Case study: streamlining B2B advertising through innovative design

Enhancing B2B advertising strategies for better outcomes.

Published in

Bootcamp

6 min readJun 17, 2024

In this case study, I’ll outline my approach to refining and enhancing the user experience of the WasteNot platform, a cutting-edge tool designed to optimize B2B advertising campaigns.

WasteNot website interface showing options for seamlessly connecting data sources and building suppression audiences. The page features a navigation menu with links to products, pricing, integrations, and resources, along with buttons for requesting a demo and creating a new audience. — WasteNot website interface design

INTRODUCTION

WasteNot offers a seamless, automated solution for audience suppression and campaign management by addressing the complexities of diverse data landscapes and platform integrations. The innovative platform, which is currently in development, aims to simplify and optimise B2B advertising campaigns.

As the product designer, I led the creation of a user-friendly interface that empowers B2B marketers to achieve better campaign outcomes with minimal effort.

THE COMMON DILEMMA

Imagine you are the owner of a small business. You sell different types of footwear. You realise customers are buying the clogs, but the flip-flops aren’t selling as they should. This is not good for business, so you use some profit to create an Instagram ad for the flip-flops. Initially, this marketing initiative yielded promising results, with a noticeable uptick in flip-flop sales during the campaign’s early days. However, this positive trend proved transitory, as sales figures declined despite the ongoing advertisement expenditure. This is because the campaign continues to target customers who have purchased without properly extending to customers who have not.

No sales!!!

This highlights a common issue in B2B advertising: inefficient targeting and wasted ad spend. Studies show that 63% of marketers report wasting their budget on ineffective ad targeting, and repetitive ads can lead to a 20% decrease in campaign effectiveness (Marketing Charts) (Liveintent).

KEY OPPORTUNITY INDICATORS

Improved Targeting Accuracy: Enhanced ability to target new potential customers instead of repeatedly advertising to existing ones.
Reduced Ad Spend Waste: Decrease in budget spent on ineffective ads by excluding users who have already made purchases.
Increased Campaign Effectiveness: Potential for a higher Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) by focusing on relevant audience segments.

THE GOAL

Develop WasteNot to automate audience suppression, optimize ad spend, and improve campaign performance for B2B advertisers.

MY ROLE

As with my other/earlier roles, my journey with WasteNot began with a deep dive into understanding the intricacies of B2B advertising. As the product designer responsible for the entire design process, I had to quickly build knowledge in the advertising world to understand what problems needed solving. My research gave me the insight to identify user needs, create wireframes, and develop prototypes, all while ensuring the final design aligned with user and client expectations.

In close collaboration with the client, who had outlined user stories and project goals, we aligned our efforts with the requirement document. Our research involved testing competitor platforms to understand industry standards and best practices.

KEY FEATURES

Bridging platforms to create a unified advertising experience.

WasteNot interface displaying options to connect ad platforms. The left panel shows fields to input Custom Label, API Token, and Authorization Key for connecting Amazon Ads. The right panel lists connected ad platforms including Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, and Google Ads. Below, cards for HubSpot, Amazon Ads, and Snapchat Ads are visible, with options to view documentation or connect. — Components from the seamless integration feature.

Seamless integration in B2B advertising ensures that various tools and platforms work together efficiently, streamlining workflows, reducing manual effort, and improving campaign management by connecting and managing tools in one place.

The complexities of managing separate advertising systems:

Platform Fragmentation: Managing multiple platforms separately leads to fragmented data and inconsistent strategies.
Manual Effort: Transferring data manually is time-consuming and error-prone.
Inconsistent Reporting: Difficulty consolidating reports due to different metrics and formats across platforms.
Delayed Optimization: Lack of real-time data synchronization hinders quick campaign adjustments.

To develop the seamless integration feature, I collaborated closely with clients to understand their needs and preferred platforms. This helped ensure our solution met their expectations and provided real value. I tested integrations with popular platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads to identify best practices and challenges. By studying competitor solutions, I gained valuable insights that shaped my design strategy. This process was further refined through iterative prototypes and continuous client feedback.

Screens Overview:

Integration Dashboard: Displays connected ad platforms and their status. Users can see which platforms are connected and manage these integrations from a single dashboard.
Add New Platform: Provides a straightforward form to connect new platforms. Users fill in necessary details like API keys and authentication credentials.
Connection Status: This shows the current status of the integration process. Users receive feedback if the connection is successful or if there are errors.
Success and Error Messages: Inform users when integrations are completed or if any issues need to be addressed.

WasteNot interface showing the Ad Platforms page with connected ad platforms like Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, and Google Ads, along with their custom names and statuses. Below, cards for connecting additional ad platforms such as Amazon Ads, Snapchat Ads, and X.com are displayed. The interface includes navigation options on the left sidebar for Home, Audience, Data Sources, Ad Platforms, Support, and Settings. — This demo shows how users can effortlessly integrate their Adstacks on WasteNot.

Real-time Audience Suppression:

Real-time audience suppression is essential in B2B advertising to prevent ad fatigue and optimize budget spending. This feature allows advertisers to exclude users who have already converted or met other criteria, ensuring that ads are only shown to relevant audiences.

