Digital advertising is the practice of promoting a brand, product, or service through online channels such as websites, search engines, social media, and streaming platforms. These promotions can take many forms—including text, image, audio, and video—and are often delivered to highly specific audiences based on their interests and online activities.
At its core, digital advertising is a multi-faceted process built on several key pillars. These components work together to create effective campaigns that reach the right people with the right message. Understanding them is crucial for any successful online promotion.
The most significant trend is the ongoing shift from traditional advertising to digital channels. As consumers spend more time on computers, smartphones, and streaming devices, brands are following them online. This move allows for greater precision in targeting and real-time campaign adjustments, making advertising more accessible for businesses of all sizes.
New technologies are also shaping the landscape. Generative AI is being used to create more dynamic ad content, while interactive formats like audio and streaming video ads are becoming more common. This focus on data-driven targeting and engaging formats helps brands connect with audiences in more relevant ways.
While often used interchangeably, digital advertising and online marketing have distinct scopes and strategic applications.
While digital advertising offers immense opportunity, navigating its landscape comes with significant hurdles. The same features that make it powerful, like vast options and data, also create major challenges for advertisers.
The future of digital advertising is increasingly automated and personalized. Technologies like generative AI will create dynamic, interactive ads for platforms like streaming TV and smart devices. This shift allows for hyper-targeted campaigns that adapt in real-time, delivering more relevant and immersive experiences to consumers as online engagement continues to grow.
Is digital advertising effective for B2B companies?
Yes, it's highly effective. B2B campaigns leverage platforms like LinkedIn and account-based marketing (ABM) to target specific job titles and industries. This precision allows companies to reach key decision-makers directly, generating high-quality leads and driving significant business growth.
How is the end of third-party cookies affecting digital advertising?
It's shifting the focus to first-party data and contextual advertising. Brands are now building direct relationships with customers to collect data ethically. Ads are increasingly targeted based on the content of a page rather than individual user history, prioritizing privacy while maintaining relevance.
With the rise of ad blockers, is display advertising dead?
Not at all. While ad blockers are a challenge, advertisers are adapting with native ads, sponsored content, and video formats that integrate more naturally into the user experience. The emphasis is on creating less intrusive, value-driven ads that audiences are more willing to engage with.
Direct sales involves selling products directly to consumers in a non-retail setting, such as at home, online, or person-to-person.
An Account Executive (AE) is a sales professional responsible for closing new business deals and managing existing client relationships to drive revenue.
Website visitor tracking collects and analyzes data on user behavior to understand their journey and improve the overall user experience.
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that manages your entire hiring and recruitment process from a single dashboard.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) software helps teams coordinate personalized marketing and sales efforts to land high-value customer accounts.
"Smile and dial" is a high-volume sales tactic where reps make numerous cold calls from a list, often with little to no prior research.
Learn about B2B, including what is it, its key elements, the benefits of B2B partnerships, the differences between B2B and B2C, and strategies for effective marketing.
Sales automation uses software to streamline and automate repetitive, manual sales tasks, freeing up reps to focus on selling.
Revenue Operations (RevOps) is a business function that aligns a company's sales, marketing, and customer service teams to drive predictable revenue.
Learn about big data, including understanding big data characteristics, benefits of leveraging big data, & challenges in managing big data.
A sales call is a real-time conversation between a salesperson and a prospect, aiming to persuade them to purchase a product or service.
A marketing automation platform is software that automates marketing actions. It helps manage tasks like email campaigns and lead nurturing.
Predictive lead generation uses data and AI to find prospects most likely to buy, helping teams focus their efforts on high-value leads.
Customer relationship marketing is a strategy for building lasting connections with customers to foster long-term loyalty and engagement.
Accounts Payable (AP) is the money a company owes its suppliers for goods or services bought on credit. It's listed as a current liability.
Copyright compliance is adhering to laws that protect creative works. It involves legally using content by obtaining permission or licenses.
Responsive design is an approach where a website's layout adapts to the user's screen size, providing an optimal experience on any device.
