Marketing to niche audiences in the B2B space isn’t for the faint of heart. You’d think a smaller audience would mean easier targeting, right? Turns out, it’s the opposite. Small audiences often mean big challenges.
To shed light on these challenges and how to tackle them, I chatted with Cody Arnold, JPL’s Manager of Paid Media, about his strategies for cracking the code of B2B niche marketing as we head into 2025.
Q: What are some effective media tactics and channels for targeting niche B2B audiences?
A: It’s less about one perfect tactic and more about creating the right mix of tactics and channels. That mix depends on the specific vertical, but here are three foundational strategies I always recommend:
- LinkedIn: This is a must for B2B. Its targeting capabilities—think job title, seniority and geography—make it the ideal platform for minimizing wasted spend.
- Paid search: Keywords are your best friend. By zeroing in on highly specific terms that address your audience’s pain points, you can connect with people who are actively seeking solutions.
- Email marketing: If you have good first-party data, you’re golden. Email allows for personalized messaging that speaks directly to someone’s role and challenges. Plus, it strengthens your paid campaigns by providing better targeting insights.
Q: What challenges do marketers face when targeting niche B2B audiences?
A: Niche marketing is inherently difficult due to limited audience sizes, complexity of the sales funnel and length of the sales cycle. For example, you might be targeting a few hundred people involved at one part of a multi-step funnel and the overall sales cycle can take anywhere from 12-18 months. When the audience is that small, it:
- Hinders algorithm optimization: Paid platforms struggle with small datasets, making it harder to optimize campaigns.
- Limits targeting capabilities: Platforms often lack the granular options needed for highly specialized industries.
- Increases costs: Smaller audiences lead to higher cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-lead (CPL), as systems have limited flexibility to optimize for lower costs.
Q: What data should a marketer prioritize to target a niche audience effectively?
A: The more profiling data, the better. Key data points include:
- Industry and company size
- Geographic location of prospects, considering hybrid work models
- Job titles, seniority and functions
- Media consumption habits and preferred platforms
Having this data ensures campaigns are both precise and impactful.
Q: How is AI changing the game for targeting niche B2B audiences?
A: AI has significantly enhanced audience discovery and predictive analytics. We could go on for days about this, but for the sake of clarity, I’ll highlight two key areas.
- Audience research: AI helps us uncover insights about industries or verticals, such as identifying top publications or seasonal trends.
- Predictive analytics: AI tools help us forecast campaign performance based on historical data, enabling real-time adjustments and improved targeting.
All of this depends on our ability to capture and learn from that first-party data—which is critical to any niche marketing campaign.
Q: What advice would you give to B2B marketers targeting niche audiences in 2025?
- Double down on first-party data: Collect it, segment it and use it wisely. First-party data isn’t just for targeting—it’s essential for feeding algorithms and creating enriched signals that make campaigns more effective.
- Focus on demand generation: Don’t just go after quick leads. Create valuable content—think case studies, webinars and podcasts—that speaks to your audience’s challenges. Build trust before they’re ready to act.
- Align sales and marketing: These teams need to be in sync. Regular communication ensures that the leads you generate are nurtured properly and that your campaigns adapt based on real feedback.
About Cody Arnold, Manager, Paid Media: Cody oversees the day-to-day operations of JPL’s paid media practice including all aspects of media strategy and execution for integrated performance marketing campaigns. Cody has a hand in all of JPL’s paid media clients, including leading B2B campaigns with The Hershey Company, Quest Diagnostics, TE Connectivity and Deloitte.
About Kelly Seipe, JPL Head of Strategic Growth: Kelly evaluates clients’ businesses and identifies growth opportunities to deliver more value, ROI and strategic outcomes for them. She brings deep experience from her time serving as the account leader for many of JPL’s largest clients and over six years building the brands of manufacturers and marketers of building products in the B2B space.