WasteNot interface showing audience criteria settings with fields for Audience Name, event/user attribute selection, conditions, and frequency settings. Below, Google Ads integration panel with options to select campaigns and ad groups, displaying multiple campaigns and associated ad groups ready for connection. — Components from the Audience Suppression feature

The Power of Audience Suppression

Prevents Ad Fatigue: Ensures that users are not repeatedly shown the same ads, which can lead to decreased engagement.
Optimizes Ad Spend: Reduces waste by not targeting users who have already taken the desired action, thus focusing on potential new customers.
Enhances Campaign Effectiveness: Improves the Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) by targeting a more relevant audience.

To develop the real-time audience suppression feature, I focused on making the process seamless and intuitive.

User Journey

Platform Integration & Campaign Selection: Users can connect their advertising platforms, such as Google Ads, and specify which campaigns should follow suppression rules for efficient ad management.

WasteNot interface showing the Audience management page with settings for managing audience criteria and platform connections. The “Active Shoppers” audience criteria is displayed, indicating users who have unsubscribed from emails more than five times in the last six days, with a user count of 13,467. Below, the Google Ads connection panel allows selecting campaigns and ad groups, with options to save changes. The left sidebar includes navigation options for Home, Audience, Data Sources, Ad Pla — Integrating ad platforms and selecting campaigns for audience suppression.

Setting Suppression Rules: Users configure rules to exclude certain audience segments, such as users who have already converted.

WasteNot interface showing the Audience management page with details for “Active Shoppers” criteria, indicating to stop buying ads for users who have unsubscribed from emails more than five times in the last six days, received an email less than two times in the last four days, or seen an ad less than two times in the last four days. The user count is 13,467 and the status is active. Below, platform connections include Google Ads, which is connected, with multiple campaigns and ad groups listed. — Suppression Rules Set

Design Insight: We implemented user-friendly checkboxes for quick selection of multiple campaigns, simplifying audience suppression management across platforms.

WasteNot interface showing selection options for ad groups and campaigns. The left card displays checkboxes for “All Ad Groups,” “Ad Group 1,” “Ad Group 2,” and “Ad Group 3” with the first two ad groups checked. The right card shows checkboxes for “All Campaigns,” “Campaign A,” “Campaign B,” “Campaign C,” and “Campaign D.” — Intuitive checkboxes allow users to easily select specific groups and campaigns for advertising.

User testing revealed a preference for this straightforward method, significantly reducing complexity and boosting campaign management efficiency.

Real-time Feedback and Application

Feedback Mechanism: The system offers real-time feedback as users configure their suppression rules and platforms. Status updates indicate successful rule application or highlights issues needing attention.

Providing immediate, clear feedback was crucial. It helps users grasp the impact of their actions swiftly, promoting confidence and efficiency in managing their campaigns.

WasteNot interface showing the Suppression Audiences page with a list of audience names, criteria, statuses, and user counts. The listed audiences include “Active shoppers,” “Fashionistas,” and several unnamed audiences, with options to manage each audience. The left sidebar provides navigation options for Home, Audience, Data Sources, Ad Platforms, Support, and Settings. A user is seen interacting with the “Manage Audience” button for one of the listed audiences. — This demo showcases how users can set up a new audience suppression.

Cross-Platform Audience Activation

As a sub-feature of real-time audience suppression, cross-platform audience activation allows advertisers to manage their audience suppression across multiple ad platforms seamlessly. This includes the ability to:

Add New Platforms: Easily integrate additional platforms like Amazon Ads into their existing suppression settings.

Manage Campaigns: Select and manage specific campaigns for audience suppression across all connected platforms.

Real-time Updates: Make real-time adjustments to existing audience suppression settings, ensuring optimal performance of active campaigns.

This sub-feature enhances flexibility and control for B2B advertisers by enabling comprehensive audience management across multiple platforms, further streamlining their advertising efforts.

WasteNot interface showing the Manage Audience page for “Active Shoppers.” Criteria include unsubscribing from emails more than five times in the last six days, receiving an email less than two times in the last four days, or seeing an ad less than two times in the last four days. User count is 13,467 with active status. Below, Google Ads platform connection is displayed with multiple campaigns and ad groups listed. — Manage audience settings and platform connections in WasteNot.

Conclusion and Implementation

While WasteNot is still in development, designing and developing the platform has provided valuable insights into B2B advertising complexities. To ensure consistency and quality, I created a comprehensive style guide, which maintained design integrity across the platform. Additionally, I meticulously annotated my designs to guide developers, ensuring seamless implementation.

Learnings

Working on WasteNot has been a transformative experience, offering me deep insights into B2B advertising. This project required me to venture into uncharted territory, and the challenges I faced provided valuable learning opportunities.

Hi, I’m Uche.

I’m a proven and visionary product designer, shaping global landscapes through innovative contributions. I excel in growth design and strategic product development, consistently delivering solutions that drive business expansion.

To keep this article short, I only wrote about the most forward-facing features. You can check out a few of my works in my portfolio. Also, feel free to reach out on Twitter.

Case study: streamlining B2B advertising through innovative design

Enhancing B2B advertising strategies for better outcomes.

Written by Uche Divine