact companies you want to reach with display ads. This ensures your ads reach high-quality leads in your ICP and avoids wasting ad budget on irrelevant prospects. 

Target remote-first companies

The way we work has changed. IP intelligence can accurately identify the company behind remote/home office locations. By targeting dynamic IPs, Leadfeeder identifies them even if their employees work remotely.

Create hyper-personalized ads

Using personalization can reduce CAC by 50% and lift revenue by as much as 15%. IP based ads allow you to create more personalized messages—because when you know what companies you're targeting, you can create ads that mention their pain points, location, industry, and even company name.

IP advertising allows you to choose which images and text are displayed to a specific company based on their IP address. For example, you can customize your ads by:

• Company location

• Company industry

• Company size

This way, you can show leads the ads they want to see—and increase the chances they will interact with your ads. 

Set up more cost-efficient campaigns

If you want to waste your advertising budget on campaigns that don't deliver, no one is going to stop you. Or, you could use IP targeting. Conversion rates with IP targeting ads are much higher, so you'll spend less money on irrelevant leads and more cash reaching folks who are more likely to convert. Less ad spend and higher profits? Yes, please. 

Understand ads impressions at a company level 

With IP targeting you can actually see what companies view your ads and interact with them. By matching IP addresses to name and company data, you can see that company A clicked on your ad X times. That's useful information for seeing how companies move through your funnel. 

Deliver IP-targeted ABM campaigns with Leadfeeder

Third-party cookies are on their way out, leaving many companies scrambling for another solution to directly target their ICP. And IP targeting is exactly the solution you've been looking for. 

With Leadfeeder’s IP Enrich API, you can power your advertising platform with comprehensive account-level data and deliver IP-targeted ABM campaigns while also showing customers the companies interacting with their campaigns.

We provide the IP data you need to enrich your advertising platform with firmographic data. Enabling you to provide IP targeting ABM campaigns to your customers.

Note: Leadfeeder's IP Enrich API platform turns IP addresses into rich data you can use to drive decisions across your organization. Want access? Talk to our team.