“End of Quarter” (EOQ) refers to the final weeks of a business quarter when sales teams rush to meet quotas, often leading to a flurry of deals.
A sandbox is an isolated testing environment where new or untrusted code can be run safely without affecting the host device or network.
Lead enrichment adds third-party data to your raw lead lists, creating fuller prospect profiles for more effective and personalized outreach.
A Target Account List (TAL) is a focused list of high-value companies that a business specifically aims to convert into customers.
A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is a prospect who has shown interest based on marketing efforts but isn't yet ready for a sales conversation.
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Net new business is revenue from customers who have never purchased from your company before. It’s a crucial indicator of sustainable growth.
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Learn about buyer intent data, including sourcing and interpreting buyer intent data, & key metrics in buyer intent analysis.
CRM enrichment is the process of adding third-party data to your existing customer profiles to make them more complete and accurate.
Buying criteria are the specific requirements and standards a customer uses to evaluate products or services before making a decision.
Dynamic pricing is a strategy where businesses set flexible prices for products or services based on current market demands and other factors.
Feature flags let you remotely control features in your app without new code. This enables safe testing, gradual rollouts, and quick rollbacks.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search results.
A sales methodology is the framework that guides how your sales team approaches the entire sales process, from prospecting to closing deals.
Video selling uses personalized video messages to engage prospects, build rapport, and guide them through the sales funnel to close more deals.
A sales pipeline is a visual representation of where prospects are in the sales process, from the first contact to the final sale.
An elevator pitch is a short, memorable summary of what you do, designed to be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator.
ABM orchestration aligns marketing and sales actions across channels to deliver seamless, personalized experiences to high-value accounts.
Enrichment is the process of adding third-party data to your existing customer profiles to get a more complete picture of your leads.
A Marketing Qualified Account (MQA) is a target company that has shown significant engagement, indicating it's ready for the sales team to pursue.
Consultative selling is an approach where salespeople act as expert advisors, diagnosing customer needs to provide the most suitable solutions.
Personalization in sales means tailoring outreach to a prospect's specific needs, interests, and context to make communication more relevant.
Shipping solutions are services or software that streamline the logistics of getting products to customers, from label printing to final delivery.
A Content Management System (CMS) is software for creating, managing, and modifying website content without needing specialized technical skills.
Learn about B2C2B, including how B2C2B transforms sales, key strategies for B2C2B success, & differences between B2C2B and B2B2C.
Data security protects digital information from unauthorized access, corruption, or theft throughout its entire lifecycle.
A Customer Data Platform (CDP) centralizes customer data from all sources to create a complete, unified profile for each individual customer.
Learn about buyer, including identifying your ideal buyer, understanding buyer's journey, & evaluating buyer decision processes.
A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a sales specialist who finds and qualifies new leads, building a pipeline for the sales team.
Cold calling is a sales tactic where reps contact potential customers by phone who haven't previously expressed interest in their product or service.
Sales enablement technology refers to software and tools that equip sales teams with the resources they need to close more deals efficiently.
A Salesforce Administrator is a certified professional who manages and customizes the Salesforce platform to meet a company's specific business needs.
CRM integration connects your CRM software with other tools, creating a unified system for all your customer data and business processes.
Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) is the portion of the market your business can realistically serve with its current products and sales channels.
A go-to-market (GTM) strategy is an action plan that outlines how a company will reach target customers and achieve a competitive advantage.
NoSQL ("Not only SQL") databases offer a flexible alternative to relational models, excelling at managing large and unstructured data sets.
Learn about B2B data erosion, including causes of B2B data decay, strategies to combat data erosion, & measuring the impact of data erosion.
Lead generation is the process of identifying and cultivating potential customers for a business's products or services.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a system of integrated software that businesses use to manage and automate their core day-to-day processes.
Account management is the post-sales practice of building and nurturing long-term relationships with a company's most valuable clients.
A Representational State Transfer (REST) API is a web service that uses a simple, stateless architecture for systems to communicate online.
A buying committee is a group of stakeholders within an organization who are jointly responsible for making major purchasing decisions.
White labeling is when a company puts its own branding on a product or service that was actually produced by a different company.
