So you want to run a B2B account-based advertising campaign that actually gets in front of the right people—and you want to use Influ2 for it. Good news: you’re aiming for the right target. Bad news: it’s easy to waste time and budget if you don’t set things up properly. This guide is for marketers (and sales folks who get stuck with marketing tasks) who want to do more than burn money on flashy display ads.
Let’s get right into how to set up a B2B account-based advertising campaign in Influ2—and how to avoid the most common mistakes.
Step 1: Know Why You’re Using Influ2 (and When Not To)
Influ2 isn’t your average ad platform. It’s built for B2B marketers who need to target actual decision-makers at specific companies—not just spray ads at random “interested” people. If you want to show display ads to named people at your dream accounts, this is your tool.
But a quick reality check: - Influ2 works best if you already know who you want to reach. - If you’re just “building awareness” or hoping to magically generate pipeline without any sales follow-up, you’ll be disappointed. - It isn’t a silver bullet—if your creative is boring or your list is junk, nothing will save you.
Bottom line: Use Influ2 if you have a clear list of accounts and contacts, and you care about showing ads to real people—then tracking what they do.
Step 2: Build a Quality Target Account List
Influ2 is only as good as your account list. Don’t get lazy here.
Do this: - Start with your ICP. Who actually buys from you? Use your CRM, closed-won analysis, and sales feedback to build a list of companies that match. - Prioritize. Don’t dump all 10,000 accounts in. Start with a few hundred that sales actually wants to work. - Clean up your data. Make sure company names are consistent and match external data sources (otherwise, targeting can get messy).
Don’t waste time: - Buying a giant list of random companies “in your industry.” You’ll just pay to annoy strangers. - Relying on old or incomplete data. Bounce rates and wasted impressions will go up.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure who to target, stop and figure that out first. Influ2 can’t fix a bad list.
Step 3: Identify the Right People (Contacts)
This is where Influ2 stands out—it lets you target actual people, not just job titles or anonymous traffic.
How to build your contact list: - Use your CRM or sales tools to pull contacts at your target accounts. Prioritize decision-makers and influencers (not just C-level, but the people who’d actually use or recommend your product). - Enrich your data. Use tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, or Clearbit to fill in gaps and verify emails/job roles. - Segment by buying committee. Group contacts by role (e.g., end user, business decision-maker, technical evaluator) so you can tailor your messaging.
What to avoid: - Dumping in random contacts just to hit a number. If you wouldn’t email them, don’t advertise to them. - Relying on job titles alone. Titles are messy—cross-check with LinkedIn or your sales team.
Remember: The tighter your contact list, the better your results. Quality beats quantity.
Step 4: Craft Creative That Doesn’t Suck
Most B2B ads are boring. Influ2 gives you the chance to put relevant, personalized ads in front of real people—don’t waste it.
Tips for effective creative: - Speak to the actual person. Address their pain points, not just broad “business challenges.” - Use plain English. Avoid jargon. Be direct. - Personalization counts. Even simple touches like mentioning the company name or referencing an industry trend go a long way. - Clear CTA. Tell them what you want them to do—download a resource, book a meeting, visit a landing page.
What to ignore: - Overly fancy graphics or “brand videos.” No one cares if the message isn’t relevant. - Buzzword bingo. “Unlock synergy at scale” is a fast way to get ignored.
Pro tip: Test your creative with a few colleagues before launching. If they say, “I don’t get it,” rewrite it.
Step 5: Set Up Your Campaign in Influ2
Now for the nuts and bolts. Influ2’s UI is straightforward, but don’t just click through blindly.
Here’s what to do: 1. Upload your account and contact lists. Use CSVs or connect your CRM. Double-check formatting. 2. Choose your campaign type. Influ2 offers display, LinkedIn, and other ad placements. Start with what matches your audience’s habits. 3. Set budgets and timelines. Don’t crank the budget to max right away. Start small, see what works, and scale up. 4. Assign creative to segments. Map your ads to specific contact groups or account tiers. 5. Set up tracking. Use UTM parameters for landing pages, and connect any integrations (like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Slack) for lead flow.
Watch out for: - Clicking “next” until you launch. Take your time mapping creative to the right groups. - Ignoring frequency caps. Don’t annoy people by showing the same ad 30 times a day.
Step 6: Launch and Monitor Closely (Don’t “Set and Forget”)
Here’s where most campaigns go off the rails. Influ2 gives you real-time data on who’s seeing and clicking your ads—so use it.
What to watch: - Impressions and clicks by person. Are your key contacts engaging? If not, something’s off. - Account-level engagement. Are your top accounts seeing your ads, or are you wasting spend on low-priority targets? - Creative performance. Which messages get clicks? Kill underperformers fast.
Don’t bother with: - Vanity metrics. 1,000 impressions mean nothing if the right people aren’t engaging. - Over-optimizing in week one. Give it a little time (but not forever) before tweaking.
Pro tip: Share engagement reports with sales weekly. If a target account’s CMO clicked your ad three times, sales should know right away.
Step 7: Sync with Sales, Always
Influ2 is at its best when it’s part of a bigger play, not just a standalone channel.
How to make it work: - Set up alerts for when key contacts engage (opens, clicks, time on site). - Have a process. Define what sales should do when someone engages—personalized outreach, LinkedIn connect, whatever fits your sales motion. - Feedback loops. If sales says a target is wrong, update your list. If a message lands, double down on it.
Avoid: - Keeping campaign data to yourself. Sales needs to know who’s engaging, not just marketing. - Pushing for meetings before there’s real interest. Use engagement to warm up, not force the sale.
Step 8: Iterate, Don’t Overthink
No campaign is perfect out of the gate. Influ2 makes it easy to tweak audiences, creative, and spend. Use that.
What to do: - Review results weekly. Kill what’s not working, scale what is. - Test new creative. Rotate messages, try new CTAs, and see what lands. - Update your lists. Add new accounts, remove duds, enrich contact data.
What not to do: - Panic if you don’t get instant pipeline. B2B deals take time. - Settle for “it’s running.” If you’re not learning and improving, you’re wasting money.
Keep It Simple, Keep It Real
There’s no magic formula to B2B account-based advertising. Influ2 is a strong tool if you use it thoughtfully: target real people, with real messages, and track what actually happens. Start small, focus on quality, and keep tuning as you go. The best campaigns are the ones you keep improving—not the ones you over-engineer and forget.