Key Takeaways:
- According to Blue Bite’s Matthew Shay B2B buyers now move across channels, devices, and real-world moments before talking to sales, so marketers need contextual, connected, and measurable omnichannel strategies.
- Shay emphasizes that stronger B2B media performance comes from combining location-aware targeting, cross-device activation, AI-driven optimization, and outcome-based measurement.
In the ever-evolving landscape of B2B marketing, adapting to shifting buyer behaviors is critical for success. As B2B buyers increasingly engage across diverse channels and devices, marketers face the challenge of creating campaigns that are not only far-reaching but also contextual, connected, and measurable.
At the forefront of this discussion is Matthew Shay, Director of Media at Blue Bite, a leader in location-aware, omnichannel media solutions. From leveraging omnichannel media strategies to optimizing campaigns in real-time, the insights shared in our discussion highlight the importance of precision, adaptability, and innovation in B2B marketing.
The conversation delves into the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in media planning, the power of video content, and the value of connecting real-world audience signals to digital engagement. In this interview, Shay shares his expertise on topics such as effective paid media strategies, the integration of AI in media planning, and the optimization of digital campaigns for maximum impact. His insights offer a fresh perspective on how B2B marketers can stay competitive in an increasingly complex and connected world.
Demand Gen Report (DGR): Matt, thanks for joining us. Let’s start here: how are B2B buyers’ media consumption habits evolving, and what does this mean for marketers?
Matthew Shay: No problem at all. B2B buyers are engaging across more channels, devices, and real-world moments before they ever speak with sales. They are researching solutions at work, at industry events, while traveling, and across digital environments throughout the day. For marketers, this means broad reach alone is no longer enough. Campaigns need to be contextual, connected, and measurable. At Blue Bite, we see this as a shift toward location-aware, omnichannel media that connects real-world exposure to digital engagement across mobile, desktop, CTV, audio, and other addressable channels.
DGR: What are the most effective paid media strategies for B2B marketing? Which media channels are most effective for reaching B2B audiences, and why?
Shay: The most effective B2B paid media strategies combine precise audience targeting, omnichannel reinforcement, and outcome-based measurement. Blue Bite helps marketers reach high-value audiences based on real-world context, including industry events, business districts, competitor locations, Out-of-Home (OOH) exposure, and other relevant points of interest. From there, those audiences can be activated across mobile, desktop, CTV, audio, and social. No single channel should carry the full journey; display and mobile drive efficient engagement, CTV and video build awareness, and retargeting reinforces the message over time.
What are the Best Ways to Optimize Digital Media
DGR: How can social media platforms be used to generate leads and drive engagement in B2B?
Shay: Social media works best in B2B when it builds credibility first, then supports conversion intent. Thought leadership, event content, case studies, webinars, customer proof, and short-form video can create meaningful engagement signals that become the basis for retargeting. Social can also complement real-world audience strategies by extending campaigns to people who have shown contextual relevance through event attendance, location behavior, or exposure to physical media. This helps turn social engagement into a more connected, full-funnel media strategy.
DGR: How can B2B marketers optimize digital media for maximum impact? How can video content be leveraged to enhance B2B marketing efforts?
Shay: B2B marketers should optimize campaigns while they are live, not only after final reporting. Blue Bite’s approach uses active optimization levers such as location-based weighting, publisher controls, ad exchange prioritization, and ad size allocation to improve performance throughout the campaign. Video adds another layer by making complex B2B messages easier to understand and remember, especially when paired with mobile-first creative, localized messaging, clear CTAs, and sequential retargeting across screens. In our 2025 performance analysis, mobile-first, animated, and localized creative consistently helped drive stronger engagement.
How to Integrate AI for Best Results
DGR: How can AI be integrated into media planning and buying for better results?
Shay: AI can help B2B marketers make faster and more informed decisions across planning, targeting, bidding, creative testing, and optimization. The most practical application is using machine learning and performance signals to improve delivery in real time, whether that means shifting spend toward stronger-performing locations, prioritizing higher-quality inventory, or identifying creative formats that are driving engagement. AI should not replace strategy, but it can make media buying more responsive, efficient, and performance-driven.
DGR: What are the key considerations for allocating media budgets across channels?
Shay: Budget allocation should be based on the role each channel plays in the buyer journey. Awareness budgets should lean into video, CTV, display, audio, and high-reach placements, while consideration and conversion budgets should prioritize retargeting, paid social, search, and high-intent audiences. Blue Bite’s value is helping marketers connect those pieces through Audience Geofencing, Shadowfencing, Lookback Retargeting, cross-device activation, and measurement. The goal is to allocate budget based on audience quality, channel purpose, and measurable impact rather than assumptions.
DGR: How can content be distributed effectively across media channels to reach target audiences?
Shay: Content should be planned for distribution across the full buyer journey, not created for a single placement. A core asset can be adapted into paid media, social, video, email, and retargeting to keep the message consistent while matching each channel’s format. Blue Bite strengthens that approach by using real-world audience signals and cross-device delivery to reinforce content after a buyer has shown relevance through location, event attendance, or physical media exposure, creating a more connected path from awareness to action.
Emerging Trends for B2B Marketers to Know
DGR: How can influencer marketing be adapted for B2B audiences?
Shay: B2B influencer marketing works best when trusted industry voices help make the message more relevant and credible. We extend that content through paid media in high-value environments like conferences, trade shows, business districts, or other relevant points of interest. From there, engaged audiences can be retargeted across channels, helping the content continue driving value beyond the original post or event.
DGR: How can B2B marketers track and improve ROI from media campaigns?
Shay: B2B marketers need to connect media exposure to real outcomes, not just impressions and clicks. That means measuring impact through website visitation, brand lift, conversion lift, footfall, sales lift, and other business-focused KPIs. Our measurement approach uses attribution and lift-based studies to show whether campaigns drove incremental behavior. As media budgets face more scrutiny, this level of proof helps marketers understand what is working and where to optimize next.
DGR: What are the emerging media trends that B2B marketers should capitalize on?
Shay: B2B marketers should be paying close attention to the shift toward more connected, contextual, and accountable media. Trends like omnichannel activation, real-world audience targeting, CTV, short-form video, AI-driven optimization, privacy-safe retargeting, and outcome-based measurement all point in the same direction: campaigns need to reach the right audiences across screens and prove what happened after exposure. For Blue Bite, that aligns directly with Audience Geofencing, Shadowfencing, Lookback Retargeting, cross-device activation, and advanced attribution that connects media to measurable impact beyond the click.