Closed opportunities are potential deals that have concluded. They are categorized as either 'closed-won' (a sale was made) or 'closed-lost'.
Technographics is data that outlines a company’s technology stack, helping B2B teams identify prospects based on the software and hardware they use.
Sales objections are reasons or concerns raised by a potential customer as to why they are hesitant or unwilling to make a purchase.
A cold email is an initial outreach sent to a potential customer with whom you've had no prior contact, aiming to introduce your business.
Account-Based Selling is a B2B strategy where sales and marketing treat high-value accounts as markets of one, using personalized outreach.
Account-Based Sales (ABS) is a focused B2B strategy where sales and marketing teams treat high-value accounts as individual markets of one.
Product-Led Growth (PLG) is a business strategy where the product itself drives user acquisition, conversion, and expansion.
Gamification applies game mechanics like points, badges, and leaderboards to non-game activities to boost engagement and motivate users.
A use case is a detailed description of how a user interacts with a system to achieve a specific goal, outlining the steps from start to finish.
Total Addressable Market (TAM) represents the maximum revenue a company can earn by selling its product or service in a specific market.
Learn about B2B sales, including key strategies for B2B success, types of B2B sales models, & B2B vs. B2C sales: understanding the differences.
Lead scoring models rank prospects by assigning points for their behaviors and demographics, helping sales teams prioritize their outreach.
Audience targeting is the process of segmenting consumers into specific groups to deliver more personalized and relevant marketing messages.
Lead routing is the automated process of distributing incoming leads to the right sales reps based on predefined criteria.
Revenue forecasting is the process of estimating a company's future revenue, using historical data and market trends to guide strategic planning.
Key accounts are a company's most valuable customers, vital due to their significant revenue contribution and strategic importance for growth.
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based model where affiliates earn a commission for promoting another company’s products or services.
Cold emailing is sending unsolicited emails to potential customers you haven't contacted before, aiming to start a business conversation.
Mid-market companies are businesses larger than small businesses but smaller than large enterprises, often defined by revenue or employee size.
A Request for Information (RFI) is a formal process for gathering information from potential suppliers before issuing a more detailed proposal.
Consumer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy for managing all of a company's relationships and interactions with its customers.
Customer retention refers to the strategies and activities a company uses to prevent customer churn and encourage them to continue buying.
Warm outbound is a sales strategy for contacting prospects who've shown interest in your brand through prior engagement, like website visits.
Learn about B2B data platform, including key benefits of B2B data platforms, choosing the right B2B data platform, challenges in implementing B2B data platforms.
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the predictable income a company expects to receive from its customers over a one-year period.
A sales territory is a specific group of customers or a geographic area that a salesperson or sales team is responsible for managing.
Customer centricity is a business approach that puts the customer at the heart of every decision, aiming to build loyalty and long-term value.
Stress testing is a type of software testing that determines a system's robustness by pushing it beyond its normal operational capacity.
Sales operations analytics is the practice of analyzing sales data to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire sales process.
A sales dashboard is a visual tool that centralizes and displays key sales data, metrics, and KPIs to help teams track performance and goals.
A System of Record (SoR) is the authoritative data source for a specific type of data. It acts as the single source of truth for an organization.
“No Spam” is a commitment to sending only relevant, solicited messages. It means avoiding bulk, unwanted emails to respect the recipient's inbox.
Sales and marketing analytics involves measuring and analyzing performance data to maximize effectiveness and optimize return on investment (ROI).
Email verification is the process of confirming that an email address is valid and deliverable, which helps improve campaign performance.
A talk track is a script that guides sales reps during calls. It ensures they cover key points and maintain a consistent message with prospects.
Objection handling in sales is the process of responding to a prospect's concerns about a product or service to move the deal forward.
Product recommendations are a marketing strategy that uses customer data to suggest relevant products, boosting sales and customer engagement.
Learn about buyer intent, including understanding buyer intent signals, strategies to capture buyer intent, & buyer intent vs. customer interest.
Sales enablement provides sales teams with the necessary tools, content, and information to help them sell more effectively and efficiently.